Discover the profiles of learning

Communicators scrutinize information prior to opinion formation and knowledge dissemination. They comprehend, interpret, analyze, and assess ideas, facts, and arguments. Communicators challenge assumptions and ask questions; they use complex information from a variety of qualitative and quantitative sources, personal experiences, and observation to draw logical conclusions, form a decision or opinion, or advance an argument.

What will you do?

• Determine key issues for consideration and access information using well-designed search strategies
• Find and use a variety of credible information sources
• Interpret/evaluate oral, written, visual, and mathematical evidence to develop comprehensive analysis or synthesis
• Ask questions to consider thoroughly diverse viewpoints
• Analyze own and others' assumptions
• Evaluate relevance of contexts (e.g., historical, political, cultural) when presenting a position
• Express a logical position that accounts for complex perspectives
• Acknowledge limitations

Examples

• Engage in the research process to produce a paper or report
• Design and conduct an experiment or survey
• Convey the results to diverse audiences
• Analyze data on student organization participation to convey conclusions to student affairs

Communicators listen attentively to others, observe and read actively, and respond appropriately. They are aware of personal biases.

What will you do?

• Observe, listen, and read for information
• Paraphrase ideas
• Perform self-reflection
• Engage others respectfully and in ways that facilitate their contributions

Examples

• Advance class discussion with peers
• Summarize in-class group meetings or class sessions for the purpose of checking perceptions and getting input from all members
• Facilitate a Democracy Plaza event
• Go through intergroup dialogue facilitation training and facilitate a difficult dialogue

Communicators actively engage with others to deliberate, negotiate, build consensus, navigate conflict, define values, or meet shared goals. They operate with civility and cultivate healthy and meaningful relationships with others.

What will you do?

• Evaluate and apply diverse perspectives to complex topics in the face of multiple or conflicting positions
• Engage in reflection to increase self-awareness and personal growth
• Engage others respectfully; motivate others
• Tailor communication strategies to express, listen, and adapt to others to establish relationships to further goals

Examples

• Work with others to accomplish a team project
• Work with classmates and community members on a service learning project
• Work with a student organization to accomplish a shared goal
• Build community with a residential living cohort

Communicators are able to express and adapt information and arguments to diverse audiences across formats and settings. They speak, write, and communicate visually with a purpose; make informed and principled choices; and foresee consequences of these choices on self and others.

What will you do?

• Develop a central message that is compelling, stylistic, and strongly supported with credible evidence relevant to the intended audience
• Rely on language and visual choices that are clear and appropriate to diverse audiences and purposes
• Convey information mathematically
• Deliver polished and organized informative and persuasive presentations to diverse audiences
• Use visual imagery effectively with oral and written ideas
• Write informative and argumentative reports or essays for diverse audiences
• Use credible information sources
• Reflect on speaking, writing, and visual choices

Examples

• Convey information orally, in writing, and visually to audiences inside and outside of the topic area
• Express ideas mathematically using the Greek alphabet
• Present information during a student organization's new student induction ceremony
• Participate in a theatre performance
• Develop and present a poster or talk during Student Research and Engagement Day or another conference venue

Problem solvers think critically and from multiple perspectives about the world and their place in it. Using their disciplinary expertise, they evaluate information resources carefully and conduct research independently to determine the most reliable and useful sources for their work.

What will you do?

• Define problems through creating an actionable problem statement
• Identify and propose solutions for problems using qualitative and quantitative tools, reasoning, and creative thinking
• Use complex information from a variety of sources, including personal experiences and observation, to draw logical conclusions and to form a decision or opinion
• Apply cultural, historical, and scientific knowledge to contemporary global contexts

Examples

• Conduct academic research for a research paper
• Design and implement an experiment or survey on a topic of the student's own choosing
• Use visual representations of work to present research findings
• Participate in a Fall Alternative Break Program by completing a short-term project for a community agency in addressing social issues

Problem solvers know how to work with others. They make the results of research understandable to a variety of audiences, including using visual forms of communication and communication tools. They listen to, respect, and incorporate a diversity of opinions and experiences into their plans.

What will you do?

• Cultivate healthy, meaningful relationships with others
• Operate with civility in complex local and global environments
• Listen attentively to others and respond appropriately
• Engage actively with others to build consensus, define values, or meet shared goals

Examples

• Work with a small group to create a report
• Successfully design and implement a scientific procedure or study involving multiple people
• Join a student organization and participate in its activities
• Volunteer with a local nonprofit organization

Problem solvers are curious about other perspectives and use their disciplinary expertise, along with knowledge and skills from a variety of fields, in their own work. They work to understand the details of a problem and break down ideas into manageable segments, solicit and integrate information from scholars and community members to enrich their knowledge, and translate complex ideas into action plans and assess the effectiveness of their solutions.

What will you do?

• Identify and adjust behaviors by applying previously understood information, concepts, experiences, and qualitative and quantitative techniques to a new situation or setting
• Modify your approach to an issue or problem based on the contexts and requirements of particular situations
• Create knowledge, procedures, processes, or products to discern bias, challenge assumptions, identify consequences, arrive at reasoned conclusions, generate and explore new questions, solve challenging and complex problems, and make informed decisions
• Examine the effectiveness and impact of solutions and make specific recommendations for future improvement

Examples

• Work with a group of students and community members on a service learning project assessing a significant problem in the community
• Use quantitative/mathematical techniques to answer research questions
• Examine the effects of social issues on communities through discussion and reflection on varied lived experiences
• Participate in the Tunnel of Oppression, alternative spring breaks, international experiences, or film series aimed at highlighting contemporary social justice issues of oppression, microaggressions, and the "isms" faced in communities

Problem solvers are comfortable with ambiguity and do not give up when facing a difficult task. They seek solutions from professionals, mentors, friends, and academic resources to work through challenging moments.

What will you do?

• Recognize and effectively manage ambiguous ideas, experiences, and situations
• Manage adversity and life challenges in a flexible and ethical manner that promotes individual growth and development
• Demonstrate transferable life skills (e.g., time management, communication, and problem solving) developed while participating in classroom and co-curricular activities

Examples

• Resolve conflicts in group work to move on with the assignment
• Take criticism as an opportunity to improve skills and ideas
• Engage in on-campus employment experiences
• Participate in campus leadership programs

Innovators know how to investigate. They are inquisitive, can carry out research (e.g., fieldwork, international or community based, bench science, humanities, arts, technology, and social science), apply disciplinary expertise, are proactive, can advocate for issues, and work toward building consensus with others.

What will you do?

• Explore topics in depth
• Indicate an intense interest in an area; show substantial knowledge and understanding of at least one field of study
• Reflect on your future self by building on experiences and responding to new challenges
• Use quantitative data to inform decision making

Examples

• Conduct research, describe, and explain a complex historical event in a coherent manner, employing the conventions and standards of the discipline
• Identify an area of interest and pursue it with others in a meaningful way toward mastery

Innovators are original in their thoughts and ask others to view a situation or practice in a new way. They combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways.

What will you do?

• Use divergent thinking to work in an imaginative way
• Take risks either personally (in terms of embarrassment or rejection) or risk of failure in going beyond expectations
• Embrace contradictions
• Provide novel or unique solutions to a situation
• Connect, synthesize, or transform ideas into new ones
• Transfer skills, theories, abilities, and methodologies by adapting or applying to new situations
• Create knowledge, procedures, processes, or products to discern bias, challenge assumptions, identify consequences, arrive at reasoned conclusions, generate and explore new questions, solve challenging and complex problems, and make informed decisions

Examples

• Create the electronic structure of health data to meet a variety of end user needs
• Develop a new program for student involvement

Innovators confront challenges by building on experiences and disciplinary expertise to approach situations and circumstances in original ways. They use the tools and resources available, are willing to risk failure, and understand that failure is a step on the road to success.

What will you do?

• Modify an approach to an issue or problem based on the contexts and requirements of particular situations
• Connect to relevant experiences and academic knowledge across disciplines and perspectives at both local and global levels
• Integrate communication in ways that enhance knowledge and understanding
• Envision solutions to global challenges
• Recognize and effectively manage ambiguous ideas, experiences, and situations
• Identify and adjust behaviors by applying previously understood information, concepts, and experiences to a new situation or setting

Examples

• Collaborate with an agency, organization, or external mentor to articulate the ethical implications of such research partnerships and understand the goals of the scholarly project for academics and community partners alike
• Use disciplinary knowledge in a co-curricular setting to develop solutions for new applications

Innovators are good decision makers, can create a plan to achieve their goals, and can carry out that plan to its completion. Innovators see possibilities and the need for change, and they demonstrate and use their skills, talents, abilities, and disciplinary knowledge to pursue change, improvement, advancement, innovation, and knowledge creation in their own communities and beyond.

What will you do?

• Create a plan based on available evidence to achieve a goal related to a meaningful issue
• Advocate for change or improvement with others that uphold values
• Carry out a plan to implementation
• Anticipate and avoid difficult situations before they become an issue both in academic life or your career

Examples

• Design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints, such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
• Develop a proposal to create a mechanism or system to meet a student need across campus

Community contributors are active participants in their communities. They are willing to contribute their talents and knowledge in ways that improve the world around them. They are respectful, inclusive, and have developed a civic identity.

What will you do?

• Make informed and principled choices
• Learn to recognize your own cultural rules and biases
• Communicate effectively with others in a variety of settings
• Build and connect local and global communities
• Cultivate health and meaningful relationships
• Adjust behaviors by applying previously understood information, concepts, and experiences to a new situation or setting

Examples

• Learn to communicate ideas and beliefs in a clear and concise way to a variety of audiences
• Join and participate regularly in a campus or community organization
• Identify a cause or activity important to you and volunteer your time

Community contributors appreciate and seek to understand their own culture and society as well as the culture of others. Strong community members learn to navigate effectively in a complex world by working in a civil and collaborative manner with others.

What will you do?

• Understand the diversity and universality of human experience
• Engage others civilly and with respect
• Understand and appreciate the interconnectedness of local and global communities
• Recognize and appreciate cultural differences and initiate interactions with those who are culturally different

Examples

• Take courses focused on a period of time, a religious tradition, a culture, or a language other than your own
• Explore the art, music, or food of other cultural or ethnic communities
• Live or work with others whose culture and traditions are different from your own

Community contributors develop a value-based code that directs their personal behavior and social interactions. They are aware of and respect the ethical conventions of local and global communities. They create the conditions for good ethical behavior by others.

What will you do?

• Understand and articulate your personal values and beliefs
• Advocate for your values and beliefs in a civil and respectful manner
• Consider the consequences of your choices and actions
• Make principled choices in your relationships with others
• Understand and articulate the generally accepted ethical principles and legal systems in the communities in which you live and work
• Understand the ethical principles of other cultures, societies, and environments
• Exhibit respect for and preserve the dignity of others

Examples

• Study the ethical systems of other cultures
• Examine ethical dilemmas within your discipline
• Live or work with others whose culture or legal systems are different from your own

Community contributors have strong personal insight and are able to understand their needs and motivations. They are able to make sound, evidence-based decisions and can predict the reasonable consequences of their choices and actions on themselves and others.

What will you do?

• Engage in meaningful self-examination and reflection; track these efforts by including them in an electronic professional development plan
• Manage adversity in a flexible and ethical manner
• Change course when doing so is prudent or necessary
• Care for your personal and emotional health
• Set and pursue personal goals

Examples

• Develop strategies that allow you to identify and to use information critical to sound decision making in multiple areas
• Take courses that expand your ability to think creatively as well as critically.
• Take advantage of campus resources, including classes, seminars, and campus support services, to learn how to best care for your physical and mental health