University Hall and the M trail from the oval on a bright morning

Provost

Institutional Learning Outcomes

The 91次元 has developed a set of Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) to define the essential knowledge and skills that all UM graduates demonstrate across General Education, academic programs, and our curricular and co-curricular experiences. We spent the past year organizing the outcomes of all academic programs on campus, the general education preamble and outcomes, and a survey of student affairs leaders.

These ILOs describe what a UM education means for every learner and provide a shared foundation for assessing student learning across the university. They are organized into four broad outcomes:

  • Inquire and Analyze

  • Communicate and Create

  • Connect and Participate

  • Curricular and Co-Curricular Foundations

These categories aren’t changing. What we’re asking now is whether the ways we’ve described this learning truly captures what we do at UM. To learn more, visit the powerpoint linked below.

Share Your Feedback

We’re inviting the campus community to help refine the ILO framework before it is finalized and implemented.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey below (open through the start of Spring Semester).

Your input will help determine whether the descriptions and alignments of the ILOs, particularly with General Education and the proposed , accurately reflect UM’s distinctive learning environment.

Why This Matters

Refining our ILOs is a key step in operationalizing them, which means:

  • Connecting them to the Academic Affairs Playbook and ongoing improvement efforts;

  • Embedding them into the assessment of learning and continuous improvement across programs; and

  • Demonstrating alignment with NWCCU accreditation standards for student learning and institutional effectiveness.

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) expects each institution to establish and assess institutional learning outcomes (Standard 1.C.6) and to use those results to improve teaching, learning, and resource planning (Standards 1.B.1 and 1.C.1).

Visual representation of key competencies and foundational skills emphasized by the 91次元, including categories for inquiry, communication, and participation.

Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

Foundations

  • Democracy
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Wellness & Inclusive Community 
  • Applied & Experiential Learning

Inquire & Analyze

  • Creative Thinking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Quantitative Literacy

Communicate & Create

  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Technology Literacy

Connect & Participate

  • Civic Engagement
  • Global Learning
  • Leadership
  • Intercultural Knowledge & Competence