Purpose

The goal of the Full-time American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Studies Certificate Program is to prepare students for a variety of professional opportunities working with Deaf clients and the Deaf community, develop receptive and expressive proficiency in ASL, and build an awareness and understanding of the Deaf community by applying a bicultural-bilingual approach.

Duration

The Full-time ASL & Deaf Studies Certificate Program is 10 months in length. Students have 3 years to complete the program.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

• Communicate proficiently in ASL and English in various contexts and employment settings;
• Apply principles of the bilingual-bicultural approach to ethical decision making;
• Act as an Ally to support the aims of the Deaf community for autonomy, opportunity, and accessibility;
• Incorporate critical thinking into systematic inquiry, theoretical reasoning and problem solving;
• Identify the challenges and issues faced by the d/Deaf community;
• Analyze, critique and discuss genres of ASL and Deaf literature, and media;
• Act in an ethical and professional manner in working with the Deaf community;
• Implement a personal and professional development plan for continued growth and life-long learning;
• Prepare and present a variety of public speeches.

Admission Requirements

1. English 12 with C or equivalent, or English Language Proficiency at an English 12 level, or equivalent AND
2. SIGN 1000 or equivalent OR
3. Admission to the ASL & Deaf Studies program

Program Requirements

Plan of Study Grid

Term One		Credits
SIGN 1100	ASL 1	6
SIGN 1200	ASL Lab 1	3
SIGN 1300	Deaf Culture & Community 1	3
SIGN 1400	Becoming an Ally 1	3
SIGN 1500	Public Speak & Professionalism	3
	Credits	18
Term Two
SIGN 2100	ASL 2	5
SIGN 2200	ASL Lab 2	3
SIGN 2300	Deaf Culture & Community 2	3
SIGN 2400	Becoming an Ally 2	3
SIGN 2500	Deaf Literature	3
	Credits	17
Term Three
SIGN 3100	ASL 3	5
SIGN 3200	ASL Lab 3	3
SIGN 3300	Deaf Culture & Community 3	3
SIGN 3400	Becoming an Ally 3	3
SIGN 3500	ASL Literature	3
	Credits	17
	Total Credits	52

Note: All courses in a term must be successfully completed prior to continuing to the next term.

Evaluation of Student Learning

Students are evaluated on their performance on practical assignments, special projects, written assignments, presentations using ASL or gesture, oral presentations, and tests. Students are evaluated according to their ability to comprehend ASL and their ability to express themselves through signing.

The ASL & Deaf Studies certificate is granted to students who receive 70% or higher in all of the courses in each of the three (3) terms.

Students who do not receive 70% or higher in all courses in each of the three (3) terms will not be eligible to receive the certificate but will be allowed to progress to the next term if they achieve a minimum of 60% in all courses.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

Prior learning assessment and recognition is not available for this program.

Transcript of Achievement

The evaluation of learning outcomes for each student is prepared by the instructor and reported to the Student Records Department at the completion of semesters.

The transcript typically shows a letter grade for each course. The grade point equivalent for a course is obtained from letter grades as follows:

Grading Standard

Transcript of Achievement

Grade	Percentage	Description	Grade Point Equivalency
A+	95-100		4.33
A	90-94		4.00
A-	85-89		3.67
B+	80-84		3.33
B	75-79		3.00
B-	70-74	Certificate Pass 70%– this allows students to receive the certificate	2.67
C+	65-69		2.33
C	60-64	Minimum Pass 60%– this allows students to progress but no certificate is given.	2.00
C-	55-59		1.67
D	50-54		1.00
F	0-49	Failing grade: student not allowed to progress to the next term.	0.00
S	70 or greater	Satisfactory – student has met and mastered a clearly defined body of skills and performances to required standards	N/A
U		Unsatisfactory – student has not met and mastered a clearly defined body of skills and performances to required standards	N/A
I		Incomplete	N/A
IP		Course in Progress	N/A
W		Withdrawal	N/A
Course Standings
R		Audit. No Credit	N/A
EX		Exempt. Credit Granted	N/A
TC		Transfer Credit	N/A

Grade Point Average (GPA)

1. The course grade points shall be calculated as the product of the course credit value and the grade value.
2. The GPA shall be calculated by dividing the total number of achieved course grade points by the total number of assigned course credit values. This cumulative GPA shall be determined and stated on the Transcript at the end of each Program level or semester.
3. Grades shall be assigned to repeated courses in the same manner as courses taken only once. For the purpose of GPA calculation of grades for repeated courses, they will be included in the calculation of the cumulative GPA.