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General Education

Iowa Wesleyan University

Iowa Wesleyan University (Pleasant, Iowa)

www.iwc.edu


Defining Statements:

In adopting a statement of vision that focuses on academically integrated community-based learning communities, the faculty and administration move toward fostering coherence across the curriculum and in all elements of co-curricular life. This vision embraces the meaning of community to include learning from eachother and from the whole of the larger community to which Iowa Wesleyan College belongs.

Organizational Principles:

   Learning Outcomes

In adopting a statement of vision that focuses on academically integrated community-based learning communities, the faculty and administration move toward fostering coherence across the curriculum and in all elements of co-curricular life. This vision embraces the meaning of community to include learning from each other and from the whole of the larger community to which Iowa Wesleyan College belongs.

The vision of Learning in Community builds upon the matrix of the life skills outcomes, adopted in 1982. At that time, the faculty and administration determined that purposeful education is that educational process that serves its students best not merely by transmitting knowledge but by equipping them with broad and necessary adaptive skills as well. These necessary adaptive skills, later called the life skills, include communicating, problem-solving, valuing, and interacting in socially effective ways.

Definition. Communicating is an interchange that involves sending, receiving and processing. Demonstrable competence in communicating includes sending, receiving and processing information in a variety of modes (written, oral, graphic, numeric, symbolic, and technological), to a variety of audiences at varying distances (one-on-one, small group, large group), for a variety of purposes (for example, to inform, to understand, to persuade, to analyze).

Outcomes. An Iowa Wesleyan College education empowers its students to:

Read, Write, Speak, Listen

Express ideas in abstract notation,  Discern meaning conveyed through artistic expression

Definition. Problem-solving is the mental process of applying previously acquired knowledge to new and unfamiliar situations. Problem-solving strategies involve posing questions, analyzing situations, translating results, illustrating results, drawing diagrams, and evaluating both the results and the process.

Outcomes. An Iowa Wesleyan College education creates an academic experience that enables students to:

Examine own reasoning, Distinguish between fact and opinion, Define issues or problems

Analyze various approaches to solutions, Select a strategy, Build a case, Act on it, and Evaluate

Definition. Values are, for any of us, the things that matter, the measures of worth, the profile of the Good that provides a foundation for personal standards, commitments, and action. They represent the element of choice in decisions.

Outcomes. An Iowa Wesleyan College education creates the climate for its students to:

Explore own values, Respect others, Recognize value systems inherent in the arts, the humanities, the sciences, the professions and technology, Engage in the debate, Act responsively and responsibly

Definition. Educating and learning are fundamentally social activities, not only for practical and economic reasons but because we learn overwhelmingly from and through community rather than in solitude. Outcomes. An Iowa Wesleyan College education provides experiences that enable its students to:

Interact collaboratively, Relate productively, Practice responsible leadership and teamwork

Understand and exhibit social competence in a variety of settings

Requirements for Graduation:

Foundations
English Fundamentals, 101, 102
Computer Science 190
Civic Issues 121
Communications 140
Mathematics 135
    Total
Number of Credits

6
3
3
3
3
18


Core Requirements (Soph and Jr Years)
Integrated Science 200
Fine Arts 200
Religion 300
American Literature 350
Shakespeare 352
Global Issues 400
Responsible Social Involvement
    Total
Number of Credits

4
3
3
3
3
3
6
25


Graduation
Minimum credits required for graduation
Total Core Requirements
       Percent core requirements

Other Requirements
       Field Experience (determined        by major)


124

43
35%


6-14

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