THE LORAS COLLEGE MAGAZINE | VOL. 59 | NO. 1 | WINTER 2010

The Essential Learning Outcomes
KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN CULTURES AND THE
PHYSICAL AND NATURAL WORLD
Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social
sciences, humanities, histories, languages and the arts
At Loras, all students study these areas in the advanced general
education courses structured around five themes of aesthetics,
community and identity, cultural traditions across generations,
humanity and the physical universe and values for decision
making. Many students also major in these disciplinary areas,
while others have added exposure to them in January Term
courses or electives.
INTELLECTUAL AND PRACTICAL SKILLS, INCLUDING
Inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, written
and oral communication, quantitative literacy, information
literacy, teamwork and problem solving
Active learning and reflective thinking are identified as Loras
Dispositions—two of the four global outcomes for the general
education program. The four Loras Dispositions encompass
many of the AAC&U’s intellectual and practical skills as well
as other areas of the essential learning outcomes. For example,
students’ first-year seminar, Modes of Inquiry, serves as an
introduction to several of the essential outcomes as do other
first-year courses in writing, public speaking and group
communication and mathematics. The emphases continue
in mid-level and advanced general education courses. They
also permeate the majors in both the liberal arts and professional
programs as well.
In fact, data collected by Hart Research
Associates for the LEAP project between
2006 and 2010 confirm the need and
economic value of liberal education. In
“Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on
College Learning in the Wake of the
Economic Downturn” (2010), 90% of
employers surveyed say that they are
“asking employees to take on more
responsibilities and use a broader set of
skills than in the past” and that “the
challenges their employees face are more
complex than they were in the past.”
So how does this relate to the graduating
senior who kissed the provost? He had
an education and opportunities for
growth that are products of liberal learning
in an environment that encourages
student engagement. He had majors in a
liberal arts discipline and a professional
discipline and experienced the additional
breadth of learning through his courses
that met general education requirements.
Active in student government and
involved with campus ministry programs,
he also served as the student representative
to the Academic Council during the
period of planning and implementing
the January Term. In Council, he
participated in the discussions that
ranged across concerns about accelerated
pedagogies, experiential learning, student
recruitment, resource implications and
campus policies. He got to know staff
and faculty in their multiple roles inside
and outside the classroom. Since
graduation, he’s finished a graduate
degree, worked in areas that draw upon
his academic work and begun a new
position which requires him to learn—
quickly—a new body of technical
knowledge. He is able to do that
because he started developing the
On The Cover | Summer 2010
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, INCLUDING
Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global, intercultural
knowledge and competence, ethical reasoning and
action, foundations and skills for lifelong learning
One course common to all Loras students, regardless of their
majors, is Democracy and Global Diversity, which has a specific
focus on what it means to be a citizen. Two historic events, one
from a non-western context, are role-played by students. Primary
readings, critical analysis and written interpretations inform the
students’ re-enactment of the French Revolution or the push for
independent statehood in India—two of the more recent course
pairings. At several points in the general education curriculum
and in most majors, students must engage the ethical questions of
their disciplines and future professions.
As examples, Ethics and the New Genetics; applied ethics in
business, communication, environmental sciences, physical
education and sport science; Global Inequality, among many
others raise questions which advance the Loras Dispositions of
ethical decision-makers and responsible contributors to society.
INTEGRATIVE AND APPLIED LEARNING, INCLUDING
Synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general
and specialized studies
Within Loras’ general education program there is an emphasis
on connected knowing—comparative and contrasting approaches
that explore both the capacities and limits of knowledge in any
specific area. Internships, service and community-based learning,
as well as other experiential components require that students
learn and apply their learning in both the classroom and the field.
skills and capacities through his liberal
learning experiences at Loras. He—and
others—with a strong liberal learning
preparation in a college environment
that promotes engaged, active learning
will be able to respond to the globalized
knowledge economy and rapid change
that characterizes contemporary life. He
had good reasons to be exuberant and
self-assured at commencement. �
Sources:
Roche, Mark William. Why Choose the Liberal
Arts? University of Notre Dame Press, Notre
Dame, Indiana, 2010.
“Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP):
Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to
College.” Association of American Colleges and
Universities, National Panel Report, 2002.
“College Learning for the New Global Century:
A Report from the National Leadership Council
for Liberal Education & America’s Promise.”
Association of American Colleges and
Universities, 2007.
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