Student Learning Outcomes

Foundational Literacy Studies (FLS Writ 93) 

Foundational Studies in Literacy is an integrated reading and writing course with a focus on helping students develop core literacy skills. The course involves thoughtful discussion, engaged critical thinking, and the reading of various genres of appropriate-level texts. Students practice effectively communicating clear thoughts at the sentence and paragraph level as well as in longer-form writing.  In addition to reading and writing, students will practice and implement strategies for long and short-term goal setting, while improving study skills to prepare for success in subsequent courses or career pathways. Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course. 

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: 

Reading 

1) Use annotations to demonstrate use of reading comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading: 

2) Acquire and apply academic vocabulary to monitor comprehension before, during, and after reading: 

3) Analyze and synthesize text(s) to deepen understanding and perspective during and after reading:   

Writing 

1) Develop clear and coherent writing to convey thoughts and ideas: 

2) Write critical responses and simple essays with clear reasons and relevant evidence 

ENG 96 – Aligned Reading and Composition (ARC) 

ENG096 is an integrated reading and writing course designed to increase students’ critical thinking, reading, and writing abilities and to promote their academic literacy for long-term success. To meet these ends, this course provides a structured, rigorous learning environment that nurtures student engagement through a shared, sustained classroom experience, and it fosters collaboration in a curriculum that respects students’ individuality and humanity and that prepares them to meet college-level expectations.  

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: 

Reading 

1. Activate background knowledge. 

2. Identify stated and implied main ideas and supporting details. 

3. Explain the meaning of new words by using context clues, word parts, and dictionary skills. 

5. Distinguish fact from opinion. 

6. Make and modify predictions and inferences on the basis of evidence. 

7. Annotate a text. 

8. Outline a text. 

Critical Thinking 

1. Recognize patterns of organization to better comprehend and analyze text. 

2. Interpret a text and supporting the interpretation with evidence. 

3. Analyze multiple texts on a central theme in order to develop a critical review of the theme or topic. 

Writing through Reading 

1. Analyze rhetorical strategies used in course readings with an emphasis on the ability to: 

2.   Develop voice, tone, audience, and purpose. 

3.   Differentiate among and engage in argumentative, narrative, and expository writing. 

5.   Identify and incorporate supporting evidence. 

ENG 97 ALP 

This course provides additional support to English 101 students emphasizing critical reading, academic writing, and standard English grammar 

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: 

Critical Reading 

2. Analyze and interpret texts and other instructional resources, including graphic organizers and numerical data. 

3. Use logical thinking to make connections and draw conclusions. 

4. Evaluate ideas and data for use in essays. 

Academic Writing 

2. Exemplify knowledge and skill of writing the college essay, including its format and its development through the writing process. 

3. Develop academic essays that illustrate your interpretation and what you learned from the study of subject matter. 

4. Illustrate that your learning accomplishes the goals of the writing assignment. 

5. Support main points with logical reasoning, relevant examples and appropriate description. 

Standard English Grammar 

1. Show an advanced command of the conventions of standard written English, including grammar, usage, and mechanics. 

2. Assess your own writing structure and select appropriate strategies for improvement. 

This course emphasizes development of critical and analytical skills in writing and reading of expository prose. Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course. 

Upon successful completion of English 101, students will be able to: 

1. Engage in a recursive process of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading 

3. Define the purpose and audience for each writing task 

4. Adopt a voice, tone, and level of formality appropriate to an academic audience 

5. Achieve the purpose of the writing task 

6. Formulate and support an explicit or implied thesis 

8. Incorporate reasoning and explanations appropriate to the thesis and its supporting claims 

9. Establish a clear framework of organization appropriate to the writing task and the thesis 

10. Employ rhetorical strategies consistent with the purpose of the writing task 

11. Incorporate effective rhetorical tools such as transitions, examples, explanations, concrete and relevant details 

13. Identify and avoid intentional and unintentional plagiarism 

14. While revising, editing, and proofreading, apply conventions of Standard Edited English, and eliminate surface errors that interfere with coherence and clarity 

15. Summarize, analyze, and evaluate the arguments, counter-arguments, and evidence in the writing of others 

ENG 102 

This course introduces methods of research and writing of investigative papers. Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course. 

Upon successful completion of English 102, students will be able to: 

1. By the end of the semester, students with passing competency should be able to: 

2. Write well-developed, unified essays that each include 

3. Develop a focused, arguable thesis statement that is worthy of essay-length development, 

4. Plan organized and coherent paragraphs which both support the thesis and address counter-arguments, 

6. Manipulate rhetorical strategies consistent with the purpose of each essay 

7. Demonstrate of mastery of grammar and mechanics of Standard English 

8. Provide a conclusion which makes clear what the material in the essay means and why it matters, 

9. Synthesize varied outside source material, and 

11. Cultivate a research methodology or process, 

12. Apply a multi-step writing process, which may include topic exploration, primary and secondary research, topic proposals, drafting, and revision, 

13. Utilize various resources for research, such as library catalogs, scholarly data bases, print and on-line journals, etc., 

14. Analyze a variety of source material in order to develop critical analysis, which involves the abilities to: 

16. Identify and interpret primary arguments 

17. Formulate counterarguments 

18. Distinguish similarities and differences among nuanced arguments 

19. Evaluate the credibility of evidence, and 

21. Document sources used according to a standard format MLA and/or APA (as specified by the instructor) both in- text and on a works cited page. 

LIT 110 

LIT 110 is an introductory course to literature in which students have the opportunity to read major works by historical and contemporary authors of various genres.   

Upon successful completion of LIT 110, students will be able to: 

2. Apply critical thinking skills in order to understand literature with better precision and enhanced insight. 

3. Recognize how history, culture, and background influence writing, as well as one’s understanding of it. 

4. Write a unified and coherent and grammatically correct formal essay illustrating understanding of a text. 

5. Show awareness of the relationship between literature and other forms of art and communication. 

SPEECH 101 

This course provides theory and practice of oral communication; development of poise and confidence, delivery, and speech organization; public speaking practice; small group discussion, and development of standards of criticism. Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course. 

Upon successful completion of English 101, students will be able to: 

1. Utilize techniques to manage speech anxiety effectively. 

2. Construct and present three major audience centered speeches: informative and persuasive. 

4. Select and narrow an audience-centered speech topic. 

5. Develop a specific purpose, and translate that information to form a central idea in support of speech presentations. 

6. Illustrate knowledge of outlining methods via written speech development assignments. 

7. Research and judge credible supporting materials whose goal is to explain, support, or prove a  speech thesis. 

9. Use visual aids appropriately to enhance audience understanding and interest. 

10. Create a topic focused audience analysis, translate the data, and apply to speech development. 

11. Show, through speech presentations, knowledge of intentional delivery methods.

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