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Learning and Assessment

two students ready to greet newcomers

SFCM's Learning Outcomes outline our priorities as an institution. Based upon our Four Pillars (Artist, Intellectual, Professional, Individual), each outcome describes a measurable skill or ability that students will develop during their time here.

Learning Outcomes assessment is led by the Student Learning and Assessment Committee (SLAC), which looks closely at SFCM's curriculum to ensure student learning is effective and ongoing. SLAC's Learning Outcomes reports are included below.

Learning Outcomes

Defining success on SFCM's Learning Outcomes

  1. Music Rendition

    Produce music based on given parameters. These may include a fully- or partially-notated score, a set of performance instructions, or the details of a composition assignment.
    Success is defined as a 75% average in each course's final exam/jury. Learn more about this from the Fall 2019 Assessment Report.

  2. Integrative Artistry

    Perform a musical work with the applicable stylistic and expressive qualities, as understood through common practice and historical research. This includes a commitment to personal artistry and finding one’s creative and interpretive voice.

  3. Music Literacy

    Analyze and competently discuss a wide range of musical works, including their historical and cultural context, and the elements of music theory that constitute the works’ particular character.

  4. Professionalism

    Employ a range of skills to meet the demands of a professional career. This includes being able to recognize the requirements of their chosen field, design or locate resources and employ them effectively, practice self-care, demonstrate appropriate etiquette and communication, and produce the requisite materials of a qualified candidate.

  5. Integrative Learning

    Synthesize ideas and experiences from across the curriculum and transfer learning to new and complex situations within and beyond campus.

  6. Written Communication

    Express information and ideas using the written word across multiple platforms and genres. This includes audience awareness, the ability to present and successfully defend an original thesis, and a mastery of spelling and grammatical conventions.
    Success is defined as all upper level undergraduates achieving above average. Learn more about this from the Fall 2018 Assessment Report.

  7. Oral Communication

    Effectively present ideas and information to an audience using spoken language, by utilizing visual aids, body language, intonation, and other non-verbal elements.

  8. Information Literacy

    Identify a need for information and to be able to locate, evaluate, and utilize sources for that information legally and ethically.

  9. Quantitative Reasoning

    Use logic and visual representations of data to analyze and interpret problems in everyday life situations.

  10. Critical Thinking

    Evaluate situations, arguments, and ideas with an open mind, using clear, evidence-based reasoning to explore all sides of an issue and inform a considered opinion.
    Success is defined as all upper level undergraduates achieving above average. Learn more about this from the Spring 2019 Assessment Report.