Policies and Procedures

Communication Spoken/Signed

Education for understanding the basic concepts and practices associated with public speaking or signing includes making public presentations of one’s own thoughts and research.

Outcomes

Students will:

1. Apply critical thinking skills when listening, reading, thinking, and speaking or signing.
2. Create, organize and support ideas for various types of spoken and signed presentations.
3. Evaluate contexts, attitudes, values and responses of different audiences.
4. Identify, evaluate and apply different styles of presentation, utilizing effective delivery techniques in public speaking or signing.
5. Demonstrate acceptable ethical standards in research and presentation of materials, including proper verbal or signed citations.

Communication Written

Education for understanding the basic concepts and practices associated with written communication includes analyzing and reflecting on complex topics and appropriately synthesizing one’s own and others’ ideas in clearly written and well-organized edited American English.

Outcomes

Students will:

1. Analyze and compare perspective, meaning and style in different texts, including those that reflect multicultural images and voices.
2. Construct a theme or thesis and organize and develop a substantial, balanced and convincing defense of it in a voice, tone, language and format (e.g., essay autobiography, report, editorial, case study, inquiry and research) appropriate to the purpose of the writing.
3. Use logical support, including informed opinion and fact, as well as their interpretations, to develop ideas, avoiding fallacies, biased language and inappropriate tone.
4. Demonstrate satisfactory competence in the conventions of Edited American English and the elements of a presentation (including layout, format and printing).
5. Select and incorporate ideas derived from a variety of sources, such as library electronic and print resources, books, journals, the Internet and interviews, and document them responsibly and correctly.
6. Apply a variety of strategies for planning, outlining, drafting, revising and editing written work.

Community Engagement

Education for community-based learning is a pedagogy that integrates explicit academic learning objectives, preparation and reflection with meaningful work in the community. It focuses on learning through assignments that involve the application of theory to practice and result in improved student learning outcomes, including enhanced understanding of course content, critical-thinking skills, retention, sensitivity to diversity and the ability to apply the academic concept.

Outcomes

Students will:

1. Develop an understanding of the social, cultural and civic aspects of their personal identities. (Self and Social Awareness)
2. Develop an understanding of social responsibility and the connections between short-term community service and greater long-term societal well-being. (Service and Social Responsibility)
3. Develop an understanding of how the actions of individuals and social systems bring about both equity and inequity in communities and society. (Community and Social Justice)
4. Develop career skills needed to address the cultural, linguistic, humanistic, artistic, economic, scientific, social and/or civic issues of our time. (Career Development and Professional Development)
5. Learn from and work responsively and inclusively with diverse individuals, groups and organizations to build more just, equitable and sustainable communities. (Multicultural Community Building/Civic Engagement)

Critical Thinking

Education for critical thinking includes analyzing information and ideas carefully and logically from multiple perspectives and developing reasoned solutions to problems.

Outcomes

Students will:

1. Explain and apply the basic concepts essential to a critical examination and evaluation of argumentative discourse.
2. Use investigative and analytical thinking skills to examine alternatives, explore complex questions and solve challenging problems.
3. Synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned conclusions.
4. Evaluate the logic and validity of arguments, as well as the relevance of data and information.
5. Recognize and avoid common logical and rhetorical fallacies.

Global Learning

Education for global learning includes understanding the diversity and multiplicity of cultural forces that shape the world through the study of cultures, gender, sexuality, race, religion, class, ethnicities, and languages with a special focus on the contributions, differences, and global perspectives of diverse cultures and societies.

Outcomes

Students will:

1. Describe and compare different cultures.
2. Explain how various cultures contribute to the development of our multicultural world.
3. Describe and explain how race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, sexuality and other markers of social identity impact life experiences and social relations.
4. Analyze and explain the deleterious impact and the privileges sustained by racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, classism, homophobia, religious intolerance or stereotyping on all sectors of society.
5. Demonstrate linguistic and cultural proficiency in a language other than English.

Information Literacy/Competency

Education for information competency includes progressively developing information competence skills throughout one’s undergraduate career by developing a basic understanding of information retrieval tools and practices, as well as improving their ability to evaluate and synthesize information ethically.

Outcomes

Students will:

1. Determine the nature and extent of information needed.
2. Demonstrate effective search strategies for finding information using a variety of sources and methods.
3. Locate, retrieve and evaluate a variety of relevant information, including print and electronic formats.
4. Organize and synthesize information in order to communicate effectively.
5. Explain the legal and ethical dimensions of the use of information.

Quantitative Reasoning

Education for mathematical reasoning includes gaining competence for informed judgment and decision making.

Outcomes

Students will:

1. Represent, understand and explain mathematical information symbolically, graphically, numerically, spoken and/or signed.
2. Develop mathematical models of real-world situations and explain the assumptions and limitations of those models.
3. Use models to make predictions, draw conclusions, check whether the results are reasonable and find optimal results using technology when necessary and appropriate.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of mathematical reasoning, including the ability to prove simple results and/or make statistical inferences.