Goal 2: Communication

Strengthen written and oral communication

Communicating with others, both in writing and orally, lies at the heart of personal and professional growth and success. The ability to engage with diverse audiences and ideas in writing and speaking supports personal relationships, educational development, professional advancement, and civic engagement. Using language flexibly and confidently supports critical and integrative thinking by allowing students to generate and examine fully their ideas and engage with multiple perspectives. 

Goal 2 Learning Outcomes

Upon reaching this goal, students will be able to generate, explore, organize, and convey ideas in writing, using language and other media (for example, digital texts, images, and graphs) to present those ideas clearly, confidently, and in a manner appropriate to specific communication situations. 

  • This learning outcome requires two courses (at least 3 credit hours each). It is recommended these two courses be completed during your first 30 hours of your academic career. 

This learning outcome requires six hours of university coursework during the first two years, at least three hours of which require inquiry-based writing. Because it is important to develop written communication continually, three hours emphasizing writing in the major are highly recommended.

Each of the two three-credit hour courses that meet this outcome must achieve all of the following:

  1. Include instruction that will require students to:
    1. Analyze how language and rhetorical choices vary across texts and different institutional, historical, and/or public contexts.
    2. Demonstrate rhetorical flexibility within and beyond academic writing.
    3. Revise and improve their own writing.
  2. Require writing assignments (a minimum of 2000 words/course) in English and include at least three different types of writing for different purposes, audiences, or media.
  3. Deliver structured feedback to students that leads to revision and sequential improvement of their texts (for example, through the revision of successive drafts).
  4. Evaluate the quality of students’ written communication, and use this evaluation for a supermajority of the final course grade.

Upon reaching this goal, students will be able to generate, develop, organize, and convey ideas orally, using language, presentation skills, and other media (for example, digital texts, images, and graphs) to present those ideas clearly, confidently, and in a manner appropriate to specific communication situations.

  • This learning outcome requires a course of at least three credit-hours or an approved educational experience. 

This learning outcome requires three hours of university coursework or university-approved equivalent.

Courses or educational experiences that meet this outcome must achieve all of the following:

  1. Include instruction to require students to:
    1. Apply theory to prepare and present content in an organized manner and with a delivery appropriate to the audience.
    2. Engage in active listening and participate in discussions in a respectful manner.
    3. Analyze their own communicative behaviors in both interpersonal and public speaking.
  2. Include assignments structured so that students complete at least three different types of speeches or presentations in English with different purposes or audiences.
  3. Deliver structured feedback to students that leads to revision and substantial improvement.
  4. Evaluate the quality of students’ oral communication, and use this evaluation for a supermajority of the final course grade.