General Education Competency Areas

Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing

Competencies

Upon completion of a course in this category, students are able to demonstrate at least five (5) of the following competencies.

• Recognize and describe humanistic, historical, or artistic works within problems and patterns of the human experience.
• Distinguish and apply terminologies, methodologies, processes, epistemologies, and traditions specific to the discipline(s).
• Perceive and understand formal, conceptual, and technical elements specific to the discipline.
• Analyze, evaluate, and interpret texts, objects, events, or ideas in their cultural, intellectual or historical contexts.
• Interpret artistic and/or humanistic works through the creation of art or performance.
• Develop critical perspectives or arguments about the subject matter, grounded in evidence-based analysis.
• Demonstrate self-reflection, intellectual elasticity, widened perspective, and respect for diverse viewpoints.

AA & AS (2 different disciplines) (6 hours)

Mathematical Ways of Knowing

Competencies

Upon completion of a course in this category, a student is able to demonstrate the following competencies

• Read, interpret, and communicate mathematical concepts.
• Represent and interpret information/data.
• Select, execute and explain appropriate strategies/procedures when solving mathematical problems.
• Apply quantitative reasoning to draw and support appropriate conclusions.

AA & AS (3 hours)

AAS (3 hours)

Oral Communication

Competencies

Upon completion of a course in this category, students are able to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Research, discover, and develop information resources and structure spoken messages to increase knowledge and understanding.
• Research, discover, and develop evidence-based reasoning and persuasive appeals for ethically influencing attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
• Adapt spoken messages to the diverse personal, ideological, and emotional needs of individuals, groups, or contexts.
• Employ effective spoken and nonverbal behaviors that support communication goals and illustrate self-efficacy.
• Listen in order to effectively and critically evaluate the reasoning, evidence, and communication strategies of self and others.
• Understand key theories, perspectives, principles, and concepts in the Communication discipline, as applied to oral communication.

AA, AS, AAS (3 hours)

Scientific Ways of Knowing

Competencies

Upon completion of a course in this category, a student is able to demonstrate at least four (4) of the following competencies.

• Apply foundational knowledge and models of a natural or physical science to analyze and/or predict phenomena.
• Understand the scientific method and apply scientific reasoning to critically evaluate arguments.
• Interpret and communicate scientific information via written, spoken and/or visual representations.
• Describe the relevance of specific scientific principles to the human experience.
• Form and test a hypothesis in the laboratory or field using discipline-specific tools and techniques for data collection and/or analysis.

AA & AS (2 different disciplines/1 lab) (7-8 hours)

Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing

Competencies

Upon completion of a course in this category, students are able to demonstrate at least four (4) of the following competencies.

• Demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of a particular Social Science discipline.
• Develop an understanding of self and the world by examining the dynamic interaction of individuals, groups, and societies as they shape and are shaped by history, culture, institutions, and ideas.
• Utilize Social Science approaches, such as research methods, inquiry, or problem solving, to examine the variety of perspectives about human experiences.
• Evaluate how reasoning, history, or culture informs and guides individual, civic, or global decisions.
• Understand and appreciate similarities and differences among and between individuals, cultures, or societies across space and time.

AA & AS (6 hours)

AAS (3 hours)

Written Communication

AA & AS (6 hours)

AAS (3 hours)

Competencies

Upon completion of a course in this category, students are able to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Use flexible writing process strategies to generate, develop, revise, edit, and proofread texts.
• Adopt strategies and genre appropriate to the rhetorical situation.
• Use inquiry-based strategies to conduct research that explores multiple and diverse ideas and perspectives, appropriate to the rhetorical context.
• Use rhetorically appropriate strategies to evaluate, represent, and respond to the as and research of others.
• Address readers’ biases and assumptions with well-developed evidence-based reasoning.
• Use appropriate conventions for integrating, citing, and documenting source material as well as for surface-level language and style.

Institutionally Designated

AA & AS (5 hours)

Introduction to General Education

Competencies

Upon completion of a course in this category, students are able to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Articulate the value of general education
• Explain how a Way of Knowing can broaden and deepen comprehension of a topic of an idea
• Demonstrate a knowledge of academic integrity policies and expectations at the College
• Use the skills, strategies and campus resources necessary for engage learning

AA & AS (3 hours)

Wellness

Competencies

Upon completion of a course in this category, students are able to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Identify: Define the purpose of lifelong wellness.
• Plan: Create individual goal(s) addressing at least one dimension of wellness.
• Practice: Apply wellness knowledge to act on individual goals addressing at least one dimension of wellness.
• Reflect: Demonstrate the ability to engage in careful thought about beliefs and behaviors impacting lifelong wellness.

AA & AS (2 hours)