NewCu Proposed Learning Outcomes

(These narratives are still in rough draft form, and will be modified after the task force receives input from the campus forums.)

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A graduate from Arizona State University is a product of the values of the New American University. This graduate, like graduates from other universities, is skilled in the competencies of communication, analytical and critical thinking, and quantitative analysis. He/she is also knowledgeable about US history and culture, in particular, and of world history and cultures in general. He/she has practiced, at some level, an array of disciplinary and interdisciplinary methodologies and studied an array of knowledge areas. He/she is a thoughtful, reflective, and engaged citizen.

What distinguishes the ASU graduate from graduates of other colleges and universities, however, is the influence of the new American University’s design imperatives upon the formation of the individual student. The ASU graduate is equipped with imagination, empathy, and curiosity. He/she understands the active nature of knowledge creation and application as the means for advancing human society through social, economic, political, and cultural entrepreneurship. He/she is a citizen of the world, who celebrates the energizing effects of intellectual and cultural diversity. The ASU graduate takes responsibility for living an examined life.

Learning Outcome 1: Knowledge Categories

Human beings understand the world through knowledge categories that are often traditionally-defined. ASU graduates will understand the content and methodology of these knowledge areas and of emerging fields, and will be prepared to develop new ways of knowing. The mission of the university is to provide opportunities and experiences in basic knowledge that include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Mathematic studies
• Humanities and the fine arts and design
• Social and behavior sciences
• Natural and physical sciences
• Technology

Learning Outcome 2: Interdisciplinarity

Citizens and scholars who have interdisciplinary training will be able to work outside their own disciplines. They will understand the issues and the languages of other disciplines and be able to integrate these areas into new ideas and solutions. Student will collaborate across traditional disciplines. Not only will they understand what is being said in other disciplines, but they will also incorporate it into their own approach to complex problems.

Students will:

• Value intellectual fusion
• Open their mind to a diversity of ideas
• Identify problems not approachable from a single discipline
• Incorporate multiple disciplinary perspectives
• Integrate information from multiple perspectives

Learning Outcome 3: Communication Skills

Communication is the fabric of civilized society. Being able to communicate is essential for an individual’s success and well being. Students will acquire strong communication skills, both the obvious ones of reading, writing, and speaking, but also all the skills necessary to navigate an increasingly cross-cultural world. Students will study language(s) beyond English or at least read world literature and develop knowledge of other languages and cultures. Students will be made aware of the skills necessary to employ changing technologies in their lives – in a creative and not complacent or reactive way. The development and refinement of communication skills will be ubiquitous and continuous throughout the curriculum.

Learning Outcome 4: Critical Thinking and Analysis

Critical thinking includes the ability to recognize and define a problem or issue; identify relevant approaches, sources, and information; formulate well reasoned arguments; and evaluate arguments. Students will learn the ability to distinguish information from supposition, to challenge ideas, and to develop new ways of seeing the world. Students must be able to challenge accepted knowledge and to be creators of new knowledge. Critical thinking is naturally embedded in any discipline and is built through examined assessment of the products, logic, and processes of those disciplines. Both quantitative and qualitative reasoning are necessary in the development of critical thinking.

Learning Outcome 5: Self-awareness

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Learning Outcome 6: Information and Technology Literacy

ASU graduates live and work in a world increasingly informed by the interaction of information, technology, and computing. Students will understand the implications and applications of technology. They will have facility with the technology used to acquire, process, and disseminate information in a global context.

Students will:

• Understand the scope of knowledge in their discipline and how it differs from other intellectual traditions
• Know where information comes from and how it is validated
• Create and evaluate strategies for locating information
• Use technology and tools appropriately to solve problems

Learning Outcome 7: Transnational and Global Perspective

Students will be globally engaged. They will be able to understand the diversity of cultures in the United States and around the world. They will be aware of the impact of culture on human behavior. They will be culturally competent and able to successfully interact with multiple cultures. Students will understand the process of acculturation and the negotiations that arise when cultures meet.

Learning Outcome 8: Being a Positive Community Member

Students will recognize the need and obligation for involvement as positive members of communities. Students will exhibit social responsibility, foster civic engagement, and take leadership in addressing social and professional issues.

Students will:

• Participate as a citizen of a diverse democracy
• Develop knowledge and skills in the ethical and legal responsibilities of society
• Exercising leadership in addressing issues of concern to the community
• Recognize the interrelations within global and cross-cultural communities

Learning Outcome 9: Ethical Perspective

Examination of one’s values precedes the ability to take informed action on those values.
Students will critically examine their own personal values in the context of historical and contemporary perspectives. They will examine and articulate belief and value systems. Students will participate in self-reflection and honest dialogue with others.

Students will:

• Be proficient in dealing with personal values and responsibilities
• Demonstrate capacity to identify personal, professional, and societal values
• Discern consequences of actions
• Transform information into knowledge, judgment, and action.

Learning Outcome 10: Creativity

Students will acquire a core depth of knowledge about standard methodologies, but will be aware of shortcomings in these traditional ways of knowing. Students will move beyond that awareness to envision a new poem, anew equation, a new world. Students will need both empathy and imagination. Students will have flexibility, long-term vision, and curiosity. They will have an appreciation for the new and unproven, and confidence in the potential of alternative methods and ways of knowing.