Core Learning Outcomes Assessment

Core Learning Outcomes Assessment

NOVA’s Core Learning Outcomes assessment examines student learning designed to help prepare students for life in the twenty-first century. NOVA builds students’ core learning experience from the six general education core competencies agreed upon by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS):

  1. Civic Engagement
  2. Critical Thinking
  3. Professional Readiness
  4. Quantitative Literacy
  5. Scientific Literacy
  6. Written Communication

Assessing student progress using these Core Learning Outcomes (also referred to as General Education Core Competencies), helps NOVA monitor the success of our curriculum and educational support programs. It also fosters ongoing efforts to improve programs and student learning. Our goal is forward motion – consistent and useful progress in creating quality educational experiences for students.

NOVA’s Core Learning Outcomes assessment program is supported and reviewed by The State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV), the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC – NOVA’s accreditation agency). Meeting, and exceeding, the high expectations of these bodies assure students, parents, employers, and legislators that NOVA offers excellence in education.