Can use independent learning skills and strategies to organize, initiate, and document prior, current, and future college-level learning. Course: Independent Learning Seminar
In the course, students will analyze prior experience and identify ways it applies to requirements for competence. They will learn how to apply prior and new learning for competence credit. The course sessions will guide students in analyzing their prior experience to identify a competence for which they have already completed relevant learning and organize an ILP based on that experience. The course will be organized in modules, each of which can be an ongoing resource for students on the preparation of an ILP.
Can design learning strategies to attain goals for personal and educational development. Course: Foundations of Adult Learning
Can assess the social and personal value of civic engagement for achieving change. Course: Civic Engagement
Students demonstrate this competence by actively engaging with other community members in addressing an issue facing the community. The issue itself is analyzed to show an understanding of social and economic trends that shape the community. Given these systemic trends, the role of the individual in action with others is articulated with specific strategies for future involvement. Students develop and practice related skills by directly engaging in an activity that is of benefit to the civic life of a community. Activities can range from, but are not limited to, producing public art or participating in street theater, serving as the public advocate of a particular social group, getting involved in a justice campaign, contributing to public awareness of an environmental issue, or participating in political meetings or events that address a particular social issue. SNL will not accept transfer courses for this competence but students may document learning through an ILP.
Can write to demonstrate academic and professional competencies. Course: Writing for Competence
Students demonstrate this competence through the Proficiency Exam or specific SNL courses. Students will continue to develop their writing skills throughout the program. SNL will not accept transfer courses for this competence.
Can analyze issues and reconcile problems through critical and appreciative thinking. Course: Critical Thinking
Students demonstrate this competence by applying the elements of reasoning and critical thinking. Students will be able to critique as well as construct arguments by analyzing and creating claims, appropriate reasons, and rebuttals. Students will also analyze the audience and address a variety of points of view. Students may demonstrate this competence through the Critical Thinking course or the Reasoning Proficiency Exam. SNL will not accept transfer courses as fulfillment of this competence. Students should continue to develop their critical thinking skills throughout the program.
Can use mathematical symbols, concepts, and methods to describe and solve problems. Course: Quantitative Reasoning, Proficiency Exam or Transfer Course
The demonstration of this competence should reflect the logic required to frame and solve problems using some form of mathematical symbols. This is open to algebra, probability, statistics, etc. The level must be beyond computational (arithmetic) skills. We encourage applications of such thinking processes to work and other situations.
Can learn collaboratively and examine the skills, knowledge, and values that contribute to such learning. SNL Course or Transfer Course
Students demonstrate this competence by working with others to develop common understandings around a shared agenda that leads to an assessable outcome. Collaborative learning is characterized by a willingness to explore the ideas and insights of others in an atmosphere of mutual respect, encouragement, and challenge. Essential to this competence is understanding the distinctions among collaboration, cooperation, and strategies of group dynamics.
L8: Can pose questions and use methods of formal inquiry to answer questions and solve problems.
L9: To be written by faculty/student. Course: Research Seminar
Students demonstrate this competence by actively pursuing knowledge that will contribute to answers or solutions for questions or problems of interest. To do so, students must develop a familiarity with the literature in relevant fields and assess its contributions to the question. From this, students should identify needs for additional inquiry and create ways of learning more about the specific question. Students must draw connections between categories of learning in the undergraduate program and the nature of the research question. Completion of Research Seminar is a pre-requisite for Advanced Electives, for Externship, and for Advanced Project.
The Research Seminar presents an opportunity to describe, locate, evaluate, and use information. Students meet regularly as with any other course. However, rather than produce a research paper, students in Research Seminar write a research proposal. The objective is not to produce an educated opinion on a topic, but rather to find a problem or topic that interests you, formulate it into a question, discover its background (what have experts and researchers discovered about this question), to create your own proposal for adding to (or filling in gaps in) the research and to design a method for answering your research question. Through Research Seminar, students learn what information is, where to find it, how to evaluate sources, libraries, research, etc., and how to design effective means to answer questions. At the end of the course, you will have a thoroughly investigated research proposal that may, or may not, be linked to your Advanced Project. Research Seminar is offered under a variety of general topics or without a topic (“themeless”). It is also offered through SNL’s Distance Learning Program.
L10: Can reflect on the learning process and methods used in an experiential project.
L11: To be written by faculty/student.Course: Research Seminar
The Externship is designed to give you an opportunity to focus on the particular dynamic of learning from direct experience in new situations. You can choose from two formats for completing the Externship: 1) an individualized project assessed by your academic committee or, 2) an SNL travel, service-learning course, or other faculty designed Externship course. For all of these formats, you will be expected to:
These specific criteria make clear that the emphasis in Externship is on thoughtful reflection about how your learning occurs. The learning environment you choose for the basis of your Externship will depend upon your own needs and preferences.
The central issues of the Externship are as follows: to push yourself to define and to expand your learning style, to learn about something with which you don’t have much experience, and to familiarize yourself with your ability to successfully adapt to new learning.
In the Externship courses, you will meet as in other SNL classes, but the class focus is to direct you toward defined experiences. The experiential aspects are designed and arranged by the instructor. In the independent Externship, there are no scheduled meetings, but students arrange a system of communication with their Academic Committee. The Externship fulfills two competences in the Life Long Learning area (L10 & 11). One competence is already written, and you will develop one with the assistance of the instructor or the Academic Committee. Resources for the independent Externship can be found at SNL Program Forms. In addition, your Academic Committee may recommend resources to you.
Can articulate the personal and social value of lifelong learning. Course: Summit Seminar (pre-requisite: Final Committee Meeting)
Students demonstrate this competence at the conclusion of their program by explaining the nature of their undergraduate experiences. In the process, they reflect upon the impact of education on their individual identity and their lives in the context of communities and society. This examination of education in context will give students the opportunity to imagine or articulate their goals for future learning.
Summit Seminar is the culmination of your activities in the Lifelong Learning Area. It takes place shortly before graduation. Successful completion of all Lifelong Learning Area competences is a pre-requisite for Summit Seminar. This competence is required for graduation and carries two hours of tuition credit.
The dual process of experiencing the arts and bringing one’s own experience to bear on them leads to rich interpretative possibilities. Therefore, relating one's experience to the work of artists, writers, and other thinkers is one of the objectives of this subcategory. Here, the Arts broadly include a number of expressive modes such as visual, textual, and performative. All competences here call for analysis and interpretation. You must choose at least one competence from this subcategory.
A1A: Can interpret works of art and relate them to one’s own experience.
Students demonstrate this competence by choosing one or more works of art (music, literature, visual art, etc.) to study and discuss. In reflecting upon their appreciation of the work, students should make explicit links to their own life experience.
A1B: Can use public or private institutions as resources for exploring arts or ideas.
Students demonstrate this competence by using various public and private institutions (e.g., museums, libraries, historical and cultural societies, government agencies) as settings for investigations and as sources of information for inquiry. The scope of possible institutions is limited only by whether the institution can provide for significant learning associated with one or more branches of the arts and humanities.
A1C: Can use public or private institutions as resources for exploring arts or ideas.
Students demonstrate this competence by showing that they understand and can discuss at least two works of art using recognized approaches to artistic analysis. Appropriate genres include (but are not limited to) painting, sculpture, architecture, music, literature, drama, and dance.
A1D: Can analyze writers' or artists' representations of human experience.
Students demonstrate this competence by articulating how the representations of one or several artists or writers inform and enrich our understanding of human experience (for example, friendship, racism, suffering, love, work, leisure, sexuality, class, etc).
A1E: Can interpret the work of writers or artists within a historical or social context.
Students demonstrate this competence by choosing a work, locating it within a historical moment, describing the social context, and focusing on the issues manifested in the work.
Students demonstrate this competence by identifying and analyzing elements of design from an aesthetic and functional perspective and by evaluating a design's effect on quality of life. Examples could include: ergonomics, architecture, interior and landscape design, planned communities, etc.
Students demonstrate this competence by defining public art, including historical and contemporary views. Students may examine the social impact or the political context in which public art is proposed, funded, and produced. Students may also consider the impact of community values on the production of this art.
A1H: Can explain the functions of public art and its relationship to communities.
Folk art reflects the beliefs, customs, and rituals of a culture and the values that inform their creation in a way that the members of a culture easily understand. Students demonstrate this competence by analyzing the way in which at least one work of folk art contributes to the preservation or evolution of the values of a culture and communicates them to members of the culture. Singling out folk art as a category is meant to draw attention to it, rather than to devalue it.
A1I: Can use two or more theoretical approaches to interpret a work in the arts or popular culture.
Students demonstrate that they understand how criticism and theory inform perceptions of the work.
A1X: Written by student/faculty
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
This subcategory deals with the sources and uses of inspiration, imagination, and creativity in artistic expression. It requires original creative activities and reflection about the creative process. Students will also discuss their creative work in the context of other artists or designers and appropriate theories or principles. You must choose at least one competence from this subcategory.
Students demonstrate this competence by creating an original work of art. The original work may be visual, musical, literary, performative, etc. Students must place their original work in a broader context than their own creative process.
A2B: Can perform proficiently in an art form and analyze the elements that contribute to proficiency.
Students demonstrate this competence by performing a work of art proficiently. This competence is specifically located in the performing arts, including dance, music, theatre, etc. Students must define proficiency within the context of performance, articulate the tension between process and ability, and describe how one evaluates proficiency in this art form.
A2C: Can employ principles of design to enhance the functions and aesthetics of objects or environments.
Students demonstrate this competence by designing an object or environment and articulating the principles of design. It is also essential to explore the relationships between aesthetic issues, function, and the design process.
Students demonstrate this competence by combining both technical ability and the expression of ideas through an audio or visual medium, augmenting this demonstration with a discussion of the choices made, and the reasons for making those choices. Digital video, digital photography, digital mixing and recording, and computer animation are suited to this competence.
A2X: Written by student/faculty
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
This subcategory invites students to explore fundamental questions about their experience of the universe. It challenges them to reflect critically and appreciatively on their basic assumptions about the meaning, purpose, and values of their lives. Since they are not the first to ponder these questions, the subcategory also asks students to relate their interpretations to the insights of significant thinkers and cultures from around the globe. Philosophers, theologians, ethicists, artists, mystics, prophets, and sages throughout history have created distinctive worldviews that students can examine in relationship to their own. By interacting with these different interpretations of the world, students can develop a deeper understanding of their own experience and the choices they face. You must choose at least one competence from this subcategory.
A3A: Can interpret experience in relationship to the perspective of a significant thinker or tradition.
Students demonstrate this competence by thinking philosophically about their experience or the experience of others. Students will develop their own ideas about the meaning of an experience and compare or contrast these ideas to those of a significant thinker or tradition. For example, students might reflect on their experience of gender roles in relation to the ideas of feminist thinkers. Or they could use the insights of a philosopher to help clarify their thinking about their relationship to nature.
A3B: Can explore a model of spiritual development and apply it to oneself or others.
Students fulfill this competence by discussing a model of spiritual development. Such models always imply assumptions about the meaning of the spiritual and the value and purpose of spiritual development. They also have implications for how we choose to live. Models of spiritual development might include twelve-step, evangelical, feminist, contemplative, Eastern, or liberation spiritualities.
A3C: Can examine a social issue from an ethical perspective.
Students demonstrate this competence by using an ethical perspective to analyze a social issue. They may create their own ethical perspective, but should always engage the ideas of one or more significant ethicists. The issues or situations that students address in this competence should affect large groups of people. Students should explore the implications of this analysis for their own experience.
A3D: Can assess the assumptions and implications of a significant thinker’s ideas about work or leisure.
Students fulfill this competence by thinking critically about their own experience of work or leisure in light of a significant thinker(s) ideas. Such ideas always imply certain assumptions about the meaning, value, and purposes of human life. Students are invited to explore those assumptions as well as the implications these ideas have for their own approach to work or leisure.
A3E: Can compare substantially different theological or philosophical systems.
Students demonstrate this competence by identifying and comparing the key assumptions and ideas of two substantially different systems of thought. These systems of thought should have distinct interpretations of the human experience in relation to the universe. Philosophical and theological ideas inform certain practices and rituals but are not completely explained by them, so therefore a comparison of religious practices alone would not fulfill this competence.
A3F: Can compare two or more philosophical perspectives on the relationship of the individual to the community.
Students fulfill this competence by comparing two or more perspectives on the relationship between the individual and social dimensions of being a human person. Such perspectives always imply assumptions about the meaning, value, and purpose of life. They also have implications for how we live our lives. For example, students might compare the individualism in some Western philosophical traditions to the more communal concepts of the self in other traditions. Students should relate the perspectives they examine to their own experience.
A3G: Can assess the assumptions and implications of significant ideas about human experience.
Students demonstrate this competence by analyzing the ideas of one or more significant thinkers or traditions about the meaning of some aspect of human experience (for example, friendship, racism, beauty, suffering, hope, sexuality, oppression, etc.). Students will identify appropriate criteria to assess these ideas and their assumptions and implications. Students should reflect on how these ideas relate to their own experiences.
A3X: Written by student/faculty.
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
A4 Can analyze a problem using two different ethical systems. REQUIRED
Students demonstrate this competence by applying two ethical systems to a particular issue or problem that permits substantial ethical examination (for example, business practices, uses of technology, reproductive rights, class structures, institutional racism, sexual behavior, etc.). Students may choose any ethical system that is associated with particular thinkers. Students may consider the choices these thinkers identify, and the standards or measures by which these choices are made to obtain desired outcomes.
A5 Can define and analyze a creative process. REQUIRED
Creativity is often associated with forms of human expression in the literary, fine, and applied arts. Because it involves the development of innovative ideas and fresh approaches to problems, however, the practice of creativity is no less integral a component of the social, physical, and technological sciences. In any field of human endeavor, the creative process requires ability to question accepted and “acceptable” ways of perceiving and thinking, as well as a willingness to forge connections and refine knowledge through doubt, curiosity, and imagination. Through engagement, reflection, and analysis, this competence invites the student to understand how a creative process is born, how it functions, and how it changes our perception and experience of the world. Such insights may develop, for example, by analyzing the creative process in the writing of a poem, the production of a visual narrative, the planning of a city, the design of a web site, or the development of an innovative way of perceiving and explaining a natural phenomenon.
The world is becoming more and more interdependent and no country, including the U.S., can operate in isolation. This section emphasizes the ideas and abilities that will help individuals thrive in a global system. You must choose at least one competence from this subcategory.
H1A: Can understand and apply the principles of effective intercultural communication.
Students demonstrate this competence by explaining intercultural communication, using appropriate models or theories that are acceptable in the field. Students may choose to analyze reasons for intercultural miscommunication such as misperception, misinterpretation or misevaluation and recommend ways to improve intercultural communication. They may concentrate on strategies such as increasing cultural selfawareness and improving cross cultural awareness or they may study the role of empathy in intercultural interactions. Students may also focus on topics such as the role of language and/ or nonverbal skills in intercultural contexts. Students can fulfill the competence through courses and independent learning pursuits that analyze one or more aspects of intercultural communication.
Culture is used here in the anthropological sense and is defined as an integrated system of learned behavior patterns that are characteristic of the members of a given society. Intercultural communication happens when the message sender is from one culture and the message receiver is from another culture. This competence does not apply to organizational culture.
H1B: Can explain how two or more of the factors of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, or religion interact to shape communities.
Students demonstrate this competence by describing the community they have selected and explaining how its attributes (race, ethnicity, etc.) interact to shape past, present, or future circumstances of the community. In this instance “communities” refers to demographic realities rather than the behavior of individual persons (a phenomenon that is addressed in H3B). Students may approach this competence from a variety of perspectives, including history (such as the impact of slavery on southern towns), economics (such as the impact of industrialization on rural communities), and sociology (such as the impact of an aging population on a neighborhood), to name a few.
H1C: Can explain the emergence, maintenance, or evolution of an economic or political system.
Students demonstrate this competence through an understanding of the origins, functioning, and change over time of an economic or a political system. An economic system refers broadly to a system of production, exchange, and distribution of resources that are critical for the survival of a whole society. A political system is the set of formal legal institutions that constitute a government or a state.
H1D: Can explain a system of law that governs a society.
Students demonstrate this competence by examining a specific system of law. Business, environmental, constitutional, and criminal law are among the examples that are appropriate to demonstrating this competence.
H1E: Can explain the concept, function, and expression of culture and illustrate the explanation with one or more cultures.
Students demonstrate this competence by explaining “culture” using appropriate explanatory models or theories. The dimensions of culture that students choose to analyze may include traditions, rituals, religious beliefs, laws, or arts. Students can fulfill the competence through courses and independent learning pursuits that analyze their own or another culture.
H1F: Can describe and explain the roles of individuals, groups, societies, or states in history.
Students demonstrate this competence by explaining why a particular event or series of events occurred when they did or why different circumstances are likely to result in particular outcomes. Students will consider a variety of conditions that may have influenced a particular event or process and demonstrate knowledge of current historical approaches.
H1G: Can effectively speak, read, or write in a language other than English.
Students demonstrate this competence by showing that they can read, listen, speak, or write in a language other than English. The emphasis of this competence is on the communicative aspects of language and therefore refers both to receptive competence (reading or listening comprehension) and to productive competence (speaking or writing) or any combination of these sufficient for effective communication.
H1H: Can describe and analyze the challenges faced by communities in urban, suburban, or rural areas.
Students demonstrate this competence by developing a plan to change a community. The plan must identify specific actions, resources, and time frames required for implementation, and must be connected to theories of change methodology that permit generalizations beyond the particular community or problem being addressed. Problems that are important to a community as a whole (such as drought, epidemics, and quality of life generally) are appropriate, rather than problems that residents encounter individually (such as divorce). Problems that relate to organizational change are addressed in H2C.
H1I: Can understand change methodology, plan change within a community, and assess its likely impact.
Students demonstrate this competency by developing a plan to change a community. The plan must identify specific actions, resources, and time frames required for implementation, and must be connected to theories of change methodology that permit generalizations beyond the particular community or problem being addressed. Problems that are important to a community as a whole (such as drought, epidemics, and quality of life generally) are appropriate, rather than problems that residents encounter individually (such as divorce). Problems that relate to organizational change are addressed in H-2-C.
H1X: Written by student/faculty.
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
Institutions and organizations are an important part of everyday life that change over time in the intensity and nature of their influence. This section emphasizes abilities that will help individuals understand and interact with institutions and organizations. You must choose at least one competence from this subcategory.
H2A: Can understand a social problem and can analyze the effectiveness of social institutions in addressing it.
Students demonstrate this competence by choosing an institution that addresses an important social problem. Students develop a rationale for the selection that speaks to the following questions: What is a social institution? Does it address a significant social problem? Students explore the ways the institution may or may not be effective. Courses applied to this competence will emphasize the analysis of institutional effectiveness.
H2B: Can use public or private institutions as resources for understanding a social issue.
Students demonstrate this competence by using a public or private institution (for example, a museum, special library, government agency, industry) as the setting for investigations and as sources of information in inquiry. The scope of possible institutions is limited only by whether the institution can provide for significant learning associated with any branch of the social sciences.
H2C: Can identify an organizational problem and design a plan for change based on an understanding of social science theories or models.
Students demonstrate this competence by presenting a plan that addresses a relatively complex problem in an organization. Students must connect the solution to theories or models of change and show it has significance beyond the specific example. The plan may focus on growth and transformation through the acquisition of new skills and may identify specific actions, resources, and time frames required for implementation
H2D: Can use two or more social science theories in the analysis of one's experiences in an organization.
Students demonstrate this competence by showing familiarity with the approaches, models, and principles that help explain human interactions within organizations. A comparative approach or case study may be an effective demonstration of competence.
Students demonstrate this competence by comparing two similar institutions in two different cultures or societies and showing why and how these institutions represent specific cultures or societies. For example, they may compare the educational system of Chile and the US, or Japanese and American business institutions, or the political system of Sweden and the US.
H2F: Can explain the development, roles, and maintenance of social institutions.
Students demonstrate this competence by showing how it contributes to their interaction and relationships with institutions. They will need to demonstrate a theoretical understanding of the changing nature of institutions in society. A presentation of independent or prior learning for this competence should identify a specific institution that fits the accepted definition and describe its development through examples. Courses that apply must have a clearly identified social institution as the focus.
H2G: Can evaluate the role and impact of mass media or information technology on society.
Students demonstrate this competence by evaluating the effect of a medium of mass communication or information technology on society. The demonstration should include definitions of all the terms – mass media or information technology, society, role, and impact.
H2H: Can work with community partners to implement a service learning project.
Students demonstrate this competence by becoming active and knowledgeable volunteers within a reciprocal learning setting outside the classroom. In cooperation with a public benefit organization (either a private nonprofit or government agency), students will develop, carry out, and reflect upon the implications of a social action or service project.
H2X: Written by student/faculty.
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
Knowledge of self is critical as one strives to function effectively in the world. Self-awareness is an important factor in personal growth and change, and is a prerequisite for understanding and interacting with other people. This section focuses on comprehension of the dynamics of individual behavior and development, independent of and in relationship to others. You must choose at least one competence from this subcategory.
H3A: Can use two or more theories of human psychology to understand and solve problems.
Students demonstrate this competence by showing their familiarity with recognized theories and models of behavior, and by their ability to select appropriate ones to address a problem. In addition, students must evaluate the effectiveness or expected results of applying the theory to the problem.
H3B: Can explain how two or more of the factors of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, or religion interact to shape oneself or others.
Students demonstrate this competence by discussing the social factors that they wish to examine and explaining how they (race, ethnicity, etc) function together to shape oneself or others. Students may approach this competence from a variety of perspectives, including history, economics, and psychology, to name a few.
H3C: Can use theories or models of adult growth and development to understand one's own experience.
Students demonstrate this competence by applying theories or models of adult growth and development to one's adult history. Fundamental to this competence is an understanding that "change" and "growth" are not synonymous. Growth can be described and measured in different ways and change may be an indicator of growth.
H3D: Can employ the skills of negotiation, mediation, or interpersonal communication in the resolution of a problem.
Students demonstrate this competence by applying principles of negotiation, mediation, or interpersonal communication to an actual situation. Students need to articulate their reasons for employing a given approach and to evaluate the effectiveness of that approach.
H3E: Can speak effectively in public settings
Students demonstrate this competence by articulating principles of public speaking, applying those principles, and evaluating the effectiveness of their public speaking experiences. Students might think about developing this competence as they proceed through the program, compiling a portfolio (including audio and video demonstrations, if desired) and assessing public speaking experiences in individual classes.
H3F: Can understand the interrelationships among intellectual, psychological, spiritual, and physical health in one’s own life.
Students demonstrate this competence by understanding how intellectual functioning and psychological, spiritual, and physical health interact and contribute to overall health. Definition of each component is critical to understanding that interrelationship, and students must apply their knowledge to an example from their own lives.
H3G: Can analyze the impact of social institutions on individual human development.
Students demonstrate this competence by understanding how the existence and operation of social institutions, such as a family, a business, the criminal justice system or an educational institution, affect human development.
H3H: Can explain cultural differences in the interpretation of adulthood.
Students demonstrate this competence by understanding the extent to which different cultural groups have different definitions and expectations of adulthood. Students should clearly identify the distinctiveness of their chosen cultural groups in terms of this issue. Students may use different cultural groups within the United States or other countries.
H3I: Can explain how the self is interpreted in a variety of cultures.
Concepts of the self differ from culture to culture and “self-development” is shaped, in turn, by the cultural context in which a person grows up. Students can demonstrate this competence by looking, not only at other notions of the self, but by comparing those notions to their own cultural experience.
H3J: Can manage one’s ongoing development as a writer using principles and tools of assessment and feedback.
H3X: Written by student/faculty.
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
H4 Can analyze power relations among racial, social, cultural, or economic groups in the United States. REQUIRED
Students demonstrate this competence by analyzing the historical, sociological or economic dynamics that lead to inequalities in power among groups in the United States. To the extent possible, we hope that students will relate this to their experiences as well as their responsibilities as a citizen. In many ways this competence is about democracy in action; for example, how groups have negotiated and attained power and voice in a complex and diverse society. Since, however, inequalities persist in this country, it is important to understand the ways in which some groups have been systematically denied economic, social, and political justice.
H5 Can analyze issues and problems from a global perspective. REQUIRED
Students demonstrate competence by discussing such issues as how local communities (in the U.S and elsewhere) deal with global concerns such as hunger, health, education, welfare, illiteracy, environmental issues, or infectious diseases. Or they might explore the impact of science and technology on people's lives worldwide. They may study world religions, literature or the arts as a means of better understanding other cultures. Students can fulfill the competence through courses and independent learning pursuits that analyze one or more aspects of global competence. International travel and work may also be helpful.
Global connections affect our lives in many ways. Many local issues have worldwide implications, and none are merely matters of science or of economics or of politics. Some may have cultural or ethical or religious components as well. This competence invites students to explore and demonstrate these connections bearing in mind that if an issue is big enough to cross geographical borders, it is complex enough to cross disciplinary borders.
Science is the systematic exploration of the universe — from the commonplace to the invisibly small or invisibly distant. These competences encourage students to engage directly in scientific investigation, relating experience and observations to scientific concepts, models, principles, and theories. You must choose at least one competence from this subcategory.
S1A: Can explore natural phenomena or the world of everyday experiences using scientific methods, and can use theories to interpret observations.
Students demonstrate this competence by experiencing science as a systematic and reflective process. Spurred on by curiosity or a perceived problem, students make observations and draw well-supported, justified generalizations. Wondering, getting familiar with the phenomena, posing questions, hypothesizing answers, observing, testing, interpreting results, framing conclusions, revising hypotheses — this is the process of scientific reasoning.
S1B: Can use public or private institutions as resources for learning science.
Students demonstrate this competence by using a public or private institution (for example, a museum, zoo, botanical garden, government agency, industry, national park) as a laboratory or setting for investigations and as a source of information. The scope of possible institutions is limited only by the institution can provide for significant learning associated with one or more branches of science.
S1C: Can explain personal interactions with the physical environment using scientific principles.
Students demonstrate this competence by examining the conditions and consequences of human interactions with the environment, such as rock climbing, skydiving, scuba diving, bird watching, spelunking. Demonstrating this competence is not limited to gaining knowledge about environments. Students also need to examine the interactions with, responses to, or adaptations to the environment. Potential sources for principles and knowledge include ecology, physiology, environmental biology, and other branches of science.
S1D: Can design and plan an information technology solution for a problem.
Demonstration of this competence calls for significant work in assessing a problem and developing a computing solution to it through programming and/or existing specialty software. Examples of acceptable demonstration of competence include: Application of HTML and/or advanced scripting to enhance web pages in business or non-business setting; Database design, including conceptualization, development, maintenance, monitoring, and evaluation; Spreadsheet solutions incorporating more than standard functions and macros commonly used at the introductory level; Programming in common computing languages (COBOL, C++, etc.), graphical designing applied to specific solutions in the media, businesses, or non+profit environments, and knowledge; Application of specialty software at an advanced level (statistical analysis, simulation, Internet programming - database functionality or advanced user interface design, etc.)
S1E: Can analyze inventions or technologies and can understand their underlying scientific principles.
Students demonstrate this competence by analyzing the workings of inventions or technologies. This analysis should go deeper than a simple description of a given invention and its function(s). It requires insight into basic laws of the physical world (for example, motion, thermodynamics) or essential ideas from various branches of science (physics, chemistry, biology, etc). Students may use an invention of their own if they wish or a technology in which they have been involved. The invention or technology selected should be either complex enough, or of sufficient number, to gain competence in both the process of analysis and the range of unifying principles that underlie their functioning.
S1X: Written by student/faculty.
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
Whether in a distant star or in a microscopic cell, we find in nature repeating forms and functions, together with variations and changes within and among them. The competences in this group ask students to observe the natural world in order to identify patterns and processes within it. Patterns are observable repetitions in time, space, or organization; process is the means by which patterns are caused or changed. Both are connected with scientific theory, because theories arise to explain pattern, process, or both. You must choose at least one competence from this subcategory.
S2A: Can describe, differentiate, and explain form, function, and variation within biological systems.
Students demonstrate this competence by looking at biological systems (plants and animals as individuals or in groups, at the macroscopic or microscopic level) in terms of their forms and the way those forms function. In addition, this competence asks students to analyze the way a biological system is structured and how that system functions. Examining variation may include study of irregularities and abnormal forms or functions, with reference to a healthy or normal baseline.
S2B: Can describe, differentiate, and explain form, function, and variation within physical systems.
Students demonstrate this competence by looking at physical systems, including those described by branches of science such as geology, astronomy, chemistry, and physics. Students demonstrate awareness of the ways in which scientists typically describe and define such systems. They also articulate how that system functions and varies.
S2C: Can describe, categorize, and explain development or change within physical or biological systems.
Students demonstrate this competence by examining the way systems change or develop over time. This competence includes both physical systems (chemical, geological, astronomical, and other) and biological systems (plant, animal/human, communities, ecosystems, all of life). Change and development can be understood as they occur within small-scale systems (e.g., human aging) or large scale ones (e.g., evolution of the cosmos).
S2D: Can describe, categorize, and analyze the interactions and exchanges between living organisms and their physical environments.
Students demonstrate this competence by examining ecological relationships and articulating the ways any living organism or group of organisms, including humans, exist within specific environments. Students may work on either on the micro (small-scale) or macro (large-scale) level, and on either the individual or group level (the actions of an amoebae seeking food or humans mining fossil fuel are equally appropriate possibilities). This competence differs from the required S competence in that it is limited to the interaction of organisms and their environments.
S2E: Can use mathematics or statistics to describe the patterns and processes of natural phenomena.
Students demonstrate this competence by applying mathematics or statistics to an issue in the physical or biological sciences.
S2X: Written by student/faculty.
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
Science and technology increasingly determine the way in which we live our lives, shape our communities, and structure of our nation and its interaction with global society. The inherent power of science and technology obscures the fact that, as with every element of culture, individuals like ourselves create the wonders of science and technology. Demonstrating this set of competences involves explaining the relationship among society, values, and science or technology. Learning experiences should examine the manner in which social and cultural dynamics shape technological or scientific developments. They should also examine the ways in which technological or scientific changes frame social and cultural actions, values, and priorities.
S3A: Can understand different perspectives on the relationship between technology and society, and describe the scientific principles underlying technological innovations.
Students demonstrate this competence by developing a definition of technology and understanding the role it plays in shaping our lives and ideas. Students describe the underlying scientific principles, methods, goals, or reasoning of a technological development. Students examine these issues for their social, political, economic, or ethical assumptions.
S3B: Can assess health care practices based on an understanding of the biological and social factors that contribute to definitions of health.
Students demonstrate this competence by examining “health” and the functions of a healthy human. What does it mean, in medical or social terms, to be healthy? The functions of a healthy human suggest an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of health and disease. At a fundamental level, a student addressing this competence must demonstrate knowledge of human biology and relate that knowledge to forming a definition of “health.” Students may explore disease or abnormal states in both biological and social terms, but in so doing should demonstrate an understanding of the normal state.
S3C: Can understand the scientific and social dimensions of an environmental issue.
Students demonstrate this competence by gaining an appreciation for the methods, models, and principles of environmental science or ecology. As humans strive to shape the environment, our actions have both beneficial and deleterious consequences, as well as unintended ones. In the most general sense, this competence directs the student to explore the relationship between society’s actions and their consequences in the environment.
S3D: Can use scientific knowledge to understand varying perspectives on a policy issue.
Students demonstrate this competence by taking the role of a scientifically literate citizen and investigating various scientific or technological perspectives on a public policy issue. Students should compare and contrast the varying scientific perspectives relevant to the debates on this issue.
S3E: Can describe how scientific or technological knowledge affects perspectives on the relationships between humans and nature.
Students demonstrate this competence by identifying the primary features that shape their perspectives or those from other cultures on relationships between humans and nature. On this basis, the students explore the development of science and technology and the development’s effect on different cultural perspectives.
S3F: Can analyze the integration of new technology into a specific field of human endeavor from at least two perspectives.
Students demonstrate this competence by analyzing the impact of technology on the chosen area. Emphasis should be placed not just on newly emerging tools, but on how increased reliance upon technology has affected the social, legal, economic, and/or ethical dimensions of living. Students will bring at least two such perspectives to bear on this analysis. For more information about the SNL Information Technology Proficiency Portfolio go to Information Technology (S5) Proficiency.
S3X: Written by student/faculty.
This competence allows students to create statements that meet their specific learning needs.
S4 Can describe and explain connections among diverse aspects of nature. REQUIRED
Students demonstrate competence by articulating how exchange occurs among seemingly disparate parts of nature and how interconnection among systems is basic to nature and results in an integrated whole. “Connections” is the most important word in this competence. All seemingly distinct parts of nature, including humans, are integrally connected to all other parts.
S5 Can explain and evaluate the nature and process of science. REQUIRED
Students demonstrate this competence through methods provided by SNL or specific courses designed to introduce the student to current information technology tools and their use in the solution of simple problems.
Can design a plan for development in one’s Focus Area based on an analysis of elements that comprise the area. Course: Focus Planning
Focus area elective.
F-11: Can design and produce a significant product that gives evidence of advanced competence. F-12: Written by student/faculty. This competence summarizes the particular focus and content of the Advanced Project. Course: Advanced Project
Advanced Elective.