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Susan Gano-Phillips, Affective Learning in General Education 35
allowed us to consider how well students had achieved the affective ILO.
The final mechanism for assessing the affective ILO came from an
Integrative Reflective paper assignment entitled, “What I have learned
about ethics in public life.” Through this paper, the students’ comments
demonstrated the value that they placed on being able to examine the
relationship between codes of ethics and individual ethical behavior. One
student commented, “Personally, the symposia gave me the chance to look
at the world with a more critical eye. I now see that ethics isn’t a class or a
random scenario, but something that is a part of you; like character.” While
these statements are qualitative and anecdotal, and on their own would not
provide sufficient evidence of the achievement of the affective ILO, they
certainly supplemented the other assessments and attested to the fact that the
students valued the development of their ethical decision-making skills.
Conclusions — On the Opportunity and Challenges of
Affective Learning
Affective learning outcomes are essential components of a 21 st century
university education, as exemplified in statements of graduate outcomes,
various accreditation standards, and employer surveys internationally.
Though less familiar to most faculty than cognitive learning outcomes,
affective learning outcomes are no less salient or critical to student success
in the ever-changing, multicultural, global, information-laden society in
which we live. In fact, some argue that affective learning outcomes are more
important for the success of graduates and the success of society than are
many of the specific cognitive outcomes emphasized in current programs.