List of Core Skills

The below list is a draft.  If you would like to include or exclude a skill(s) please click here and post your suggestion on the discussion page.

(revised draft 2/17/99)

Communication: Students will be able to communicate effectively in many different situations, accommodating audiences with differing cultural backgrounds, English fluency levels, and abilities.

Speaking: Students will speak in an understandable and organized fashion to explain and support their viewpoint before different audiences.

Listening: Students will listen carefully and respectfully to analyze the substance of others' comments.

Reading: Students will read attentively, analyze and comprehend on the college level.

Writing: Students will write in an understandable and organized manner to explain their ideas or defend a position.

Cognition: Students will be able to think logically and critically in solving problems; explaining their beliefs and opinions; and evaluating, supporting, or critiquing the thinking of others.

Creative Thinking: Students will formulate [unique?] ideas and concepts rather than merely echoing those of others.

Analysis and Synthesis: Students will understand and build upon complex issues and discover the connections and correlations among ideas to advance toward a valid independent conclusion.

Problem Solving: Students will employ scientific reasoning to analyze challenging situations, formulate hypotheses about real or potential problems, and develop, evaluate, and test possible solutions.

Quantitative Reasoning: Students will use college level mathematical concepts and methods to understand, analyze, and explain issues in quantitative terms.

Transfer of Knowledge and Skills to a New Context: Students will apply knowledge and skills they have learned to new and varied situations.

Information Competency: Students will use traditional and electronic resources to find, evaluate, and use information.

Research: Students will do college level research.

Evaluation: Students will critically analyze information.

Independent Learning: Students will locate and use information as needed to succeed in their personal and professional worlds.

Technological Competency: Students will use technological applications appropriately in college level learning.

Social Interaction: Students will interact with people individually and in groups effectively and with integrity and awareness of others' opinions, feelings and values.

Teamwork: Students will participate effectively in teams, committees, task forces, and in other group efforts to make decisions and seek consensus.

Effective Citizenship: Students will take personal responsibility for being an informed, ethical and active citizen of their community, their nation and their world.

Aesthetic Responsiveness: Students will respond personally and intellectually to

artistic and creative expression.

Personal Development and Responsibility: Students will develop individual responsibility, personal integrity, and respect for diverse people and cultures.

Self Management: Students will develop habits of intellectual exploration, personal responsibility and physical well being.

Ethics and Values: Students will adopt a set of ethical values through logical and reflective thought that will serve as a guide for behavior.

Respect for Diverse People and Cultures: Students will respect and work with people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and with different physical abilities.