Core Abilities
Solid Foundation Skills
Indicators:
- Computer Literacy
- Reading Skills
- Library Literacy
- Speaking Skills
- Math Skills
- Study Skills
- Writing Skills
- Personal Organization
Institutional Statement:
Solid foundation skills form the basis for liberal arts and technical education. Through preparatory classes and student support services, Nicolet College helps ensure that its students attain competency in these basic skills to promote personal, academic, and professional success.
This core ability may be demonstrated by:
- Employing the basic math, reading, speaking, and writing skills required to fully engage and complete college-level coursework.
- Exhibiting characteristics of responsible students:
preparing for class
submitting assignments on time
attending class regularly
- Maintaining records of achievement and course documents.
- Operating a computer and basic peripherals, including distinguishing between drives and backing up data.
- Using basic keyboarding skills.
- Using word processing software to create documents.
- Navigating the Internet for research and communication.
Effective Written, Oral, and Interpersonal Communication
Indicators:
- Teamwork
- Conflict Resolution
- Decision Making
- Active Listening
- Proactive Problem Solving
- Public Presentations
Institutional Statement:
Effective communication elevates students' personal, academic, and professional discourse. Nicolet College recognizes that communication is central to all human interaction. Therefore, the benefits of effective communication permeate every aspect of students' lives, during their academic careers and beyond.
This core ability may be demonstrated by
- Following directions.
- Working productively as team members to complete tasks.
- Weighing the consequences of possible courses of action and making choices that enhance the well-being of oneself and others.
- Taking timely initiative to manage conflicts and solve problems before they escalate.
- Practicing effective listening skills and recognizing their connection to most other aspects of communication.
- Monitoring personal biases and respecting the communication styles of diverse people and cultures.
- Delivering public presentations with a confident demeanor, a clear connection to audience, accurate information, and appropriate technology.
Critical Thinking Skills
Indicators:
- Synthesis Skills
- Logic Skills
- Analysis Skills
- Adaptation Skills
- Evaluation Skills
- Creativity Skills
- Comparison Skills
- Skepticism Skills
Institutional Statement:
Critical thinking means that students apply sound, objective principles and strategies of purposeful, active, skeptical, and organized thinking in their personal and professional lives. Nicolet College recognizes critical thinking as the basis for lifelong learning.
This core ability may be demonstrated by
- Obtaining and analyzing relevant and appropriate data.
- Observing and defining problems in contextual situations.
- Exploring various viewpoints.
- Examining personal assumptions.
- Evaluating implicit and explicit assumptions underlying an argument or point of view.
- Adapting actions to new information and ideas.
- Revising an interpretation when a new context arises.
- Developing logical patterns of reasoning.
- Framing useful questions in search of a solution.
- Formulating innovative solutions for problem solving.
- Setting priorities.
- Learning from patterns and applying that knowledge in future contexts.
- Synthesizing information to gain an overview of a situation.
- Determining reasonable conclusions from a set of facts and assumptions.
Self-Directed Inquiry and Growth
Indicators:
- Research Skills
- Lifetime Learning
- Information Accessing
- Personal Challenge
- Continuing Education
- Personal Reflection
Institutional Statement:
Self-directed inquiry and growth conceptualizes learning as a lifetime process relative to personal and professional growth. Chiefly, the responsibility for this core ability lies with the individual. Although Nicolet College provides many opportunities to learn, individuals remain the central figures in posing questions and researching answers to their satisfaction.
This core ability may be demonstrated by:
- Constructively questioning conventional paradigms.
- Confronting problems and issues of increasing depth and complexity.
- Taking the personal initiative to increase knowledge base.
- Progressively capturing new information and integrating it into previous knowledge constructs.
- Completing research and writing assignments of increasing complexity.
- Recognizing and developing different learning styles.
Self-Awareness and Esteem
Indicators:
- Confidence
- Life Management Skills
- Personal Responsibility
- Personal Values
- Personal Growth
- Wellness/Health & Safety
- Goal Orientation/Direction
- Change Management
- Leadership
- Risk Taking
Institutional Statement:
Self-awareness and self-esteem serve the students well beyond their academic experiences. Nicolet recognizes the importance of self-awareness and self-esteem to future student success, both personally and professionally. Recognizing and applying sound principles of personal and psychological wellness positions students to develop their strengths, while improving their weaknesses. Moreover, students gain confidence to transition more easily from college to work.
This core ability may be demonstrated by:
- Acting responsibly by attending classes and completing assignments.
- Acting responsibly on a local and global level.
- Behaving in accordance with institutional or professional requirements.
- Identifying personal weaknesses and developing plans of improvement.
- Identifying personal strengths.
- Taking personal responsibility for education/learning.
- Understanding the inevitability and need for change.
- Accepting the challenges of embracing change.
- Recognizing and developing individual learning styles.
Local and Global Awareness and Commitment
Indicators:
- Civic Responsibility
- Economic Conditions
- Cultural Diversity
- Political Differences
- Environmental Stewardship
- Collaboration and Interdependences
- Social Diversity
- World Resources
- Political Change
Institutional Statement:
A sustainable future requires local and global awareness and commitment. Before students can fulfill their civic responsibilities to improve society and the world, they must recognize interdependence on a global level, value differences among cultures, and acquire essential tools for change.
This core ability may be demonstrated by:
- Understanding the interconnectedness of social, environmental, economic and political issues.
- Believing that each individual can make a difference.
- Understanding the causes of resistance to change.
- Learning optimism skills, efficacy, and futuring skills.
- Assuming civic responsibility to improve the world.
- Valuing cultural diversity.
- Practicing environmental stewardship.
- Understanding the causes of socio-economic diversity.
- Understanding how political changes may be made.
- Understanding the world's resources.
- Assessing one's ecological footprint.
- Understanding the relationship between politics and socio-economic conditions.
- Understanding the reasons behind political differences.
- Understanding the interdependence of all citizens of the globe and that collaboration is essential for our existence.
- Learning and practicing change agent skills to impact local, national, and global community.
Ethical Considerations and Integrity
Indicators:
- Accountability
- Responsibility
- Respect
- Honesty
- Trust
Institutional Statement:
Ethics is the study of values, of how we ought to live. Ethics denotes systematic, rational reflection upon a particular behavior. Values are defined as standards or ideals that serve as guides to conduct and decision-making. There are two aspects to ethics: the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil, and propriety from impropriety; and the commitment to do what is right, good, and proper.
This core ability may be demonstrated by:
- Defining core values.
- Identifying instances of "right conduct" in personal and professional situations.
- Explaining the place of core values in personal and professional ethical decisions.
- Using core values to make an appropriate ethical decision from a list of possible actions.
- Examining personal and professional situations for possible ethical consequences and implications of decisions.
- Formulating thoughtful decisions based on sound ethical principles.
- Maintaining confidentiality.
- Taking responsibility for one's own actions.
- Respecting the rights, views, and work of others.
- Assuming civic, environmental, and cultural responsibility.
- Acting ethically within a discipline or profession.