College Wide Abilities

Emphasizing core abilities provides a consistent educational focus that encourages students to develop knowledge, habits and skills for life-long learning. Edmonds Community College students experience many opportunities across the curriculum to develop and apply college-wide abilities in preparation for their roles in an increasingly diverse, technologically complex, information-driven society.

Critical Thinking:

Graduates receiving ATA and AAS degrees as well as certificates of 45 credits or more will have the opportunity to examine and evaluate their own and others’ thinking. To develop these skills, students will learn to:

• apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information;
• identify arguments, evaluate claims and sources, consider multiple perspectives, and form conclusions based on sound reasoning and verifiable evidence;
• recognize when additional information is necessary and locate it, using a variety of oral, print and electronic/web-based sources; demonstrate logical, disciplined thinking habits while examining ideas and solving problems;
• when applicable/required, recognize cultural variations in reasoning processes.

Written and Oral Communication:

Graduates receiving ATA and AAS degrees as well as certificates of 45 credits or more will have the opportunity to express themselves in oral and written Standard English. To develop these skills, students will learn to:

• write and speak in a clear, logically organized manner, using appropriate supporting evidence;
• employ effective delivery techniques in oral presentations;
• when required, use computer technology and/or media resources to develop written documents as well as to generate and/or deliver oral presentations;
• adapt writing and speaking to the forms, standards, requirements and audiences of individual programs/disciplines and contexts;
• when applicable/required, recognize cultural variations in writing and speaking styles.

Quantitative Skills:

Graduates receiving ATA and AAS degrees as well as certificates of 45 credits or more will have the opportunity to apply mathematical and quantitative reasoning. To develop these skills, students will learn to

• use mathematics or quantitative data to solve problems appropriate to the program or discipline;
• provide quantitative support for qualitative information where appropriate;
• communicate quantitative information through mathematical notations, graphs, charts, tables, symbols, or standard English;
• when required, use computer/information technology to access, process, and/or apply quantitative or mathematical data.

Group Interaction:

Graduates receiving ATA and AAS degrees as well as certificates of 45 credits or more will have the opportunity to work productively in groups. To develop these skills, students will learn to

• identify, practice, demonstrate and assess group interaction skills;
• facilitate effective interaction and mutual understanding among group members for the purpose of working on a task, participating in a class discussion, or making a group presentation;
• when required, use computer/media technology to develop and/or present group work;
• when applicable/required, recognize cultural variations in communication and personal- interaction styles.