STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES AND OBJECTIVES
At Washington State University, student learning outcomes (SLOs) represent core skills and
knowledge students should develop through a curriculum or program of study. SLOs
provide students and faculty with a framework for understanding goals and expectations
for a degree. WSU faculty provide students with SLOs at multiple levels, including
university-wide, program-level, and course-level.
The faculty has identified five themes that include 15 critical student learning outcomes
(SLO) essential for students to achieve the LA program goals. The outcomes are
multifaceted and interrelated.
Theme One: Define and refine design problems and questions in the context of 21st
century realities
Upon successful completion of the BLA at WSU, students will be able to
- Identify and characterize the complex nature of problems, questions, and ethics
associated with human/landscape interactions across a broad range of scales - Articulate an understanding of identified problems and questions within the theoretical
and historical context of the profession of landscape architecture
Theme Two: Discover and determine appropriate design processes
Upon successful completion of the BLA at WSU, students will be able to
- Identify appropriate methods of design inquiry and problem solving processes to
produce creative solutions to identified problems and questions - Identify, collect, and analyze necessary information using appropriate technologies and
analytical techniques as they relate to the identified problem or question - Explore and critically analyze alternative design or planning solutions to the identified
problem or question - Engage in assessment and evaluation practices throughout the entire design process
Theme Three: Explore and develop communication skills
Upon successful completion of the BLA at WSU, students will be able to
- Justify and defend the proposed design/planning solution within the context of
aesthetics; social, political, economic, and environmental systems; and resilience - Communicate the entire problem solving process or method of inquiry in written, oral,
and graphic ways using appropriate media
Theme Four: Develop ecological understandings
Upon successful completion of the BLA at WSU, students will be able to
- Understand and apply ecology, botany, and horticulture principles to landscape design
- Cultivate knowledge of soils and geology and how they affect and are affected by
landscape design - Develop awareness of the interrelationships between design, ecosystems, and climate
Theme Five: Cultivate awareness of professional practices
Upon successful completion of the BLA at WSU, students will be able to
- Understand multiple aspects of practice
- Become leaders in collaboration and community engagement
- Integrate and apply diverse perspectives to design solutions
- Possess knowledge and understanding about allied fields and the value of
interdisciplinary design