Institutional Outcomes

Campus-wide assessment initiatives at MCLA relate back to our Institutional Outcomes.  These are generated from three critical documents:

Mission Statement

A mission statement is a brief declaration of an organization's purpose and values - the reason why it exists.  The mission does not describe what an organization will do, or how or when it will do it.  Read more about MCLA's Mission Statement here.

Strategic Goals

Strategic Goals are the long-range goals for an entire organization, based on its mission.  They define the direction of the organization, usually over several years.  Everything the organization does should be related back to its strategic goals and through them, support the mission.  Read more about MCLA's Strategic Goals here.

Liberal Arts Emphasis & LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes

In support of our role as the Commonwealth's public's liberal arts college, Massachusetts Liberal Arts College (MCLA) adopted the Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) goals of the Association of America Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in 2008. The LEAP goals, summarized below, are infused throughout the curriculum and in co-curricular programs.

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World Institutional Level Outcomes

Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts, focused by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring

Intellectual and Practical Skills, including

  • Inquiry and analysis
  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Written and oral communication
  • Quantitative literacy
  • Information literacy
  • Teamwork and problem solving

Practiced extensively, across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance

Personal and Social Responsibility, including

  • Civic knowledge and engagement-local and global
  • Intercultural knowledge and competence
  • Ethical reasoning and action
  • Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

Anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges

Integrative and Applied Learning, including

  • Synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies

Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems