College-wide Learning Goals: 

Graduates of Westminster College School of Arts and Sciences will achieve the following college-wide learning goals:

• Critical, analytical, and integrative thinking
• Creative and reflective capacities
• Leadership, collaboration, and teamwork
• Writing and other communication skills
• Global consciousness, social responsibility, and ethical awareness

Assessment at Westminster College

"Assessment of student learning can be defined as the systematic collection of information about student learning, using the time, knowledge, expertise, and resources available, in order to inform decisions about how to improve learning."
- Barbara E. Walvoord, Assessment Clear and Simple

Westminster College promises its students that they will graduate with the skills and attributes we believe are critical for success in our rapidly changing world: critical thinking, writing and other communication skills, ethics and social responsibility, and skills both in leadership and teamwork. Assessment- an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning and measuring outcomes- plays a big part in assuring that we deliver on that promise. The key is to provide each program, both curricular and co-curricular, with the tools needed to accurately assess student learning and then, to develop programs based on the evidence provided by those tools. Because each department incorporates and assesses competencies such as critical thinking differently, each is charged with drawing its own map, if you will- its own route to meeting these college-wide learning goals. We don't just assess students, we assess entire programs. Needed changes can be designed with measurement and outcome in mind. But in the end assessment is not what we are doing, it's what we are. It's part of our culture of learning here at Westminster College.

Mission Statement

Westminster College is a private, independent college dedicated to student learning. We offer professional and liberal arts courses of study for undergraduates, as well as selected graduate programs. We are a community of learners with a long and honored tradition of caring deeply about students and their education. Students are challenged to experiment with ideas, raise questions, critically examine alternatives, and make informed decisions. We encourage students to accept responsibility for their own learning, to discover and pursue their passions, and to act with responsibility.

Our purposes are to prepare students to lead lives of learning, accomplishment, and service and to help them develop skills and attributes critical for success in a rapidly changing world. We do this by offering distinctive academic programs that emphasize theory and practice and encourage active, experiential, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary learning. We work to pursue excellence while promoting inclusiveness and respect for differences.

Vision

We will be nationally recognized as an exemplary community of learners, distinguished by our distinctive educational programs, our record of preparing graduates for success in a rapidly changing world, and our commitment to continuous improvement, effectiveness, and value.