Institutional Learning Outcomes

Kalamazoo Valley Community College provides a high-quality education for its students and ensures that graduates have the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to function effectively in their personal and professional lives. Graduation competencies are the core knowledge, fundamental skills and attributes that the college has identified as necessary to being an educated person and a life-long learner. A quality educational experience at Kalamazoo Valley prepares an individual to:

Achieve a level of competency appropriate for a one-year certificate or two-year associate degree;
Prepare for advanced work and life-long learning;
Effectively enter the workforce and be a well-educated member of the community;
Transfer to a baccalaureate degree-granting institution.

The competencies that comprise a quality education provided by Kalamazoo Valley are the following:

Effective written and oral communication skills. Organize and articulate thoughts and concepts in written and oral or non-verbal form to address a particular topic and audience. Revise a well-developed final product in standard American English utilizing external sources and proper citations.
Ability to think critically and to solve problems. Recognize, define, analyze, evaluate, and interpret information to solve problems, draw logical conclusions, and develop alternative solutions or strategies.
Ability to work in groups. Demonstrate interpersonal skills and effectively collaborate with other people to achieve a common purpose.
Information, numeric, and/or technology literacy. Access, evaluate, and analyze various sources of information from text, data, charts, and graphs. Perform numeric computations and analyze and interpret the results. Effectively utilize technology in completion of tasks.
A highly developed sense of ethics. Recognize the role ethical judgment plays in respect to society, community, and professional and personal interactions.
Respect for diversity. Appreciate the rich and varied cultural backgrounds of fellow students and the global community. Understand the role that culture and environment play in individual behavior and the necessity of respecting individual differences.
A global perspective. Understand global interdependence and the impact of historical, geophysical, political, economic, and socio-cultural forces on nations and people.
Strong personal-management skills. Utilize resources and budget time effectively to meet deadlines and achieve goals.

Each course is designed to address one or more of these competencies. As students progress through their program of study, the competencies are collectively developed through a variety of courses and experiences.