General Education Committee
CCRI's Definition of an Educated Person
The faculty and staff of the Community College of Rhode Island have established four critical abilities that define the learning outcomes of a CCRI graduate. These four abilities can be applied in many contexts and are critical skills that must be developed not only at CCRI, but over the course of a lifetime. These core abilities guide students, faculty and staff in establishing educational goals and assessing learning within and across the primary domains of knowledge: arts and humanities, science and mathematics, and the social sciences. Effective Fall 2018:
- Effective Communication
- Create written work that develops and expresses ideas and that addresses a given context and target audience.
- Communicate effectively via oral presentations, performances, participation in group work, and visual presentations.
- Critical Thinking
- Identify, analyze, and apply evidence and ideas, question assumptions, and draw logical conclusions.
- Develop information literacy by locating, evaluating, synthesizing, and using information to accomplish a specific purpose.
- Quantitative, Mathematical and Scientific Reasoning
- Demonstrate an understanding of and apply scientific principles, theories, and methods.
- Apply quantitative principles to solve problems and support arguments with quantitative evidence in a variety of formats (e.g. words, tables, graphs, equations, etc.)
- Awareness of Oneself and the World
- Demonstrate an understanding of global, cultural, and historical perspectives.
- Function effectively in social and professional environments and make reasoned decisions based on ethical standards, self-awareness, and personal responsibility.
Assessment of Student Learning
CCRI is committed to providing quality education and to assuring that students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful. Assessment of student learning provides the information we need to make improvements in program structure, course content, and pedagogy. To this end, information, including samples of student work, may be collected at the classroom, department, and institution levels. The information collected will be completely anonymous and will have no impact on student grades. Aggregated results will be used for program planning purposes and may be included in institutional research analyses and reports. In addition, students may be asked to submit samples of their course work and engage in focus groups. They may also be asked to complete a questionnaire assessing the quality of academic services. These activities help us determine the extent to which students demonstrate competency in the areas outlined in the Definition of an Educated Person and in their area of concentration.