Academics
Areas of Study

A Gallaudet education provides students with opportunities to develop as wellness-grounded, proudly bilingual, career-ready critical thinkers, who are digitally aware, ethical, scientifically literate global citizens. Gallaudet’s curriculum provides learning experiences to promote the development of Gallaudet Scholars:

Core Student Learning Outcomes

Wellness: Recognize how my choices can transform my health, well-being, and ability to thrive; seek support and utilize resources for personal growth; and work collaboratively to promote wellness on campus and within myself.

Bilingualism: Use American Sign Language (ASL) and written English to communicate effectively with diverse audiences for a variety of purposes.

Career Readiness: Develop career decision-making skills and competencies by engaging in theoretical and experiential learning.

Critical Thinking: Think critically and innovatively, and express myself creatively, making connections within and across disciplines.

Digital Awareness: Employ data and technology in effective, competent, fair, accountable, transparent, and responsible (ethical) ways.

Ethics: Formulate reasoned decisions about ethical issues that lead to wise action.

Science Literacy: Evaluate evidence derived from a systematic analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to address issues that pertain to the experiences of individuals in societies.

Global Citizenship: Articulate knowledge of intersectional identities within a global society and demonstrate intercultural knowledge, cultural competence, and skills in the constructive civic discourse on the local, national, and global levels.

Learning Outcomes are the general education goals the university has established for all undergraduate students and represent the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students should gain to successfully complete the requirements of a course, program major, and degree. Many individual academic departments have also developed their own learning outcomes; check with the departments for details.

The SLOs are listed in alphabetical order below, but they are intended to be thought of as a wheel, all lending balance to the student at the hub, rather than “ranked” in any kind of order.

Bilingualism: Use American Sign Language (ASL) and written English to communicate effectively with diverse audiences for a variety of purposes.
Measurable sub-skills:
  • Articulate the influence of ASL and English languages on each other in their lives based on exploring their experiences with and beliefs about the two languages and how bilingualism can be used to access the world.
  • Demonstrate competence in ASL and written English discourses:
    • choose the appropriate register for the setting and participants
    • demonstrate an adequate command of grammar and mechanics
  • Demonstrate competence in composition in both ASL and written English:
    • use appropriate organizational pattern with an introduction, conclusion, sequenced material within the body and transitions
    • use citation practices to appropriately document sources of information
  • Demonstrate competence in comprehending and accurately summarizing material presented in ASL or written English.
  • Express ideas and information effectively in a variety of settings and formats, including one-on-one, groups of various sizes, and through various media.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of bilingual, multimodal communication strategies.
Career Readiness: Develop career decision-making skills and competencies by engaging in theoretical and experiential learning.
Sub Skills (Personal Development)
  • Articulate and understand personal interests, values, and strengths.
  • Develop skills and strategies to increase self-advocacy, resilience, and confidence in career decision-making.
Sub Skills (Tactical)
  • Gain awareness of and exposure to different career opportunities and pathways through programming, advising, and experiences.
  • Demonstrate competence in job search skills and tools, including resume development, opportunity research and exploration, networking, professional behaviors and communication, and interview and negotiation skills.
  • Engage in experiential learning opportunities, including internships, leadership opportunities, extracurriculars, on campus employment, and community service projects to explore career interests, develop professional behaviors and skills, and apply career readiness learning.
Critical Thinking: Think critically and innovatively, and express myself creatively, making connections within and across disciplines.
Measurable sub-skills:
  • Analyze arguments, identifying reasons, conclusions, assumptions, and logical relations.
  • Evaluate arguments and evidence, judging the quality of the reasoning and information, and raising specific objections.
  • Find and integrate multiple resources, across multiple disciplines, to address problems and questions.
  • Provide compelling reasons in support of opinions, avoiding common argument flaws and thoughtfully responding to objections.
  • Solve problems logically and innovatively.
  • Apply critique and creativity in artistic expression.
  • Contribute to our communities in creative and innovative ways.
Digital Awareness: Employ data and technology in effective, competent, fair, accountable, transparent, and responsible (ethical) ways.
Measurable sub-skills:
  • Demonstrate competence in use of appropriate software including multimedia (film and production) editing and management, word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet programs to create products that clearly record and communicate information.
  • Demonstrate competence in use of LMS systems/platforms used at Gallaudet such as Bb, Navigate, Zoom, and Peoplesoft (Bison).
  • Investigate and adapt to advances in technology, such as new hardware, programs, and features of programs, and relationships between technologies.
  • Interpret data sources in ways that are fair and transparent, avoiding bias.
  • Make informed decisions about how to use data and technology, by weighing possible outcomes and the potential ethical ramifications.
  • Demonstrate skills to identify and manage one’s personal digital footprint, including awareness of the implications of digital identity.
  • Identify the role of media in our cultures and critically evaluate media messages.
Ethics: Formulate reasoned decisions about ethical issues that lead to wise action.
Measurable sub-skills:
  • Recognize ethical issues in complex contexts, clarifying how various issues relate to each other.
  • Articulate multiple points of view on questions of ethics and values.
  • Use ethical concepts and theories to evaluate actions and debate controversial social issues.
  • Identify strategies to intervene and disrupt systems of oppression, on an individual or systemic level.
  • Use sound judgment to synthesize, prioritize, and apply various academic, legal, and professional codes of behavior.
Global Citizenship: Articulate knowledge of intersectional identities within a global society and demonstrate intercultural knowledge, cultural competence, and skills in constructive civic discourse on the local, national, and global levels.
Measurable sub-skills:
  • Compare the practices, languages, formative events, artistic and literary traditions of one’s own and various other cultures.
  • Describe how privileged and oppressed social identities intersect to influence an individual’s experiences.
  • Demonstrate the ability to accurately situate oneself within the local, national, and global landscape, recognizing their own and others’ positionalities.
  • Recognize and apply the knowledge that identities/histories shift based on context.
  • Work cooperatively and effectively with individuals from or in other countries and cultural groups.
  • Apply leadership development skills that promote strength-based empowerment including coaching, accountability, change management, influence & negotiation with diverse groups.
  • Participate in practicing constructive civic discourse.
Science Literacy: Evaluate evidence derived from a systematic analysis of quantitative and qualitative data to address issues that pertain to the experiences of individuals in societies.
Measurable sub-skills:
  • Identify issues relevant to the experiences of communities for which scientific types of analysis can support positive change.
  • Explain the importance of using scientific information to address everyday issues.
  • Consider various research methods and their efficacy.
  • Design experiments and analyze data to explore questions related to real-world phenomena.
  • Communicate evidence and results effectively, using charts, graphs, and equations.
  • Develop recommendations and make decisions supported by analysis of scientific and quantitative evidence.
  • Evaluate scientific evidence, recognizing limitations and logical flaws.
Wellness: Recognize how my choices can transform my health, well-being, and ability to thrive; seek support and utilize resources for personal growth; and work collaboratively to promote wellness on campus and within myself.
Wellness is defined as including: intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental, financial, physical, interpersonal, and occupational components.
Measurable sub-skills:
  • Explain behaviors that promote wellness.
  • Develop self-awareness techniques and practices.
  • Articulate knowledge of campus support services for promoting wellness.
  • Identify appropriate tools for addressing health-related issues.
  • Analyze factors that contribute to wellness and promote meaning in one’s life.
  • Devise goals and apply strategies for supporting wellness.
  • Develop self-advocacy skills and awareness of everyone’s right to healthy, positive outcomes.
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