AIS and AS Distribution Area Learning Outcomes

The General Education Core

Every degree at Cascadia is grounded in a set of core courses that emphasize communicating, global thinking, and quantitative and symbolic reasoning. In the General Education Core, learners have a chance to become aware of the ways that culture—their own and that of others across the globe and history—informs, enriches, and at times limits learning and growth. Students practice argument, problem solving, analysis and synthesis while they encounter and try out points of view from across the globe and to reflect on their own points of view. All Cascadia students who have completed the Core have completed more than 20 credits of guided practice in achieving the following outcomes.

Learn: Students will demonstrate a willingness to take risks and to deepen knowledge about self, others, and the world. They will learn to construct meaning from expanding and conflicting information, rigorously using technology and discourses as learning tools, meeting deadlines, and seeking help when necessary. They will demonstrate interdisciplinary knowledge of global communities framed by intersections between class, race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation and other identities.

Think: Learners will practice using a variety of conceptual and theoretical lenses and reflect on how these lenses provide alternative views of the experience and points of view of self, individual and group. They will demonstrate the ability to examine their attitudes, values, behavior, and assumptions as well as structures of power and inequality. They will translate content between contexts with an awareness of the impact of points of view and technology on individuals and society.

Communicate: Learners will gather information, and draft and publish texts that demonstrate creativity and an awareness of criteria for clear, original communication. They will communicate interpretations of data and claims and articulate rationales for making decisions about responsible action.

Interact: Learners will share ideas, experiences, and self-assessment processes, and listen to those of others. They will assess ways in which relations among individuals and groups are defined in terms of relations of power which make possible both conflict and collaboration. Learners will recognize and tolerate conflict and respect individual ways of arriving at answers while critically analyzing models and ways of thinking.

Top of Page

Cultural Competence

The Cascadia Mission and College outcomes point to the importance of being aware of the ways that culture—one’s own and those of others across the globe and history—inform, enrich, and at times limit learning and growth. To that end, the College has established this outcome.

Learn: Students will demonstrate interdisciplinary knowledge of the local, national and/or global experience of communities framed by intersections between class, race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation and other identities.

Think: Learners will practice using a variety of conceptual and theoretical lenses and reflect on how these lenses provide alternative views of the experience and points of view of self, individual and group. As part of this practice, learners will think critically about structures of power and inequality.

Communicate: Learners will use concepts and theories to communicate interpretations of course content and articulate rationales for making decisions about responsible action in various walks of life.

Interact: Learners will recognize and articulate complex differences between and among their own cultures and others. As part of this practice, they will confront ways in which relations among individuals and groups are defined in terms of relations of power which make possible both conflict and collaboration.

Courses that fulfill this 5-credit requirement are identified as CKR. The courses that satisfy this requirement also count towards the following distribution areas.

Top of Page

Humanities

Languages, literature, the arts and philosophy are the essential cultural expressions of being human. Underlying these subjects are central ideas such as aesthetics, ethics, symbolism, and creativity that vary across times and cultures. Through the Humanities, learners participate in others' subjective experience of reality and convey to others their own.

Learn: Learners will gain knowledge of the core content of at least two Humanities disciplines and of methods of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

Think: Learners will analyze and evaluate humanities content, drawing conclusions about the form and impact of human artifacts.

Communicate: Learners will discover and use a creative process to communicate understandings of human experience through visual, musical, dramatic, oral, or written products.

Interact: Learners will investigate the context and language of the human experience to examine and explore their everyday worlds and to expand their experience and understanding of other cultures and times.

Natural Sciences

Science literacy provides a foundation for informed citizenship in our increasingly technological society. Learners practice, communicate and apply science in order to understand the natural and physical world and the consequences of human activity within it.

Learn: Learners will comprehend and describe science as a process of generating knowledge that relies on testable hypotheses, verifiable data and evolving theories that explain natural phenomena.

Think: Learners will conduct scientific investigations, i.e. design and modify experiments, make accurate observations, and apply quantitative and qualitative strategies to interpret numerical and graphical data.

Communicate Learners will read technical information with understanding and express technical information in written, verbal and graphical forms for a variety of audiences, both within and outside science.

Interact: Learners will know and apply fundamental concepts in the biological, chemical and physical sciences to make informed decisions and engage meaningfully in ethical issues that involve science and technology.

Social Sciences

The social sciences expand learners’ understanding of the nature and behavior of individuals as well as their interaction and organization in multiple cultural contexts.

Learn: Learners will demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between the individual and socio-historical forces, and the ways that social structures impact diversity, inequality and social change. As part of this study, students will show an understanding of theoretical frameworks.

Think: Learners will identify and evaluate qualitative and quantitative evidence to draw conclusions about human behavior consistent with social science theory.

Communicate: Learners will read information with understanding and express information in written, verbal and graphical forms for audiences within and outside science.

Interact: Learners will recognize and explain the ways that different frameworks affect the conclusions they draw from data.

Top of Page