General Education Academic Goals

Assessment at Rivier College

Assessment Committee

Assessment Record Book Portfolio

          Through its curriculum, Rivier College seeks to:

1. Develop creative approaches to problem solving, promote intellectual curiosity, and engender a life long commitment to learning.

2. Promote ethical awareness, personal accountability, and a strong commitment to social justice.

3. Foster a sense of the sacred and of the dignity of the human person, particularly as expressed through the Catholic tradition.

4. Develop the ability to place oneself, one's discipline, and one's society in historical, cultural, and global perspective.

5. Develop the ability to reason critically and use sound reasoning, both verbally and quantitatively.

6. Develop the capacity for precise and articulate communication -- written, oral, visual, and quantitative.

7. Develop an understanding of the special disciplinary approaches and contributions of the arts and sciences.

8. Prepare students to function as skilled professionals in their chosen careers.

Academic assessment at Rivier College measures a student's achievement of both specific course objectives and the College's overall goals of fostering articulate and reflective individuals who have achieved the intellectual independence, critical judgment, grounding in values, and professional knowledge to contribute significantly to society.  Individual course grades reflect the instructor's assessment of how well the student has achieved the objectives of the course, mastered its specific content, and demonstrated College-wide competencies at a level appropriate for that course and subject.   These College-wide competencies include the following: 

• an understanding of course content -- the information, concepts, theories, or skills required of the specific subject and discipline.

• the ability to apply information, concepts, or skills from one part of the course to other areas and solve problems using this knowledge or these skills.

• the ability to communicate one's understanding and knowledge with clarity and persuasiveness -- orally, visually, quantitatively and/or in writing.

• the ability to think critically about course material in light of other information, theories, or points of view, demonstrating an awareness of the implications and/or limitations of any one perspective or approach.

• the ability to synthesize course material, discovering larger patterns or relationships, discriminating among multiple views, and/or viewing the subject within a cross-disciplinary or global perspective.

• the ability to make and support value judgments about the social or ethical implications of course material or judge between competing solutions.