Our Commitment to Your Learning
A central mission of Columbia Basin College is its commitment to your learning and achievement. It’s important to us that you obtain your desired certificate or degree and that you learn what you need in order to be successful when finding employment or transferring to another institution.
During your time at CBC you will come across the term student learning outcomes. These are the knowledge, skills and abilities that you are expected to learn in your various courses, in your program of study, and overall while you are at CBC. The institutional learning outcomes are below. Program outcomes can be found on program webpages and course outcomes are on each syllabus.
New Institutional Learning Outcomes were approved by the College in December 2025. The new outcomes will be effective in July 2027.
CBC’s Institutional Learning Outcomes
- Understand, analyze, and evaluate the elements of one's environment and one's habits of thought.
- Conceptualize alternatives to both.
- View the ILO Rubric - Think Critically
- Perform accurate calculations
- Manipulate equations
- Interpret quantitative information
- Apply and analyze relevant numerical or symbolic data
- Present results to support conclusions
- View the ILO Rubric - Reason Quantitatively & Symbolically
- Use spoken and written language to express opinions, discuss concepts, and persuade an audience.
- Synthesize ideas and supporting information to create effective messages.
- View the ILO Rubric - Communicate Effectively
- Accurately assess information needs.
- Select appropriate information tools and resources and use them efficiently.
- Evaluate, manage, and use information effectively and responsibly.
- View the ILO Rubric - Apply Information Tools and Resources
- Respect self and others.
- Explore and appreciate different cultures in an increasingly diverse, global community.
- Challenge culture-bound assumptions.
- View the ILO Rubric - Develop Cultural Awareness
- Become familiar with a body of knowledge.
- Demonstrate ability to know or do the stated program learning outcomes, which are developed by each department and program and assessed annually.
Transfer Program Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes for the College's main transfer degree, the Associate in Arts & Science, were approved by the faculty in December 2025.
Upon completion of the Associate in Arts & Sciences degree, graduates will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:
- Communication: Apply fundamental communication principles in areas of audience analysis, message organization and interpretation, and effective delivery in oral and written forms, across interpersonal, group, and public contexts.
- Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning: Use mathematical or logical methods to analyze problems, perform calculations, and interpret results.
- Humanities: Analyze, interpret, and evaluate forms of human expressions, thought, and culture using critical theory, cultural analysis, or textual analysis.
- Social and Behavioral Sciences: Examine human behavior, social systems, and cultural dynamics through empirical inquiry, theoretical modeling, and interpretation of social structures.
- Natural Sciences: Investigate natural phenomena through scientific inquiry by developing hypotheses, gathering and interpreting data, and evaluating findings using evidence-based reasoning.
- Human Development, Health, and Physical Education: Demonstrate strategies and practices to enhance personal wellness, career development, and academic performance.
