Student perspectives on learning was investigated at Alverno College. Attention was directed to how students understand and justify learning outcomes, and how they understand liberal learning as relevant to performance in personal and professional roles. The competency-based curriculum at Alverno College defines competencies as developmental,…

The effect of an ability-based curriculum on student development was studied at Alverno College, a liberal arts women's college. Data were obtained from 990 participants representing students, alumnae, and working professionals who were not Alverno students. Sixteen research instruments were administered to a sample of 200 students over their 4…

The question of whether students change in broad abilities indicative of human potential for cognitive-development, learning styles, and other generic abilities was studied at Alverno College. An additional study objective was to determine whether such change can be attributed to performance in a performance-based curriculum, rather than age,…

The Six Performance Characteristics rating, An Alverno College assessment technique used in the outcome-centered liberal arts curriculum, is discussed. The technique provides a means for faculty to judge students in a systematic way over time on developmental characteristics that apply to their performance across disciplines and across competence…