Dear Editor,
I was surprised to read the argument put forth in the “UFV’s Institutional Learning Outcomes Aren’t All That Smart” article of the Cascade (January 14, 2015). So much so, that as a student whose undergraduate experience has been greatly enhanced under the guidance of our Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs), I feel compelled to address many of the points raised in the article.
Like many other UFV students approaching the end of their undergraduate experience, I am ever more conscious of what employers look for in new graduates who are entering the workforce. Across the board, research article after research article shows that employers look for graduates with abilities that are neatly summed up in the UFV ILOs:
The ability to:
Demonstrate information competency
Analyze critically and imaginatively
Use skills and knowledge proficiently
Initiate inquiries and develop solutions to problems
Communicate effectively
Pursue self-motivated and self-reflected learning
Engage in collaborative leadership
Engage in respectful and professional practices
Contribute regionally and globally
Something that new graduates all over North America are quickly realizing is that graduating from an educational institution with a piece of paper that says you “did university” is rarely enough to secure a job. It’s the demonstrated ability of students to do things like “initiate inquiries and develop solutions to problems” and “engage in respectful and professional practices” that get them employed in today’s workforce.
The main arguments in Katie Stobbart’s article are that our ILO’s are “too vague,” “trying to deliver one standard outcome,” and that they don’t account for the fact that UFV students “have individual goals and aim to acquire different sets of skills and knowledge from our post-secondary experiences.” I’d argue otherwise.
UFV facilitates a multitude of opportunities for students to fulfill ILOs. At the forefront of these opportunities is the Co-Curricular Record (CCR). The CCR is an invaluable program built for students on the solid foundation of our Institutional Learning Outcomes. It allows students to seek out learning opportunities according to their individual interests and then gives them a platform to record their involvement. Upon graduation, the CCR is a document that demonstrates how a student chose to fulfill institutional learning outcomes and helps to make them more employable than students who chose not to do so.
Stepping away from how ILOs benefit student employability, I can attest to the fact that striving to meet our institutional learning outcomes will lead to a more colorful and impactful learning experience for students. Striving to meet our ILOs is what led me to pursue a student research position at our university, apply to be a resident assistant in dorm, and eventually inspired me to get involved in all facets of student governance at UFV. The possibilities of what you can do with UFV’s ILOs are truly endless, but at the end of the day it is students who are responsible for how active or passive they are in their own undergraduate experience.
In sum, while UFV facilitates many enriching educational experiences that are tailored to its ILOs, it’s up to students to recognize the value of this and take advantage of it. What I can agree with Katie Stobbart on is that UFV is “trying to deliver one standard outcome”: facilitating an unparalleled educational experience that has employers vying for an opportunity to employ UFV students.
Sukhdeep Brar
