In the 2013 WSCUC Handbook of Accreditation, Criteria for Review 2.2a states: Baccalaureate programs engage students in an integrated course of study of sufficient breadth and depth to prepare them for work, citizenship, and life-long learning. These programs ensure the development of core competencies including, but not limited to, written and oral communication, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, and critical thinking.

Now, at a time when there is widespread concern about the quality of graduates’ learning, and when assessment practices have emerged that are able to address these outcomes in nuanced ways, the Commission is asking for documentation of actual achievement. While CFR 2.2a mentions additional outcomes beyond the five core competencies – e.g., creativity, appreciation for diversity, and civic engagement – these five outcomes, in particular, have been deemed generic, fundamental to students’ future success, and assessable.