English class learning outcomes and assessment

English Outcome

Learning Outcomes

Participation in this course has provided for a vocabulary expansion and greater capabilities in the use of digital communications technology, and through practice a greater understanding of what is necessary to communicate to different people of different backgrounds and in different settings has also been achieved. The coordination of language, vocabulary to facilitate more effective and persuasive speech with laypeople, professionals, colleagues, or strangers was a significant learning outcome in this course, as it is useful not only in the classroom but in many areas of life beyond the classroom, as well. It is essential to develop this skill for a career in the military, as communications that are standard among service members are often incomprehensible to civilians while civilian communications may be too imprecise for military needs. Differentiating between the need for specialized terminology and more general and broadly understandable terms -- and being able to fulfill these varying needs through language manipulation -- are very useful skills that have been acquired.

The ability to compose emails and other communications in a professional manner is also an important learning outcome. Different communication media can be interpreted in different ways by the receiver, requiring the communicator to take this into account in their language use. Understanding how language is perceived in different media contexts and how these perceptions can be accommodated or utilized is an essential task in all walks of life in order to appear polite, professional, and informed.

This course enables the expansion of vocabulary to allow for the communication of business concepts on both practical and theoretical levels, which also enables the processing of complex reading material on these topics and the ability to translate and critically analyze these texts. Accurate summarizations, conversational references, and critical writing of these complex texts are all practiced and honed through this course, and through development of the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate an understanding of these texts greater conceptual understanding is reached. The major practical outcome of this capability is the increased ability to communicate complex information both verbally and in writing in a manner that is understandable and analytical. This has many practical benefits in the military, as concise yet detailed reporting accomplished rapidly through various communication media is required in almost all positions.