Learning Outcomes for General Education, GLOBE Connected World

Summary of Requirements (link to full framework):

Broad Knowledge

1. Communication

  • One course in ​Basic Communication​ (3-4 credits)
  • Coursework in a single ​Language other than English​ through the second elementary level (0-8 credits)

2. Scientific Literacy

  • One course in ​Quantitative, Computational, Symbolic Reasoning​ (3-4 credits)
  • One course in ​Natural Science​, to include a lab component (4-5 credits*)

3. Participation in a Global Society

In selecting courses, students complete at least one course each in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

  • One course in ​Diversity, Pluralism, and Power​ (3-4 credits)
  • One course in ​World Cultures and Values​ (3-4 credits)
  • One course in ​Contemporary Global Challenges​ (3-4 credits)
  • One course in ​Creativity and Innovation​​ (3-4 credits)
  • One course in ​Sustainability (3-4 credits)

Approved courses may be found in DegreeWorks and are listed here.

The following Learning Outcomes have been approved by the College Senate in 2022-2023. Communication Written and Oral and Diversity Pluralism and Power were updated in 2025.

Communication - Written and Oral

Students will

  • Understand writing as a means of communication and a recursive process that requires critical thinking, planning, and thorough revision, and be able to demonstrate this understanding through reflective writing;
  • Compose analytical/persuasive texts, both written and oral, that reflect critical thinking and discipline-specific modes of inquiry, are supported by relevant evidence, respond to the needs of an intended audience, and intentionally use or adapt genre conventions to achieve their purpose(s);
  • Formulate a research question that is situated in response to existing scholarship
  • Make agentive choices about the use of the full range of their language assets, including disciplinary terminology, home language practices, and language learned in connection with communities on and beyond campus;
  • Identify, evaluate, and analyze information from a variety of sources, including generative artificial intelligence, for substance, authority, origin, bias, validity, and intended or potential effects;
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of information use, creation, and dissemination, whether from traditional sources or emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
Communication - Global and World Languages

Students will

  • exhibit basic proficiency in the understanding and use of a world language; and
  • demonstrate knowledge of the distinctive features of culture(s) associated with the language they are studying. 
Quantitative Reasoning

Students will demonstrate mathematical skills and quantitative reasoning, including the ability to

  • interpret and draw inferences from appropriate mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables, or schematics;
  • represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically, or verbally as appropriate; and
  • employ quantitative methods such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or statistics to solve problems
Scientific Reasoning

Students will demonstrate scientific reasoning applied to the natural world, including

  • an understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of data analysis or mathematical modeling; and
  • application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural (or physical) sciences
Arts

Students will 

  • demonstrate an understanding of at least one principal form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein.
Humanities

Students will

  • demonstrate knowledge of the conventions and methods of at least one of the humanities; and
  • recognize and analyze nuance and complexity of meaning through critical reflections on text, visual images, or artifacts.
Social Sciences

Students will demonstrate

  • understanding of at least one social scientific method, including quantitative and qualitative research designs; hypothesis development and testing; observation, measurement, and data collection; statistical and interpretive analysis; scientific communication;
  • knowledge of some major social scientific concepts, models, and theories;
  • familiarity with some social, political, economic, and moral issues of concern to social scientists.
Diversity, Pluralism, and Power

Students will

  • Describe the historical and contemporary factors that shape the development of individual and group identity involving race, class, and gender in the United States (may also address other global contexts);
  • Analyze the role that complex networks of social structures and systems play in the creation of and perpetuation of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity;
  • Apply the principles of rights, access, equity, and autonomous participation to past, present, or future social justice action.
World Cultures and Values

Students will

  • understand systems of value and meaning as embodied in one or more different cultures outside of the Western tradition;
  • assess interconnections among/across local and global systems and cultures.
Contemporary Global Challenges

Students will

  • understand how local and global systems depend upon one another;
  • apply global perspectives in addressing challenges and solving problems
Creativity and Innovation

Students will understand

  • creative expression, art, and invention as foundational to culture and inclusive societal betterment;
  • the relationship between individual creative work or innovation and wider contexts.
Sustainability

Students will be able to

  • identify and analyze major sustainability challenges and solutions at local to global scales;
  • understand the interactions between political, economic, socio-cultural, and environmental systems;
  • understand the roles of power, influence, and inequity in sustainability.
Critical Thinking in the Major

 Students will be able to

  • clearly articulate an issue or problem;
  • identify, analyze, and evaluate ideas, data, and arguments as they occur in their own and others' work;
  • acknowledge limitations such as perspective and bias; and
  • develop well-reasoned (logical) arguments to form judgments and/or to draw conclusions.
Information and Digital Literacy in the Major

Students will be able to

  • understand how computing is relevant to their discipline (e.g. What is computational biology?  What are the digital humanities?)
  • use digital tools effectively for information-gathering, analysis, communication, and self-expression within the context of the discipline
  • understand discipline-specific ethical dimensions of digital technology (e.g., how, in digital spaces within the context of the discipline, the following come into play: privacy, autonomy, attribution, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging)
Leadership and Collaboration in the Major

Students will be able to

  • engage others in developing collaborative solutions
  • promote, consider, and respond to diverse viewpoints
  • manage and share work fairly and respectfully
Written and Oral Communication in the Major

Within a discipline and at an advanced level, students will be able to

  • research at topic, develop and argument, and organize supporting details;
  • demonstrate coherent college-level communication (written and oral) that informs, persuades, or otherwise engages with an audience;
  • evaluate communication for substance, bias, and intended effect; and
  • demonstrate the ability to revise and improve written and oral communication.
Integrative and Applied Learning

Students will be able to:

  • Integrate multiple bodies of knowledge with their personal experience by asking meaningful questions about real-world problems
  • Apply skills, theories, and methods gained in academic study, professional experiences, and/or co-curricular experiences to new situations
  • Reflect upon changes in their learning and outlook over time, and integrate into their future endeavors based on that self-reflection