General Education Learning Objectives

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:

1. Can respond to a writer’s argument or purpose
2. Can synthesize sources appropriately and responsibly
3. 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:

1. Can identify a speaker’s argument or purpose
2. Can fully support a logical argument
3. Can use context appropriate conventions and non-verbal expressions
4. 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:

1. Can discern a speaker’s argument or purpose
2. Can evaluate and use sources appropriately and responsibly
3. Can use context-appropriate conventions in speech and non-verbal expressions
4. Can form and support a coherent position
5. 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:

1. Identify valid methods to solve a problem
2. Apply chosen methods to derive a solution
3. 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:

1. Analyze a work of art based on the techniques, styles, and approaches of the given medium
2. 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:

1. 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:

1. Interpret primary sources appropriate to the humanities discipline
2. Compare and contrast theories, narratives, and social/cultural conditions
3. 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:

1. Explain how the humanities reflect, shape, and influence society and personal values
2. 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:

1. Connect discipline-specific theories or concepts to real world situations
2. 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:

1. Identify concepts and methods to explain natural or physical phenomena
2. Analyze problems and conclusions using the concepts and methods in a natural science discipline
3. Support an argument based on sound scientific principles
4. 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:

1. Identify issues of public or community concern
2. Describe the impact of civic participation
3. Reflect on the relationship between civic engagement, personal responsibility, and community wellbeing using evidence or experience

LOPER 10 LEARNING OBJECTIVES  -assessed as:

1. Can describe the nature and consequences of human diversity
2. Can gather and evaluate information important for relating to diverse populations
3. Can evaluate practices and decisions for their impacts on inequality or inclusivity
4. 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:

1. Describe the importance and interconnection of the various dimensions of wellness
2. Evaluate credible wellness information
3. Explain how various external factors influence personal behaviors and wellbeing
4. Apply wellness concepts to articulate informed decisions that support personal wellbeing