Five program-level learning outcomes will provide students with a cohesive learning experience that will enable them to plan, connect and reflect as they move through their foundational learning experiences.
Cultural Interactions
Students will broaden and deepen their understanding of common human themes; develop an awareness of diverse cultures; and understand the cultural, historical, economic, and social implications of what they learn. This part of the GEP is designed to help students interpret and synthesize information from diverse contexts in order to connect ideas and patterns across a variety of disciplines. Courses will equip students to analyze and articulate the meaning of works of art, performances, or texts, as lenses to explore social challenges of today and prepare students to address and reflect upon issues in a complex world.
Communication
Students will prepare to become successful writers, speakers, and producers of digital materials in the academic, civic, and professional worlds. This part of the GEP helps students critically read texts, develop effective oral and written communication strategies, and practice working with and creating multi-modal texts. Courses stress the importance of conducting systematic research in order to synthesize information and to present findings in rhetorically and stylistically appropriate ways for a range of audiences, purposes, forums, and occasions.
Knowledge Application
Students will gain a deep understanding of scientific methods and learn to connect and apply them to challenges facing society. This part of the GEP is designed to help students learn to develop, assess, and apply models of systematic inquiry and to discover the relevance of such approaches to their lives in and beyond college. Courses will help students learn to critically read and evaluate information, compile data, and analyze findings through application and experimentation.
Problem Solving
Students will prepare to be well-informed citizens who can reason and can apply analytical, statistical, and computational methods to the challenges of a globally-diverse and technologically rich environment. This part of the GEP is designed to familiarize students with fundamental problem solving concepts, frameworks, and paradigms that will equip them to logically solve a variety of real world problems. Courses which utilize problem solving stress the development of critical thinking skills as well as students’ decision making skills.
Interpretation and Evaluation
Students will learn to assess and decipher information in a world full of conflicting sources and to employ social sciences models to produce knowledge. This part of the GEP program is designed to assist students in formulating models to determine what information is valid and useful, encouraging them to be knowledgeable and productive members of academic and real world communities. Courses will stress how to evaluate, interpret, and support conclusions drawn from multiple theoretical and practical perspectives in order to equip students to explain content, determine its usefulness, and offer productive explanations.