Merritt College has six distinct Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs). All other outcomes (course, program, and service area) are mapped to one or more of the institutional outcomes.

1. Communication: Communicate with clarity and precision using oral, nonverbal, and/or written language, expressing an awareness of audience, situation, and purpose.
2. Critical Thinking: Think critically using appropriate methods of reasoning to evaluate ideas and identify and investigate problems, and develop creative and practical solutions to issues that arise in workplaces, institutions, and local and global communities.
3. Quantitative Reasoning: Apply college-level mathematical reasoning to analyze and explain real-world issues and to interpret and construct graphs, charts, and tables.
4. Cultural Awareness: Through knowledge of history and cultural diversity, recognize and value perspectives and contributions that persons of diverse backgrounds bring to multicultural settings and respond constructively to issues that arise out of human diversity on both the local and the global level.
5. Civic Engagement and Ethics: Internalize and exhibit ethical values and behaviors that address self-respect and respect for others with integrity and honesty that will enable success and participation in the larger society.
6. Information and Computer Literacy: Use appropriate technology to identify, locate, evaluate, and present information for personal, educational, and workplace goals.

Assessment of ILOs:

The Peralta Community College District has an institutional effectiveness process which consists of the following components: a District-wide Strategic Plan, which is updated every six years; Comprehensive Program Reviews, which are completed every three years; and Annual Program Updates (APUs), which are completed in non-program review years.

Through the Program Review process, each program is expected to establish program growth and improvement goals in support of the goals of the college and district.  Subsequent APUs primarily focus upon planning and institutional effectiveness by requesting that everyone report upon the progress they are making in attaining the goals and objectives described in the most recent program review document.  The Program Review is therefore a document which reflects continuous quality improvement and serves a critical role in the Integrated Planning and Budgeting (IPB) cycle of the college in that it provides a vehicle in which to identify and request additional resources that support reaching the stated goals (outcomes) and program improvement objectives in the unit’s program review.

Throughout this document, the term “program” is used to refer to any of the following institutional structures: discipline, department, program, administrative unit, or unit.

Supporting Documents

Program Review and APU reports from prior years, along with training videos and documentation, can be found on the Planning, Research & Institutional Effectiveness website. An overview of the Integrated Planning and Budgeting (IPB) calendar and accompanying infographics are included in the Shared Governance Handbook.

The following institutional planning documents provide additional context and detail regarding college goals:

• College 2018 Educational Master Plan Update
• Guided Pathways Plan
• Vision for Success

Contact Information

If you have questions regarding data, please contact Nathan Pellegrin, Director of Research and Planning (npellegrin@peralta.edu).

If you have questions regarding Student Services SLOs, PLOs, SAOs, or ILOs, please contact Dr. Marta Zielke (mzielke@peralta.edu)

If you have questions regarding the curriculum section, please contact the chair of the Curriculum Committee, Alexis Alexander (aalexander@peralta.edu) 

For all other questions regarding the Program Review, please contact your Dean or Administrator.

Watch Civic Engagement and Ethics: Flex Day Presentation (ILOs)

Watch ILO Computer and Information Literacy Flex Day Presentation

Contact Information

General Questions?
mer-sloac@peralta.edu

Evan Nichols
SLOAC Co-chair and Coordinator
anichols@peralta.edu

Laura Forlin
SLOAC Co-chair and Coordinator
lforlin@peralta.edu