Learning Outcome 3

Intercultural Competence & Social Responsibility

Furthermore, as a Catholic women’s college, Saint Mary’s fosters respect and compassion for all people and honors leadership that improves the human community. Therefore …

A Saint Mary’s student develops reflective and interpersonal skills that enable her to learn from and participate in dialogue with diverse people and cultures. She does this by attaining competence in another language and by study and experience that reveal both cultural differences and the connections joining people in a global society.

In keeping with the mission of the Sisters of the Holy Cross and their stance in solidarity with the poor and powerless, a Saint Mary’s student will evaluate social conditions, discern human needs, and be able to respond as an agent of change.

Design Team for Learning Outcome 3

Co-Chairs: Mary Ann Kanieski and Julie Storme

List of team members

Stacy Davis (Religious Studies) Ryan Dombkowski (Biology) Kitty Green (Education & GenEd Committee) Laura Haigwood (English) Joe Incandela (Associate Dean & GenEd Committee) Annette Peacock-Johnson (Nursing) Fran Kominkiewicz (Social Work) Elaine Meyer-Lee (CWIL) Jan Pilarski (Justice Education) Ujvala Rajadhyaksha (Business Administration & Economics) Laurel Thomas (Music)

Design Structure

Components include:

Courses Experiential Learning

Considering: culminating course or experience in the

junior or senior year requiring reflection and/or facilitating integration

Why coursework and experiential learning?

Learning Outcome 3 calls for “study and experience.”

Why distribute Learning Outcome 3 requirements over 3 or 4 years?

Learning Outcome 3 requiresself-examination and reflection over time

Study

Two Required Courses[provided the total number of required general education courses is reduced]

A First Year Seminar addressing Learning Outcome 3[creatively constructed to maximize participation of interested faculty]

And

Another Learning Outcome 3 Course

Why require more than one course?

Requiring more than one course allows for development of Learning Outcome 3 over time

First Year Seminars

All entering students will be required to take a First Year Seminar

All First Year Seminars will address Learning Outcome 3

First Year Seminars have low enrollments and a pedagogy based on discussion

Why require a First Year Seminar?

A First Year seminar is the best way to meet Learning Outcome 3 since its discussion-based pedagogy will facilitate an early development of the ability to engage in dialogue. Learning Outcome 3 calls for a student to have “reflective and interpersonal skills that enable her to learn from and participate in dialogue with diverse people and cultures.”

Learning Outcome 3 requires cumulative learning and is best begun early in a student’s academic career.

Possible additional advantages to First Year Seminars

First Year Seminars correlate with academic success and persistence.

First Year Seminars allow students to develop their voices and the listening skills necessary to their success in future courses at Saint Mary’s.

First Year Seminars could support changes in general education advising.

We are proposing requiring more than one Learning Outcome 3 course. In addition to her First Year Seminar

A student will select another course from a list of Learning Outcome 3 courses

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Why have students choose from a list of courses that address Learning Outcome 3?

To promote flexibility and student choice

To encourage participation by many disciplines (with both new and existing courses)

To identify courses that address the goals of Learning Outcome 3: Intercultural Competence and Social Responsibility

Experiential Learning

Two requirements [1-3 credits][We are considering requiring one international and one domestic experience.]

All experiential learning requires structured reflection evaluated by an instructor

Why establish two experiential learning requirements?

Subsequent experiential learning allows for one experience enriching the other and can encourage a student to draw comparisons.

Requiring more than one course allows for development of Learning Outcome 3 over time.

Why require structured reflection that is evaluated by an instructor?

Learning Outcome 3 calls for the development of reflective skills.

Meeting Learning Outcome 3 requires revisiting and critically reflecting on what has been studied and experienced.

Structured reflection can facilitate the integration of study and experience.

We are considering proposing a proficiency-based foreign language requirement Students would fulfill the foreign language

requirement by demonstrating:

A specific level of linguistic proficiency

Intercultural understanding

Knowledge of the cultural, historical, political, and social mosaic of the countries or regions whose language they elect to study

What is a proficiency requirement and how is it different from our current foreign language requirement?

Our present requirement is a seat time requirement, which means that students fulfill the foreign language requirement by completing two semesters, no matter what their level of linguistic proficiency at the end of those two semesters.

Students presently complete the requirement at various levels of linguistic proficiency. This is particularly true for those students who complete the foreign language requirement through the introductory and elementary sequences as opposed to the intermediate sequence.

Why adopt a proficiency-based foreign language requirement?

Learning Outcome 3 calls for “competence in another language” as does our Statement of Philosophy and Purpose

[However, we must look at the General Education requirements comprehensively. Changes to the foreign language requirement must be examined in the context of a student’s entire general education experience and other proficiencies called for by our Statement of Philosophy and Purpose, such as “competence in quantitative skills.”]

Questions or Comments?

Defining “competence in another language”

Competence in a language includes:

Linguistic proficiency

Intercultural competence

Knowledge of the culture, history, and the political and social dynamics of the countries or regions where the language is spoken

How do you assess language competence?

Assessing linguistic proficiency

Set the level of required proficiency according to a nationally recognized standard.

[The Department of Modern Languages recommends requiring anintermediate level of proficiency according to the guidelines of theAmerican Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages.]

Measure students’ speaking, listening, reading and writing ability with proficiency tests developed by national centers of applied linguistics.

[The Department of Modern Languages presently owns a number of electronic proficiency tests.]

How do you assess language competence?

Assessment of: Cultural and Intercultural competence

Historical knowledge of the countries or regions where the language is spoken

Knowledge of the political and social dynamics of the countries or regions where the language is spoken

is conducted through a variety of measures used within

the context of our courses.