Critical Thinking	Quantitative Literacy
Effective Communication	Scientific and Technological Effectiveness
Community and Civic Responsibility	Information Literacy

 

Philosophy of General Education

General Education comprises the measurable knowledge and skills that serve as the foundation for success in society and in one’s discipline, vocation, and life. Columbus State Community College’s General Education Outcomes are an integral part of the curriculum and central to the mission of the College. The faculty at Columbus State Community College has determined that these outcomes include the following competencies:

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves recognizing, analyzing, and defining problems, drawing logical well-supported conclusions and testing them against relevant criteria and standards. Critical thinking also includes examining issues by identifying and challenging assumptions (including one’s own), developing alternative solutions or strategies and evaluating practical and ethical implications.

Effective Communication

Effective communication involves writing, speaking or communicating using language appropriate to the audience, technology, and purpose. Effective communication also includes receiving information/listening actively with understanding, demonstrating college-level reading comprehension, and writing in Standard English.

Community and Civic Responsibility

Community and civic responsibility involves collaborating and interacting effectively with others, and identifying individual and group roles. Community and civic responsibility also includes recognizing social responsibilities, ethics, and individual rights in a democratic society. Other elements include recognizing social diversity, including contributions, traditions, cultures, lifestyles, and/or values of others.

Quantitative Literacy

Quantitative literacy involves performing mathematical computations, using appropriate methods to arrive at accurate results. Quantitative literacy also includes analyzing, interpreting, and explaining the results of computations, including graphs, charts, tables, or statistical data.

Scientific and Technological Effectiveness

Scientific and technological effectiveness involves differentiating between scientific and nonscientific methods of inquiry and using scientific knowledge in the analysis of civic and environmental issues. Scientific and technological effectiveness also includes integrating technology appropriate to one’s vocation or discipline. Other elements include recognizing the impact of science and technology on society and how scientific and technological principles are built and used in the modern world.

Information Literacy

Information literacy involves defining the information needed to accomplish a specific purpose and accessing, analyzing, synthesizing, and incorporating selected information effectively. Information literacy also includes evaluating information critically and drawing from a variety of perspectives and sources. Other elements include the ethical and legal use of information.