General Education

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division written communication course(s) at the 100-level, students will be able to:

Develop rhetorical knowledge by:

• Analyzing and composing multiple forms of writing to understand how genre conventions shape readers' and writers' practices and purposes
• Practicing purposeful shifts in structure, content, diction, tone, formality, design, and/or medium in accordance with the rhetorical situation

Develop critical thinking, reading, and information literacy skills by:

• Composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating
• Using outside materials in their own writing through techniques such as interpretation, synthesis, response, critique, and design/redesign
• Incorporating outside materials through quotations, paraphrase, and summary

Develop effective strategies for drafting texts by:

• Working through multiple drafts of a project and recognizing the role of reflecting, revising, and editing in the process
• Engaging in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes, such as learning to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress, both by and with peers and in one-on-one instructor conferences
• Critically reflecting on how they may further develop and apply writing skills in the future

Develop knowledge of conventions by:

• Demonstrating competency in grammar, punctuation, and spelling
• Practicing genre conventions for structure, paragraphing, tone and mechanics
• Understanding the concepts of intellectual property that motivate documentation conventions through application of recognized citation styles

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division written communication course(s) at the 200-level, students will be able to:

Develop rhetorical knowledge by:

• Analyzing and drafting a variety of compositions or genres shaped by readers' and writers' practices,
• Transitioning between situations and contexts by adjusting structure, content, diction, and tone,
• Matching the capacities of different technologies to a range of audiences and rhetorical situations,
• Understanding that rhetorical situations differ across communities and disciplines.

Develop critical thinking, reading, and information literacy skills by:

• Using writing as a tool for critical thinking and reflection,
• Reading and writing several genres that utilize analysis, reflection, narrative, critique, and argument skills,
• Locating primary and secondary research materials among library resources and evaluating them for credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, timeliness, and bias,
• Using strategies to compose texts that integrate the writer's ideas with those from appropriate sources,
• Understanding that thinking, reading, and literacy skills differ across communities and disciplines.

Develop multiple strategies, or composing processes, to draft texts by:

• Working through multiple drafts of a writing project and reflecting on composing practices,
• Exploring strategies for the writing process and adapting them for a variety of technologies and modalities,
• Learning to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress,
• Understanding that composing strategies and processes differ across communities and disciplines.

Develop knowledge of conventions by:

• Refining the understanding of linguistic structures, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling,
• Practicing genre conventions for structure, paragraphing, tone, and mechanics,
• Demonstrating a clear understanding of intellectual property rights and applying citation styles systematically, according to disciplinary conventions,
• Understanding that conventions differ across communities and disciplines.

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division quantiative reasoning course(s), students will be able to:

• Logical Reasoning: Students will be able to interpret sentences to contain the logical connectives "and," "or," "some," "all," and "none." They will be able to use deductive reasoning to draw conclusions from a series of statements and to identify appropriate generalizations or trends.
• Computational Skills: Students will develop facility in the language and symbols of mathematics and will be able to perform basic calculations and operations related to the application of mathematics or statistics.
• Data Interpretation: Students will be able to read and interpret visual displays of quantitative information such as bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, pictographs, and tables. They will be able to use them to make predictions and draw inferences from the data.
• Problem Solving: Students will be able to read a word problem, set up the necessary equations that describe the problem, solve these equations using basic quantitative techniques, and interpret or draw a conclusion from the solution.
• Quantitative Modeling: Students will be able to model physical and natural phenomena and assess validity of a model, make predictions from the model, and draw conclusions based on the model.

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division oral communications course(s), students will be able to:

• Relate the principles of oral communication to a variety of interpersonal, professional, and extemporaneous situations.
• Analyze and adapt communication styles to diverse audiences and contexts.
• Prepare, research, and organize the content of a message for a specific audience.
• Use effective verbal and non-verbal language in conveying a message.
• Apply listening skills to provide a critical analysis of interpersonal and professional messages.

Outcomes

The following statements serve as a framework for the discipline and can be used to inform the teaching of information literacy and research. Information literacy is an iterative process encompassing the discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced, consumed, and valued, and the ethical use of information in creating new knowledge. Information literacy considers the use of information, data, intellectual property, and scholarship. ODU believes that information literacy provides students with essential skills used for understanding of the wider world, for reaching informed views, and for playing a part as active citizens in society.

Upon completing the lower division information literacy and research course(s), students will be able to:

• Identify the information needed to address a topic or solve a problem
• Conduct a strategic search for information
• Critically evaluate information and its sources
• Synthesize information from multiple perspectives to enhance understanding of a topic or problem
• Use sources of information responsibly, safely, ethically, and legally

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division language and culture courses, students will be able to:

• Interpret a language other than English through listening and reading
• Apply a language other than English through speaking and writing
• Distinguish the similarities and differences among cultures that are different from their own

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division human creativity course(s), students will be able to:

• Identify a variety of historical and contemporary examples of creative expression.
• Critically analyze the components of a work of art.
• Write about aesthetic experiences utilizing terminology appropriate to the chosen discipline.
• Critically assess traditions reflected in works outside of the classroom setting.
• Explain the value, impact, and function of art in today's world.

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division literature course(s), students will be able to:

• Read literary texts from an eclectic selection of works written in a variety of genres and styles by writers who reflect diversity in race, gender, sexuality, class, region, religion, historical culture etc.
• Interpret literary texts
• Analyze literary texts
• Evaluate and apply critical thinking to literary texts

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division scientific reasoning courses, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate their comprehension of a body of scientific knowledge
• Recognize how scientific knowledge evolves based on observation of the natural world
• Apply principles and techniques of scientific inquiry to solve problems
• Evaluate the credibility of conclusions drawn from scientific foundations
• Relate scientific concepts to everyday life

The objective of these courses is to enable students to learn about human behavior in changing contexts. The courses will address how ideological, scientific, and ethical judgments affect human behavior in Western and non-Western cultures. They will also offer perspectives on the challenges, concerns, and contributions of diverse groups such as women and minorities.

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division human behavior course(s), students will be able to:

• Compare basic theories and models and identify their strengths and weaknesses
• Define key disciplinary vocabulary and terms
• Apply disciplinary concepts to professional, personal, and/or civic contexts
• Describe approaches to the way data are collected, measured, and analyzed to address research questions and hypotheses
• Explain how the social sciences have contributed to our understanding of human societies
• Identify perspectives on the challenges, concerns, and contributions of diverse and/or marginalized groups

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower division interpreting the past course(s), students will be able to:

• Learn how historians interpret major events, people, processes, and ideas from the past
• Explain the importance of key historical concepts such as change and continuity over time, chronology, causation, historical context, and the difference between primary and secondary sources
• Assess and analyze historical sources to construct an argument

It is vital for students to develop and enhance their ability to engage meaningfully and inclusively with a diverse array of world views. Training students to examine questions of meaning, value, and purpose in a culturally- and historically- informed way, based on a rigorous foundation in philosophy and religious studies, enables them to better take informed and insightful action in their personal and professional lives.

1. Outcomes (LOWER DIVISION)

   Upon completing the lower division philosophy course(s), students will be able to:

   • Explain major theories or concepts in one or more of the major areas of philosophy, e.g., metaphysics, epistemology, logic, or value theory
   • Use analytical tools, such as reflection, comparison, or argumentation, to engage in critical thinking

2. Outcomes (UPPER DIVISION)

   Upon completing the upper division ethics course(s), students will be able to:

   • Describe the differences between ethical and metaethical questions and concepts

   • Identify and evaluate theories about what constitutes ethically acceptable conduct and an ethically good character in diverse contexts
   • Identify and evaluate how ethical theories are applied in diverse contexts

Outcomes

Upon completing the lower or upper division impact of technology course(s), students will be able to:

• Describe the use and development of a given technology within the context of a specified field
• Describe the components, mechanisms, and function of a technological system
• Analyze the potential impacts, both intended and unintended, of a given technology on individuals, society, or the environment
• Interpret the cost and/or benefit of a given technology on individuals, society, or the environment

Outcomes

Upon completing the upper division writing intensive course (W) in the major, the student will be able to:

• differentiate among data sources those that are pertinent and legitimate to the scholarship of the discipline

• produce discipline specific written communication reflecting scrutiny in content and free from mechanical errors

• execute the discourse conventions most commonly used in the student's major disciplines

• creatively adapt their writing process to the kinds of knowledge and the purposes most fundamental to their major disciplines