General Education and Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs)
Students who earn an Associate in Arts (AA) degree, an Associate in Science (AS) degree, or an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) complete their general educations and attain LBCC’s Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs).
General Education Philosophy
General Education requirements at Long Beach City College provide a broad educational experience that encourages students to explore various areas of human inquiry and equips them with a range of intellectual and practical skills to succeed in a rapidly-changing world. As the foundation of life-long learning, these requirements expose students to the principles, methods, values and thought processes employed in different disciplines and impart a strong sense of the social and ethical responsibilities associated with being civic-minded, informed and engaged global citizens.
The awarding of an Associate degree represents more than an accumulation of units. It symbolizes a successful attempt on the part of the college to lead students through patterns of learning experiences designed to develop certain capabilities and insights. Among these are the ability to think and to communicate clearly and effectively both orally and in writing, to use quantitative reasoning skills, to understand the modes of inquiry of the major disciplines, to be aware of other cultures and time periods, to appreciate the contributions and struggles of various communities and ethnic groups within the United States, to achieve insights gained through experience in thinking about ethical issues, and to develop the capacity for self-understanding.
ISLOs
To ensure the College’s Mission is accomplished, SLO assessment at the institutional level focuses on students’ abilities to meet the ISLOs. In March 2019, the following ISLOs were approved by the College:
- Aesthetic Responsiveness: Value and interpret a range of cultural expression in the arts and humanities to generate useful and original ideas.
- Communication Skills: Apply skills to effectively communicate with, and respond to, varied audiences in written, spoken, signed, or artistic forms.
- Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Information Literacy: Demonstrate critical thinking, problem-solving, and diagnostics skills with an understanding of research, science, information literacy and/or quantitative reasoning.
- Global Awareness: Display critical and ethical engagement in global and local issues with sensitivity to the diversity of individuals, groups, and cultures.
- Professional and Personal Skills: Demonstrate the skills required to successfully enter and advance in the workforce, fulfill one’s educational goals, and make lifestyle choices that promote personal well-being.
LBCC’s Institutional SLO Assessment Cycle
ISLO Assessment Method
The goal of ISLO assessment is to better serve LBCC students. ISLO assessment is carried out through two assessment methods: both CSLO to ISLO mapping and an ISLO rubric for each ISLO. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness developed a Tableau dashboard that displays overall and disaggregated results of assessment. The ASLO subcommittee analyzes the ISLO assessment results and provides recommendations to the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction and to discipline faculty regarding actions to take to improve student learning at the institution.
LBCC ISLO 1 Rubric
LBCC ISLO 2 Rubric
LBCC ISLO 3 Rubric
LBCC ISLO 4 Rubric
LBCC ISLO 5 Rubric
Expectations for ISLO Analysis and Actions
The ISLO Analysis and Actions Guide Worksheet is a helpful tool for guiding the Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (ASLO) Subcommittee members through the analysis of ISLO results and determining actions to be taken to improve student learning at the institutional level. For example, it encourages ASLO to consider rubric category-level results as well as compare the difference in scores for those students who have completed 15 or fewer units at the College versus 45 or more units at the College. It also asks ASLO to consider groups of students that may have performed higher or lower on the assessment and to discuss the areas of strength and areas of weakness. Finally, the guide encourages ASLO to recommend specific actions that the institution can take to improve student learning, and it asks members to consider how actions might be implemented across multiple courses and how the institution might create buy-in for improvements.
The ISLO Analysis and Actions Guide Worksheet should be completed during the analyzing and acting stage of the assessment cycle and submitted to the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction before their final meeting of the academic year. Recommendations for improvement are also sent to the Board of Trustees as an information item.