Stony Brook Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes

The tables below provide the full list of student learning outcomes (SLOs) associated with each Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) category.

DEmonstrate Versatility

• Explore and Understand the Fine and Performing Arts (ARTS)

  ARTS SLO

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of at least one principal form of artistic expression and its creative process through the creation of art, the examination of works of art, or  the study of historical, cultural, theoretical, technical or through critical writings about art.

  Certified ARTS courses must fulfill the listed SLO.

• Engage Global Issues (GLO)

  GLO SLOs

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the development of distinctive features of at least one civilization or culture (outside of the USA) in relation to other regions of the world.
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of the interrelationships among civilizations and cultures within historical and/or contemporary contexts, and their impact on wellbeing and sustainability.

  Certified GLO courses must fulfill all listed SLOs.

• Address Problems Using Critical Analysis and the Methods of the Humanities (HUM)

  HUM SLOs

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the conventions and methods of study in at least one of the humanities.
  2. Recognize and analyze nuance and interdisciplinary complexity of meaning through critical reflection on text, visual images, or artifacts.

  Certified HUM courses must fulfill all listed SLOs.
  

• Communicate in a Human Language Other Than English (LANG)

  LANG SLOs

  1. Exhibit basic communicative proficiency (as defined by ACTFL) in a human language other than English.
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of the distinctive features of culture(s) associated with the language studied.
     
     

  Certified LANG courses must fulfill all listed SLOs.

• Master Quantitative Problem Solving (QPS)

  QPS SLOs

  1. Interpret and draw inferences from appropriate mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables, or schematics.
  2. Represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically, or verbally as appropriate.
  3. Employ appropriate quantitative methods such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or statistics to solve problems.

  Certified QPS courses must fulfill all listed SLOs. MAP courses will not be considered for certification in Mastering Quantitative Problem Solving

• Understand, Observe, and Analyze Human Behavior and Societal Constructs (SBS)

  SBS SLOs

  1. Describe major concepts and theories of at least one discipline in the social sciences.
  2. Describe the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena.

  Certified SBS courses must fulfill all listed SLOs.

• Study the Natural World (SNW)

  SNW SLOs

  1. Explain the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of data analysis or mathematical modeling.
  2. Explain the application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural sciences.

  Certified SNW courses must fulfill all listed SLOs.

• Understand Technology (TECH)

  TECH SLOs

  1. Demonstrate an ability to apply technical tools and knowledge to practical systems and problem solving.
  2. Design, understand, build, or analyze selected aspects of the human-made world. The “human-made world” is defined for this purpose as “artifacts of our surroundings that are conceived, designed, and/or constructed using technological tools and methods.”

  Standards for TECH

  Courses must satisfy both learning outcomes.
  

• Understand the Political, Economic, Social, and Cultural History of the United States (USA)

  USA SLOs

  1. Describe aspects of US society and/or history, including the diversity of individuals and communities that make up the nation.
  2. Explain the role of individual participation in US communities and government.
  3. Apply historical and contemporary evidence to draw, support, or verify conclusions.

  Certified USA courses must fulfill all listed SLOs. 

• Write Effectively in English (WRT)

  WRT SLOs

  1. Research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details.
  2. Produce a coherent college-level written document that engages with an intended  reader.
  3. Evaluate written communications for substance, bias, and intended effect.
  4. Demonstrate the ability to revise and improve written communications.

  Standards for WRT

  1. Certified WRT courses must deliver instruction and evaluate student performance for all of the SLOs listed above.
  2. ESL courses will not be considered for certification as writing effectively in English.
  3. Typically, courses that meet advanced learning outcomes in Write Effectively in English may be certified as WRTD, not as HFA+. See the section on "Prepare for Life-Long Learning" in this chapter.

Explore Interconnectedness

• Understand Relationships between Science or Technology and the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences (STAS)

  STAS SLOs

  1. Apply concepts and tools drawn from any field of study in order to understand the links between science or technology and the arts, humanities or social sciences.
  2. Synthesize quantitative and/or technical information and qualitative information to make informed judgments about the reciprocal relationship between science or technology and the arts, humanities or social sciences.

  Standards for STAS

  1. A certified course shall fulfill both learning outcomes. Certified courses will devote significant time to consideration of the consequences of science or technology for social, economic, ethical, moral, political, artistic, and/or other domains of experience.
  2. Because of the inherent interdisciplinary nature of the STAS learning objectives, STAS courses may not be multi-certified.

Pursue Deeper understanding

• Apply Knowledge and Skills beyond the Classroom (Experiential Learning, EXP+)

  EXP+ SLOs

  1. Demonstrate interpersonal competency (e.g. teamwork, communication, collaboration, etc.), including relationships with faculty advisor(s), on-site supervisor(s)/ mentor(s), team members and/or the broader community that is impacted by the project.
  2. Apply knowledge and skills gained through coursework to a real-world situation.
  3. Appraise the personal, academic, and/or professional effects before, during, and after the applied learning experience through deep and sustained reflection.
  4. Apply feedback on performance promptly and productively.

  Standards for EXP+

  A certified course in EXP+ should satisfy all four learning outcomes.

  The Stony Brook experiential learning requirement follows national standards for experiential learning developed by the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE).

  1. Intention: All students and advisors must be clear why the student chose the particular experience to meet this General Education requirement. This includes a clear statement about the learning that is to take place and the knowledge that will result from it. Intention represents the purposefulness that enables experience to become knowledge and, as such, is deeper than the goals, objectives, and activities that define the experience.
  2. Preparedness and Planning: Students must ensure that they enter the experience with sufficient foundation to support a successful experience. They must also focus from the earliest stages of the experience/program on the identified intentions, adhering to them as goals, objectives and activities are defined. The resulting plan should include those intentions and be referred to on a regular basis by all parties. At the same time, it should be flexible enough to allow for adaptations as the experience unfolds.
  3. Authenticity: The experience must have a real world context and/or be useful and meaningful in reference to an applied setting or situation. This means that it should be designed in concert with those who will be affected by or use it, or in response to a real situation.
  4. Reflection: Reflection is the element that transforms simple experience to a learning experience. For knowledge to be discovered and internalized the learner must test assumptions and hypotheses about the outcomes of decisions and actions taken, then weigh the outcomes against past learning and future implications. This reflective process is integral to all phases of experiential learning, from identifying intention and choosing the experience, to considering preconceptions and observing how they change as the experience unfolds. Reflection is also an essential tool for adjusting the experience and measuring outcomes.
  5. Orientation and Training: For the full value of the experience to be accessible to both the learner and the learning facilitator(s), and to any involved organizational partners, it is essential that they be prepared with important background information about each other and about the context and environment in which the experience will operate. Once that baseline of knowledge is addressed, ongoing structured development opportunities should also be included to expand the learner’s appreciation of the context and skill requirements of her/his work.
  6. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement: Any learning activity will be dynamic and changing, and the parties involved all bear responsibility for ensuring that the experience, as it is in process, continues to provide the richest learning possible, while affirming the learner. It is important to have a feedback loop related to learning intentions and quality objectives and that the structure of the experience be sufficiently flexible to permit change in response to what that feedback suggests. While reflection provides input for new hypotheses and knowledge based in documented experience, other strategies for observing progress against intentions and objectives should also be in place. Monitoring and continuous improvement represent the formative evaluation tools.
  7. Assessment and Evaluation: Outcomes and processes should be systematically documented with regard to initial intentions and quality outcomes. Assessment is a means to develop and refine the specific learning goals and quality objectives identified during the planning stages of the experience, while evaluation provides comprehensive data about the experiential process as a whole and whether it has met the intentions that suggested it.
  8. Acknowledgment: Recognition of learning and impact occur throughout the experience by way of the reflective and monitoring processes and through reporting, documentation, and sharing of accomplishments. All parties to the experience should be included in the recognition of progress and accomplishment. Culminating documentation and celebration of learning and impact help provide closure and sustainability to the experience.
• Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA+)

  HFA+ SLO

  1. Students must use the skills expected from their Versatility courses to study and practice them in greater depth, with further study applied to the area in which they are certified.

  Standards for HFA+

  Certified courses must expect students to practice the skills they learned in their Versatility courses in greater depth. These courses must have prerequisites from among the Versatility categories and will typically be at the 200-400 level.

• Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS+)

  SBS+ SLO

  1. Students must use the skills expected from their Versatility courses to study and practice them in greater depth, with further study applied to the area in which they are certified.

  Standards for SBS+

  Certified courses must expect students to practice the skills they learned in their Versatility courses in greater depth. These courses must have prerequisites from among the Versatility categories and will typically be at the 200-400 level.

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM+)

  STEM+ SLO

  1. Students must use the skills expected from their Versatility courses to study and practice them in greater depth, with further study applied to the area in which they are certified.

  Standards for STEM+

  Certified courses must expect students to practice the skills they learned in their Versatility courses in greater depth. These courses must have prerequisites from among the Versatility categories and will typically be at the 200-400 level.

Prepare for Life-Long Learning

• Practice and Respect Critical and Ethical Reasoning (CER)

  CER SLOs

  1. Demonstrate an ability to distinguish among the ethical principles guiding human behavior.
  2. Apply ethical reasoning to a variety of situations and human experience.
  3. Understand and differentiate ethical, legal, social justice, and political issues.

  Standards for CER

  A certified course shall satisfy one of the three learning outcomes.
  

• Respect Diversity and Foster Inclusiveness (DIV)

  DIV SLOs

  1. Describe the historical and contemporary societal factors that shape the development of individual and group identity involving race, class, and gender.
  2. Analyze the role that complex networks of social structures and systems play in the creation and perpetuation of the dynamics of power, bias, privilege, oppression, and opportunity.
  3. Apply the principles of rights, access, equity, and autonomous participation to past, current, or future social justice action.
  4. Critically reflect upon how one’s own personal and cultural presuppositions affect one’s values and relationships.

  Standards for DIV

  Certified DIV courses must fulfill all listed SLOs.
  

• Evaluate and Synthesize Researched Information (ESI)

  ESI SLOs

  1. Locate information effectively using discipline-appropriate tools.
  2. Evaluate information with an awareness of authority, validity, and bias.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of information use, creation, and dissemination.

  Standards for ESI

  Certified ESI courses must fulfill all listed SLOs.

• Speak Effectively before an Audience (SPK)

  SPK SLOs

  1. Research a topic, develop an oral argument and organize supporting details.
  2. Deliver a proficient and substantial oral presentation using appropriate media that engages with an intended audience.
  3. Evaluate oral presentations of others for substance, bias, and intended effect.
  4. Apply feedback to revise oral communication.

  Standards for SPK

  1. Certified SPK courses must fulfill all listed SLOs.
  2. Courses or modules certified as providing oral communication practice must provide access to instruction in the methods of making a proficient oral presentation. Access might include referral to on-campus resources.
  3. Certified oral communication experiences shall require students to make a substantial and graded oral presentation (e.g., 10-15 minutes) before a group.
  4. Certified oral communication experiences shall have students evaluate other students’ oral presentations using explicit criteria.
  5. Although most programs will stipulate that the learning outcome will be completed in English, some programs could demonstrate that the requirement could be completed in an alternative language.
• Write Effectively within One’s Discipline (WRTD)

  WRTD SLO

  1. Collect the most pertinent evidence, draw appropriate disciplinary inferences, organize effectively for one's intended audience, and write in a confident voice using correct grammar and punctuation.

  Standards for WRTD

  1. Produce written work congruent with the standards of one’s discipline
  2. Complete one certified course that reinforces writing skills in the major discipline OR submit a portfolio of at least 15 pages of written work in the discipline, as determined by the department and certification committee.
  3. Although most programs will stipulate that the learning outcome will be completed in English, some programs could demonstrate that the requirement could be completed in an alternative language.

Note: Revised student learning outcomes (SLOs) for the following categories were developed by the General Education Advisory Committee (GEAC) and approved by Undergraduate Council, with additional review from the Senior Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and the University Senate Executive Committee, in Spring 2023: ARTS, DIV, GLO, HUM, LANG, QPS, SBS, SNW, SPK, USA, & WRT.  Revised ESI SLOs were developed by the General Education Advisory Committee (GEAC) and approved by Undergraduate Council, with additional review from the Senior Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and the University Senate Executive Committee, in Spring 2024. Previous versions of the SLOs can be found in the archived record.