Institutional Learning Outcomes

The Academic Senate unanimously approved the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) for California State University, East Bay in 2012. They express a shared, campus-wide articulation of expectations for all degree recipients. They are developed both in the classroom and co-curricular environments. Success in all disciplines requires inquiry, imagination, collaboration and analysis that serve to extend our understanding of the world and create effective new responses to professional, personal, and civic challenges and opportunities. Our ILOs define the broad areas of knowledge, skills, abilities and values that graduates of CSUEB are expected to develop as a result of their general education, major studies and co-curricular activities. Through development of the higher order capacities represented by the Cal State East Bay ILOs, students acquire the habits of lifelong learning and community engagement that prepare them to effectively apply their skills personally and professionally.

Graduates of Cal State East Bay will be able to:

  • think critically and creatively and apply analytical and quantitative reasoning to address complex challenges and everyday problems;
  • communicate ideas, perspectives, and values clearly and persuasively while listening openly to others;
  • apply knowledge of diversity and multicultural competencies to promote equity and social justice in our communities;
  • work collaboratively and respectfully as members and leaders of diverse teams and communities;
  • act responsibly and sustainably at local, national, and global levels;
  • demonstrate expertise and integration of ideas, methods, theory and practice in a specialized discipline of study.

THINKING AND REASONING

Graduates of Cal State East Bay will be able to think critically and creatively and apply analytical and quantitative reasoning to address complex challenges and everyday problems.

Success in all disciplines requires creativity and skills in inquiry and analysis that expand the understanding of the world and generate solutions to professional, personal, and civic problems. Our graduates must be competent in identifying problems, accessing information, differentiating and evaluating theories and ideas, analyzing data, making reasoned decisions, and transforming ideas or solutions into new forms. Thus, critical thinking practices — creative, analytical, and quantitative — act synergistically to form the foundation for all of the other learning outcomes.

Thinking and reasoning competencies include:

  • understanding the limits of one's own assumptions and knowledge and being open to changing one's mind in the face of new situations and evidence;
  • stating and evaluating assumptions with awareness of personal biases and other's perspectives;
  • recognizing, selecting, and evaluating the relevancy and validity of quantitative and qualitative evidence and information;
  • synthesizing and applying ideas and information from multiple sources and disciplines;
  • applying scientific reasoning and quantitative and statistical methods to interpret data, predict outcomes, and make decisions;
  • clearly communicating the results, justifications, and supporting evidence for a line of reasoning;
  • creating alternative visions, learning from failure, and transforming existing ideas to create new solutions.

COMMUNICATION

Graduates of Cal State East Bay will be able to communicate ideas, perspectives, and values clearly and persuasively while listening openly to others.

Developing strong oral, written, and creative communication skills is an important learning outcome for our graduates because these skills are fundamental to active participation in a democratic society and to achievement in professional life after graduation. Communication implies an exchange between two or more people, so communication is about expressing one’s own ideas, perspectives, and values as well as understanding the ideas, perspectives, and values of others.

Strong communication skills include:

  • identifying the audience and purpose for a particular communication situation;
  • representing knowledge orally, visually, and in writing;
  • expressing ideas, perspectives and values clearly and coherently;
  • supporting ideas, perspectives, and values with reasons and evidence;
  • understanding other perspectives on a particular topic;
  • locating, evaluating and using information appropriately;
  • listening actively, empathetically, and respectfully;
  • being open to new ideas and to changing perspectives when presented with new evidence;
  • using various forms of communication and communication technologies.

DIVERSITY

Graduates of Cal State East Bay will be able to apply knowledge of diversity and multicultural competencies to promote equity and social justice in our communities.

Our students come from and return to an increasingly diverse society; therefore, students need the knowledge, skills and dispositions to successfully contribute to the creation and maintenance of inclusive and just communities. Our graduates must be able to recognize and understand the rich and complex ways that group and individual differences and interactions impact self and society.  They will develop the capacity to interact openly and respectfully with individuals across the full range of human diversity including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age and ability.

Competencies that address diversity and multiculturalism include:

  • considering all cultures and groups as worthy of respect while understanding how their own and others’ perspectives are shaped by their cultures and experiences;
  • working in diverse groups effectively, respectfully, and with sensitivity;
  • recognizing their own biases and stereotypes and seeing issues and actions from different perspectives than their own;
  • identifying injustice and developing strategies and tactics for addressing injustice and inequality;
  • developing their sense of global citizenship through appreciation of diverse experience and values as sources of enrichment in their own lives, their communities and their culture(s);
  • building coalitions with those who are different from themselves.

COLLABORATION

Graduates of Cal State East Bay will be able to work collaboratively and respectfully as members and leaders of diverse teams and communities.

Working with others is an essential component of our university experience. Students work as teams on classroom assignments, on service learning projects, in student organizations, in campus service departments and elsewhere on campus. Collaborating with others, working in teams comprised of diverse members, and assuming leadership roles are essential in our workplaces and communities, so it is critical that our graduates master these skills.

Collaboration, teamwork and leadership competencies include:

  • understanding that effective collaboration involves an appreciation of the ways that cultural, gender and other differences can affect team dynamics;
  • applying the key elements of teamwork and leadership, such as member roles and responsibilities and the fair allocation of work and rewards; 
  • collaborating within and leading diverse groups with patience, objectivity, respect, inclusivity, and equity;
  • crafting consensus when presented with differing values, perspectives and priorities, and identifying, mitigating and resolving conflicts;
  • sharing in decision-making, creative group brainstorming, active listening, and giving and receiving constructive feedback;
  • being sensitive to and appreciative of the views of others, comfortable in diverse social and professional settings, and aware of their own perspectives and biases;
  • understanding the implications of values and ethics for leadership, teamwork and collaboration.

SUSTAINABILITY

Graduates of Cal State East Bay will be able to act responsibly and sustainably at local, national, and global levels.

Possessing the knowledge, abilities and dispositions that enable our graduates to act responsibly and sustainably in their personal and professional life is imperative. Through ethical behavior based on an understanding of how individual choices and actions affect society, our graduates can help build a sustainable future that ensures environmental integrity, economic vitality, and a just society for present and future generations.

Competencies addressing responsibility and sustainability include:

  • possessing a historical perspective and contemporary knowledge of the issues and context of social responsibility and sustainability;
  • understanding the scientific, social justice and economic implications of social responsibility and sustainability;
  • knowing the practical steps to achieving socially responsible and sustainable outcomes;
  • considering the perspectives of various stakeholders affected by a decision and evaluating the social, economic and environmental impacts of alternative choices;
  • accounting for the rights and responsibilities of all community members and the environment before taking action;
  • advancing social responsibility and sustainable development through appropriate personal choices and community engagement.

SPECIALIZED DISCIPLINE

Graduates of Cal State East Bay will demonstrate expertise and integration of ideas, methods, theory and practice in a specialized discipline of study.

A central element of our university experience is the opportunity to gain a depth of knowledge in a chosen field of study.  Expertise in a specialized discipline affords our graduates the opportunity to master the terminology, theory, methods, tools and applications of a particular subject area, preparing graduates to contribute to the development of new knowledge and applications that address complex issues in society and in one’s chosen profession.  Disciplinary knowledge—integrated with a broad understanding of the arts, sciences, and technology—contributes to critical and creative approaches to solving the problems confronting the world today.

Expertise in a specialized discipline includes:

  • defining and explaining the boundaries, divisions, styles and practices of the field;
  • defining and properly using the principal terms in the field, both historical and contemporary;
  • demonstrating fluency in the use of tools, technologies and methods in the field;
  • evaluating, clarifying and framing complex questions or challenges using perspectives and scholarship from the specialized discipline;
  • assembling, arranging and formulating ideas, concepts, designs, or techniques and applying them to specific issues and problems;
  • applying current research, scholarship and or/techniques in the field;
  • employing information literacy as appropriate to the discipline.