Learning Objectives/Program Essential Requirements (LOPERs): The LOPERs General Education Program is structured to teach students: Foundational academic skills (LOPERs 1-4), Broad knowledge of the arts & sciences (LOPERs 5-8), and Dispositions that prepare students for responsible, productive lives in a democratic, multicultural society (LOPERs 9-11).
LOPER 2 LEARNING OBJECTIVE - Students should be able to demonstrate foundational writing and reading skills. Performance indicators are:
- Can respond to a writer’s argument or purpose
- Can synthesize sources appropriately and responsibly
- Can communicate in a manner appropriate to audience and context
LOPER 3 LEARNING OBJECTIVE - Students should be able to demonstrate professional oral communication skills. Performance indicators are:
- Can identify a speaker’s argument or purpose
- Can fully support a logical argument
- Can use context appropriate conventions and non-verbal expressions
- Can communicate in a manner appropriate to audience and context
FOUNDATIONAL REQUIREMENTS – Skills that every university-educated person needs:
Oral communication skills (minimum 3 hours). Courses must meet all learning outcomes.
Assessed as:
- Can discern a speaker’s argument or purpose
- Can evaluate and use sources appropriately and responsibly
- Can use context-appropriate conventions in speech and non-verbal expressions
- Can form and support a coherent position
- Can communicate in a manner appropriate to audience and context
LOPER 4 LEARNING OBJECTIVE - Students should be able to use analytical reasoning to solve problems. Performance indicators are:
- Identify valid methods to solve a problem
- Apply chosen methods to derive a solution
- Interpret the validity of a solution
LOPER 5 LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1 - Students should be able to interpret works of art in a given artistic discipline. Performance indicators are:
- Analyze a work of art based on the techniques, styles, and approaches of the given medium
- Interpret works of art from various schools, time periods, and cultures based on concepts appropriate to the medium
LOPER 5 LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2 - Students should be able to articulate the significance of the arts for themselves and/or society. Performance indicator is:
- Describe how the arts reflect, shape, and influence society and personal values
LOPER 6 LEARNING OBJECTIVE #1 - Students should be able to analyze influential texts and social and cultural conditions using the concepts, ideas, and methods in the humanities disciplines. Performance indicators are:
- Interpret primary sources appropriate to the humanities discipline
- Compare and contrast theories, narratives, and social/cultural conditions
- Develop an evidence-based argument about the human experience
LOPER 6 LEARNING OBJECTIVE #2 - Students should be able to articulate the impact of the humanities on themselves, their values, and society. Performance indicators are:
- Explain how the humanities reflect, shape, and influence society and personal values
- Communicate how the humanities are integral to society and building community
LOPER 7 LEARNING OBJECTIVE - Students should be able to use reasoning from a social science discipline to explain human experience within social systems and institutions. Performance indicators are:
- Connect discipline-specific theories or concepts to real world situations
- Use evidence to communicate this connection to an appropriate audience
LOPER 8 LEARNING OBJECTIVE - Students should be able to apply fundamental scientific principles to real world phenomena and evaluate the validity of scientific claims using evidence-based reasoning. Performance indicators are:
- Identify concepts and methods to explain natural or physical phenomena
- Analyze problems and conclusions using the concepts and methods in a natural science discipline
- Support an argument based on sound scientific principles
- Explain the impact of scientific discoveries on society
LOPER 9 LEARNING OBJECTIVE - Students should be able to articulate the importance of civic engagement and community service. Performance indicators are:
- Identify issues of public or community concern
- Describe the impact of civic participation
- Reflect on the relationship between civic engagement, personal responsibility, and community wellbeing using evidence or experience
LOPER 10 LEARNING OBJECTIVES -assessed as:
- Can describe the nature and consequences of human diversity
- Can gather and evaluate information important for relating to diverse populations
- Can evaluate practices and decisions for their impacts on inequality or inclusivity
- Can articulate the significance of human diversity for themselves or for society
LOPER 11 LEARNING OBJECTIVE - Students should be able to analyze wellness information to understand how personal behaviors and various factors influence overall wellbeing. Performance indicators are:
- Describe the importance and interconnection of the various dimensions of wellness
- Evaluate credible wellness information
- Explain how various external factors influence personal behaviors and wellbeing
- Apply wellness concepts to articulate informed decisions that support personal wellbeing