Ability Based Book. Alverno College Faculty 2005

Ability-Based
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching and Assessment
at Alverno College
Ability-Based
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching and Assessment
at Alverno College
by the
Alverno College Faculty
ii
Other publications available from the Alverno College Institute

(www.alverno.edu) include:
Student Assessment-as-Learning at Alverno College
Assessment at Alverno College: Student, Program, Institutional
Self Assessment at Alverno College
Ability-Based Learning Program:
The History Major
The Psychology Major
Teacher Education
The Religious Studies Major
The Social Science Major
The Mathematics Major
Nursing Education
The Professional Communication Major
The English Major
The Management Accounting Major
The Biology Major
The Chemistry Major
The Environmental Science Major
The Business and Management Major
The Philosophy Major
Copyright 1976, 1981, 1985, 1989, 1992, 2005

Published 1976-1992 as Liberal Learning at Alverno College by Alverno
Productions
Sixth edition, revised, published 2005 under the present title, Ability-Based
Learning Outcomes: Teaching and Assessment at Alverno College, by the
Alverno College Institute
Chris Renstrom, Graphic Designer, Alverno College Graphics
iii
Table of Contents
Preface ..............................................................................................v
Introduction......................................................................................1
1. Communication............................................................................7
2. Analysis ......................................................................................15
3. Problem Solving..........................................................................23
4. Valuing in Decision-Making ......................................................29
5. Social Interaction ........................................................................35
6. Developing a Global Perspective ................................................43
7. Effective Citizenship ..................................................................51
8. Aesthetic Engagement ................................................................57
iv
Preface
For more than thirty years, we at Alverno College, a liberal arts
college for women, have been working with a curriculum centered on
student abilities as learning outcomes. More specifically, we have
continually revised and refined a curriculum that requires all students
to demonstrate eight core abilities in the context of their study across
various disciplines. Through the years we have developed a
comprehensive program of publications for the purpose of sharing
with our colleagues what we have been doing and why and to learn
from their questions and critique. As the title of this publication
suggests, we provide explanations of each of the eight abilities that
serve as institutional student learning outcomes for us, and we
illustrate through examples how we teach and assess for those abilities
in general education and the majors.
Across the nation and around the world, colleagues, institutions, and
organizations have been engaged in serious reflection on this question
of how to teach and assess for abilities as learning outcomes. For
example, regional and professional accrediting bodies now require
institutions and programs to clearly identify the learning outcomes
they expect their students to achieve and to describe how they will
teach and assess for the learning of those outcomes. We hope that
this publication can make a contribution to these efforts by drawing
on our experience in the teaching and assessing of learning outcomes.
As we have worked with our curriculum, we have come to an even
deeper appreciation that curriculum is a process, and our
understanding and our practice have shifted over the years. What
may look like definitions are really unfolding understandings, and
what may look like a static articulated system is actually an evolving
interactive process. The fact that this is the sixth edition of this
publication (previously entitled Liberal Learning at Alverno College) is
a testament to that dynamic process.
vi
Ability-Based Learning Outcomes
A Brief History
We are often asked how we first developed this curriculum. It is
important to note that the curriculum was neither imposed nor
imported. Early in the 1970-71 academic year, our president
challenged the faculty with a set of critical questions:
What kinds of questions are being asked by professionals in
your field that relate to the validity of your discipline in a total
college program?
What is your departments position on these?
How are you dealing with these questions in your general
education courses, and in the work for a major in your field?
What are you teaching that is so important that students
cannot afford to pass up courses in your department?
For the rest of that year, the faculty met regularly to hear each
department explain and explore its contribution to undergraduate
education. Out of these sessions came the question: What are the
outcomes for the student, rather than the input by the faculty?
which, in turn, became the focus for our year-end faculty institute. It
is interesting in retrospect that the nature of the question we posed
back then reflects much of the recent emphasis in higher education
on moving toward a focus on what and how students learn, not just
the means of instruction. In this publication, however, we
consistently give examples of how our approach to instruction,
including assessment, has been informed by the kind of learning we
have articulated in our learning outcomes. In this sense, it is not a
question of choosing between an instructional and a learning
paradigm, but of using identified learning outcomes as the basis for
design of teaching.
As a result of deliberations during this faculty institute we managed
to define four broad outcomes for our curriculum: communication,
Preface
valuing, problem solving, and involvement. The curriculum

committee was charged in the following year with breaking these
broad outcomes into a more detailed system. By the third year, an
expanded list of competences (We now refer to them as abilities or
learning outcomes.) was given to an academic task force for shaping
into an actual curriculum. At the same time, one section of a
required freshman course in each discipline was set aside as a
laboratory for developing means to teach and assess selected
abilities. The task forces January 1973 report detailed each of the
eight abilities into six sequenced levels of development, and in
the fall of 1973 we implemented the curriculum as a requirement
for all students.
Lessons Learned
The results of that early work were gratifying and continue to serve as
the foundation for our curriculum. In addition, we learned some
things in the process and have continued to learn in ways that we
think have enhanced the quality of the curriculum.
One thing immediately evident to us was that articulating learning
outcomes was only the beginning. We needed to design our teaching
and assessment processes in ways that would foster that learning and
most effectively evaluate whether students were learning what we
expected. For example, we recognized that teaching explicitly for the
eight abilities in our curriculum meant that we had to focus not just
on the content of our disciplines, but also on the ways of thinking
and doing that were central to the practice of our fields. At the same
time, we knew that trying to teach competence without content was
an error in the other direction; so the design of our courses requires
that students develop and demonstrate abilities in the context of
study of academic and professional disciplines. In this publication we
provide examples to illustrate this principle.
Another important step for us was the articulation of each ability in
developmental terms, indicating the learning expectations at different
vii
viii
levels of the curriculum. We learned to ask ourselves questions about

the difference, for instance, between what we would expect of
students just beginning their studies and those who were close to
graduating. It was not enough to say that we required our students to
write and speak effectively, or to be able to solve problems, but also
to identify how those requirements looked as students progressed.
This emphasis on development has also been essential to the ways we
think about our teaching and design of assessment, and this is
reflected in the approaches to teaching and assessment described here.
One other very significant lesson for us was the value of collaboration
among faculty within and across disciplines. The time set aside for
the significant and sustained dialogue about the kind of learning we
expected of our students was instrumental in developing our
curriculum. We also knew that in order to maintain coherence and to
ensure ongoing improvement of teaching and assessment within the
curriculum we would need to continue that tradition of collaboration
in a systematic way. As a result, in the design of the academic
calendar we do not schedule classes on Friday afternoons. That time
is devoted to departmental meetings and to workshops on
curriculum, teaching, learning, and assessment; and all faculty are
expected to participate. In addition, we hold three faculty institutes
each yearin August, January, and Mayalso focused on
collaboration around issues that are identified as important for our
ongoing development as educators. Faculty participation is not only
expected, but criteria for retention and promotion also include an
emphasis on contributions to this discourse.
Finally, we also realized that our academic structure should reflect
and support the kind of learning we had agreed upon as central to
our degree. As a result, we decided to form interdisciplinary ability
departments for each of the eight abilities examined in this
publication. Faculty at Alverno, as in most institutions, are hired in
discipline departments, but at Alverno faculty are also expected to
serve in an ability department as part of their scholarly and
Preface
professional responsibility. These departments are responsible for

research into the scholarship on the respective abilities, for ongoing
revision of the meaning of the abilities, for review of teaching and
assessment materials and processes related to the abilities, and for
workshops and publications to assist our faculty and others in work
with the abilities. For example, the faculty members in the ability
departments are the authors of this publication. This structure as well
as the collaborative processes and expectations described above make
this kind of work possible.
It is important to add that we also owe a great deal to the colleagues
outside Alverno whom we have worked with and learned from for so
many years. We have had the privilege of hosting representatives from
hundreds of institutions at our workshops on teaching, learning, and
assessment. We have participated in projects and consortia that have
helped us to continually rethink what we do. While the ideas in this
volume represent the collective wisdom of the Alverno community,
they also reflect the insights and questions of the extended
community of educators who have been so helpful to us.
ix
Introduction
The description of each of the eight abilities in our curriculum
begins with an explanation of how we understand the ability and
the dimensions that are at the heart of it. We then focus on the
different developmental levels the learning sequence of the abilities.
All students are required to demonstrate the beginning and
intermediate levels of all eight abilities levels one through four
as part of their general education studies. At the advanced levels of
the curriculum levels five and six students learn and demonstrate
those abilities identified by faculty as most appropriate to the major
and minor areas of study students have chosen to pursue. For each
level of each ability we have provided in this document examples of
teaching and assessment approaches that illustrate how faculty have
designed experiences that integrate abilities with the disciplines they
are teaching.
Each level of each ability is developed effectively in a variety of
different courses and other experiential settings. For every course,
therefore, the instructor develops a syllabus outlining the ability
levels to be taught and assessed in that course, the means by which
they will be taught, and the methods of assessment to be used.
Students must demonstrate the abilities at all levels multiple times.
As most recent research suggests, abilities are more likely to transfer
from one context to another if students learn them in multiple
contexts. This principle has also informed our design of what we
term external assessments, which are assessments designed by
faculty for use outside the course context. These are often simulations
that place students in situations in which they must demonstrate the
abilities and disciplinary understanding they are learning in their
courses. These provide another opportunity for students to
demonstrate transfer of learning and to be assessed by faculty who are
not their course instructors or by trained volunteer assessors from
outside the college.
As indicated in the Preface, we have also developed an academic
structure to support the ability-based curriculum. Parallel to our
discipline departments, we created ability departments for each

of the eight abilities in the curriculum. Faculty members serve not
only in a discipline department but also in an ability department of
their choosing, depending on expertise and interest. This means
that each ability department is comprised of an interdisciplinary
group of faculty.
Using syllabi, teaching and assessment materials, and results of
student performances, each ability department regularly reviews how
its respective ability is being taught and assessed across the
curriculum. The members also serve their colleagues through
consultations, team teaching, workshops, and other means of inservice support to discuss problems, discoveries, and questions that
have arisen in teaching and assessing an ability. In addition
departments are responsible for inquiry into the latest research on
their abilities. Based on all of this work, departments continually
refine and revise the meaning of the abilities, which is reflected in
this newest edition of this publication.
At different stages in the development of our curriculum, some
ability departments have worked together on common interests and
concerns. For example, the social interaction and problem solving
departments have worked together on such questions as the
overlapping abilities involved in group leadership. The effective
citizenship and developing a global perspective departments have an
extended history of collaboration and have created courses and
assessments (described in the text) that integrate the two abilities
around significant contemporary issues. We have also recognized that
abilities like analysis and communication are actually central to every
disciplinary context and are instrumental in the learning of the other
abilities as well. Certainly the abilities essential to being an effective
citizen, for example, involve the ability to do critical analysis. And
increasingly all of the ability departments see that they have
something to contribute to the development of civil discourse,
something the world surely needs and we are explicitly teaching for in
our curriculum now.
Introduction
While identifying and fostering these connections, we continue to

deal with each ability area discretely as well, and to introduce
them all within a students first year courses. Our experience has
suggested the value of creating opportunities for the student to
encounter each ability as a fairly separate matter, and then assisting
her to make connections among her developing abilities as they begin
to overlap and complement one another in more advanced work in
the curriculum.
There are thirty-two levels in beginning and intermediate studies
four in each ability area that each student must demonstrate. In
addition, she must demonstrate eight advanced level units in abilities
that are part of the advanced level outcomes of her major and minor
areas of study. For each major and minor, faculty in the discipline
and professional areas have specified advanced level student outcomes
that reflect and build upon the beginning and intermediate ability
levels, with special emphasis on abilities central to their fields. For
example, chemistry faculty have determined that one of the outcomes
they require of their majors is to use the methodology and models of
chemistry to define and solve problems independently and
collaboratively. Philosophy faculty require that their majors exercise
consistency and logic in using/following the argument of selected
philosophers. All majors in the college have developed statements of
the major that articulate the learning outcomes of the major and
describe connections with the abilities.
We still count semester hours for student transfers, funding, and
other outside reporting, and as a record of the students knowledge
base. But neither semester hours nor letter or numerical grades are
used to measure academic progress. When the student graduates from
the college she receives a transcript indicating the courses she has
successfully completed and a narrative transcript that describes her
performance in relation to the eight institutional abilities and the
learning outcomes of her major and minor areas of study. The
majority of our students find that achieving the thirty-two general
education units occupies about half their time at Alverno, most of
that in the first two years. A student is usually absorbed in work for
her major and minor, including work in advanced levels of the
abilities, for her last two years.
More important than the details of the administrative structure is the
coherent learning framework we have developed over the years. By
rigorously examining ourselves and what we profess and taking
collective responsibility for student learning, we have developed a
consensus about what we expect of our students and of one another.
We have been able to articulate that consensus into meaningful,
specific detail so that we are indeed working together on the same
matters of importance, however diverse our disciplines and teaching
styles. Our expectations have become more clearly stated, and the
means of assessment more clearly defined.
At the same time, we have become increasingly aware of the
complexity of the educational enterprise. For example, we continually
struggle to find or create the appropriate language to communicate to
one another and to others the many layers of learning we are about.
Even in this document we found ourselves wanting to be clear
without oversimplifying. In discussing the valuing in decision-making
ability, for example, we knew that a term like spirituality means
many things to many people. In that instance and others we have
tried to walk the fine line between providing some insight into what
we mean by very fluid terms and allowing readers to imagine their
own take on them. Perhaps the most difficult term of all is
assessment, a word that has taken on a variety of meanings
throughout higher education. We hope that through our use of
examples we make clear how we use the term, while not insisting that
our perspective is the only one.
Finally, we have learned more about the value of metacognitive
reflection in student learning, particularly in the area of self
assessment. The reader will note throughout this document how the
faculty consistently require students to assess their performance with
the help of criteria, and to reflect on their learning. We have recently
Introduction
developed a Diagnostic Digital Portfolio that houses key

performances of students on assessments throughout their studies at
the college. Each key performance includes feedback from faculty or
volunteer assessors and a self assessment by the student. Students are
required at given points in their curriculum to use the portfolio to
reflect on their development as learners by analyzing changes in
performance over time. We have learned that self assessment is an
ability that needs to be developed explicitly and consistently, so we
have articulated in a separate publication the different components
and levels of self assessment that we have developed based on our
collective pedagogical experience. Ultimately students will need to
rely on their ability to independently assess the quality of their
learning and performance, so we have made self assessment an
integral part of the curriculum here.
Communication
To become an effective communicator, an Alverno student learns to
read, write, speak, listen, quantitatively analyze, and incorporate
technology across the disciplines. Communication as a required
competence is taught and assessed through an integration of multiple
communication modes within a variety of disciplinary and
professional contexts. Faculty teach each student to approach all
modes of communication as processes whereby she develops her
ability, as a sender or receiver, to communicate clearly and interpret
ideas critically.
Learning the Communication Ability
In courses across the curriculumranging from psychology to music
to nursingeach student is guided to develop her communication
skills through performances within the guidelines of specific criteria.
The instructional process emphasizes awareness of audience, purpose,
and establishing context so that the student moves to a conscious
awareness of her communication processes and an understanding that
communication in all modes is contextual. The process includes self
assessment and the analytical skills to assess any given performance
on the basis of specific criteria developed by Alverno faculty for
effective communication. The student may initially communicate out
of her own observations and experience. Through these
communications she establishes a baseline of performance. Then her
development continues through instruction in the context of
disciplinary frameworks and knowledge and the application of
criteria for each of the communication modes as well as for
performances that integrate multiple modes, such as a research
project in cell biology that includes both a written report and a group
presentation. Through practice, she learns to be both a competent
communicator and an active audience.
An Alverno student learns to communicate effectively, not only
within extended time frames that allow for regular practice and
multiple drafts, but also within limited time frames that reflect
typical situations in professional and civic life. A student learns and
practices communication modes according to consistent criteria
across her general education courses, courses in her major, and other
learning situations outside the course context. Her performance is
assessed by both the faculty and the student herself, and sometimes
by her peers.
In all courses, students learn to read course materials analytically,
write and speak effectively, listen critically, and, as appropriate, think
quantitatively and use technology meaningfully. Instructors construct
appropriate and relevant learning activities and assessments and
provide feedback. All of these are designed to assist students in
learning how to strengthen their communication skills with the
increasingly sophisticated knowledge they are developing in various
academic disciplines and professional areas.
Assessment of the Communication Ability
A student is assessed in many varied settings. Prior to beginning her
course work at the college, she takes an integrated series of
assessments in all communication areas. This experience establishes
her entering base of performance and provides information for her
first self assessment and feedback. Results from this assessment
determine where the student begins in her sequence of verbal,
quantitative, and technology communication courses. A student who
is not able to demonstrate college level work in these placement
assessments has the opportunity to take preparatory courses to further
develop her skills and abilities.
Throughout her college career, a students communication ability is
assessed in all her courses and outside her courses in more extensive,
integrated contexts, all of which simulate situations that require
strong communication skills. For example, a business major prepares
a plan for a new company and presents it to a local banks loan
officer for feedback. Assessment becomes a major way of learning;
Communication
through feedback and self assessment she learns to judge her

performance on the basis of criteria. In fact, assessment and learning
become a cumulative interactive process. In every case, the criteria by
which she is assessed are public so that a student knows what is
expected of her and can gradually understand what constitutes
expert communication.
The Developmental Process
Beginning Levels
Each student comes to college with a unique set of experiences in all
communication modes. Starting with her initial placement
assessment, an Alverno student learns to use self assessment to
identify and evaluate her performance. Thus she begins a process
of consciously working at her development by recognizing her strengths
and weaknesses in different modes of communication (Level 1).
Beginning to understand her own successes enough to build on them,
she works to become consciously aware of the processes involved in each
mode of communication. She also learns to recognize the interactions
among all of them (Level 2).
In first-year communication seminars and all disciplinary and
interdisciplinary courses, instructors focus the student on
understanding each discrete communication mode, helping her to
identify elements within each, and broadening her use of strategies
and feedback. Faculty in the humanities, fine arts, natural sciences,
and behavioral sciences design learning experiences in their courses
that require the student to practice the skills involved in college-level
reading, writing, listening, and speaking. For example, she reads
increasingly challenging literary texts with the help of worksheets or
guides designed by instructors, and responds through writing and
speaking. In the process she refines abilities like recognizing and
formulating a thesis, focusing ideas and organizing them into an
effective structure, and consciously using feedback when revising. She
further broadens her repertory of communication abilities by working
10
with a model for effective listening, developing skills in interpreting

mathematical models, and gaining proficiency in computer and
information-media literacy technologies. In a first-year quantitative
literacy course, for example, a student designs a survey project,
gathers data, and uses statistics and graphs to interpret and
summarize the results in a written or oral presentation. The skills and
strategies she acquires in her first year provide the necessary
foundation for her development as a communicator in all areas.
Intermediate Levels
An intermediate student expresses herself using discipline concepts
and frameworks with growing understanding. She learns to use her
communication processes purposefully to make meaning in different
disciplinary contexts (Level 3) so that she can connect the discrete modes
of communication and integrate them effectively within the frameworks
of a discipline (Level 4). In individual courses, faculty design
assessments that are structured to elicit the integration of different
modes of communication. In a typical example of such an integrated
assessment, a student makes an oral presentation based on careful
analytical reading and synthesis of books or articles. Other students
in the classroom comment and raise critical questions based on their
own reading of the same or similar sources. And then the speaker
develops a written report that synthesizes her original ideas with
insights and perspectives she has heard from her classmates. Through
repeated experiences like these in a number of courses she learns to
develop a stance in relation to multiple sources and perspectives, to
express herself using discipline concepts and frameworks with
growing understanding, to make increasingly independent
judgments about purpose and audience, and to craft intentional
choices of expression.
At these levels, instructors assign topics that are sufficiently limited
for the student to understand thoroughly. Yet, they are complex
enough that she must combine her growing competence in
communication with her abilities in application, analysis, and
Communication
synthesis. In an organic chemistry course this might mean developing

an oral presentation that uses a chemists perspective to explain how
the molecular structure of aspirin can be used to address the question
of whether all brands of aspirin are the same.
In her second year and beyond, a student is challenged to make more
sophisticated use of her repertory of strategies and her ability to assess
her own performance. She firms up her confidence to learn
increasingly complex material through reading and listening. She also
becomes more assured that she can speak or write purposefully about
that material. She analyzes and evaluates data within disciplinary
contexts like history or philosophy and incorporates meaningful
applications of technology. She gradually learns to communicate
effectively in new situations with new audiences.
Advanced Levels
At advanced levels, the learning focus moves more directly toward
development of autonomy as a learner. A student has already
analyzed components of effective performance and has demonstrated
over time her ability as a speaker, writer, listener, reader, quantitative
thinker, technology user, and self assessor. Now she synthesizes
theoretical perspectives in disciplinary and professional contexts. As
she progresses, she exercises control over her communication
processes, enabling her to perform clearly and sensitively in
increasingly more creative and engaging presentations. Self
assessment at the advanced levels includes a monitoring process of
her ongoing performance, whereby she makes adjustments as needed.
With this new knowledge base, she internalizes integrating concepts
in the context of her major. She increases her understanding of how to
select, adapt, and combine communication strategies in relation to
disciplinary and professional frameworks and theories (Level 5). Further,
she communicates with creativity, using strategies, theories, and
technologies that reflect engagement in a discipline or profession (Level
6). Such engagement involves both independent and collaborative
11
12
work: discipline-based research, creative production/artistic

expression, academic and professional discourse, and application of
theory and practice in internships. Performances representing
advanced-level ability include an ethnographic study of contemporary
family dynamics conducted by social science majors in which the
student explains how she addressed the ethical and political
dimensions of her research through a formal presentation and written
self assessment. In mathematics, an advanced-level student researches
a topic in modern abstract algebra not considered in the course and
incorporates a detailed proof of an applicable theorem into a research
report and presentation in which she fields questions from other
mathematics majors. Advanced students increasingly perform in
professional and public contexts, such as an environmental science
assessment in which students work together to write and present an
environmental impact statement for a development project that
anticipates and addresses the concerns of various stakeholders.
As students develop from beginning through advanced performance,
they move from presentation and discrete response to seamless
coordination of communication situations for varied audiences and
purposes. They have developed an understanding of how meaning is
made from experience in the process of communicating. They have
cultivated a repertory of abilities with which to contribute to the
making of meaning in their professional, personal, and civic lives.
Communication
Beginning Levels:
Uses self assessment to identify and evaluate communication
performance
Level 1 Recognizes own strengths and weaknesses in
different modes of communication
Level 2 Recognizes the processes involved in each mode of
communication and the interactions among them
Intermediate Levels:
Communicates using discipline concepts and frameworks with
growing understanding
Level 3 Uses communication processes purposefully to make
meaning in different disciplinary contexts
Level 4 Connects discrete modes of communication and
integrates them effectively within the frameworks of
a discipline
Advanced Levels in Areas of Specialization:
Performs clearly and sensitively in increasingly more creative and
engaging presentations
Level 5 Selects, adapts, and combines communication
strategies in relation to disciplinary/professional
frameworks and theories
Level 6 Uses strategies, theories, and technologies that reflect
engagement in a discipline or profession
13
15
Analysis
At Alverno, we believe that analytic ability is a major contributing
factor to critical thinking. Analysis is the active process of examining,
searching, comparing, dissecting, synthesizingall in the pursuit of
understanding and knowledgeable judgment. Analysis is at the heart
of most disciplines. Mathematicians stress the inherent logic that
enables number systems to describe and predict; philosophers rely on
systematic investigation of arguments and issues; natural and
behavioral sciences teach the imperatives of careful data analysis
and scrupulous verification of hypotheses. With this in mind our
faculty teach and assess for analytic ability in almost every course in
the curriculum.
When we analyze, we use a set of mental tools that we have acquired
over the years from our experience and our education. We call such a
mental tool a framework. Frameworks help us organize data, make
predictions, and draw conclusions. They shape analysis. We may be
more or less conscious of the tools that inform our thinking, and one
important dimension of teaching analysis at Alverno is assisting
students to more consciously learn and appropriately apply
theoretical frameworks in a variety of contexts.
The entire range of what is generally called cognitive skill
development is included in the developmental levels of analysis. The
student learns to analyze problems, situations, issues, ideas,
substances, and processes. She is consistently required to assess her
own progress in analysis and habitually engage in reflection on her
analytic ability. At the beginning levels of analysis, a student focuses
on accurate observation and reasonable inferences in the context of
theories and frameworks provided in her courses. At intermediate
levels of analysis, she learns that a framework is not a given but a
choice, and that she might choose to use different frameworks and
come to different conclusions as a result. At the advanced levels, she
uses a variety of different frameworks to create a complex analysis of
16
some phenomenon, problem, or issue, bringing different perspectives

together to create her own perspective and response.
Beginning Levels
In developing an understanding of anything as a whole, a student
must learn to observe the individual parts and their relationships
to one another. Generalizations about meaning or significance are
possible only after this careful consideration has been undertaken.
The student first learns to observe accurately (Level 1) and then to
draw reasonable inferences from her observations (Level 2),
distinguishing between fact and inference, evidence and assumption.
A student designing her own experiment in a natural science
investigative learning laboratory, for example, learns to hypothesize
about possible results after recording preliminary data. A student in a
psychology course on life span development learns to infer theories of
human development based on observations she makes as a result of
interacting with people at different stages of life.
Although levels one and two are conceptually distinct, in practice we
teach them together. In our experience the student is often quicker to
make inferences than to observe carefully. Thus, in the early stages of
analysis there is constant emphasis on grounding these inferences in
the reality of the observable, in the facts she is dealing with.
At levels one and two the student also learns to understand and use
analytic frameworks to inform her observations. She learns how the
guiding questions of a discipline or a theory help her to decide which
aspects of a phenomenon are most important. In beginning studies in
the humanities, for example, the student learns how the questioning
framework of philosophy places greater emphasis on inferring
questions and issues that are common aspects of thought and
behavior, while history focuses more on the unique dimensions of
Analysis
very specific contexts. As the student becomes familiar with the way
such concepts and questions work to shape thought, she begins to
identify how these frameworks can be applied by analogy to create
her own explanations or to make predictions about how a
phenomenon or system will behave.
Intermediate Levels
The intermediate student uses disciplinary concepts and
frameworks with growing understanding. She begins to see how
some of her inferences about specific, isolated parts of a work relate
either causally or functionally to one another. She learns to perceive
and make relationships (Level 3). She applies disciplinary frameworks
to organize her understanding.
A student in psychology, for instance, might apply the principles of
developmental theory as a guide when interacting with a young child
or interviewing a grandparent. After carefully examining her
observations and inferring the subjects stage of development, the
student would review theories of human development that she had
learned in class to see how her concrete experience reinforced her
more abstract understanding and how her inferences corresponded to
the theories.
A key feature of level three is the application of theoretical
frameworks to illuminate something new about the data or material
studied. In order to promote this, faculty engage students in
exploration that extends beyond absorption and mastery of
information. As a science student begins intermediate analysis, for
example, she learns more complex frameworks that build on the basic
ones from her previous science courses. She builds on the principles
of chemical diffusion to learn the more complicated processes
covering the movement of water into and out of cells. A student in a
general education history course is required to hypothesize about the
long-term effects of historical events such as the unprecedented, but
short-lived employment opportunities for women in time of war.
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At level three the student has not necessarily shown how all the
patterns or relationships she has identified fit with each other to
explain an entire work or to address a problem or issue
comprehensively. As she becomes more adept at making such
relationships she begins to choose and apply frameworks to analyze
structure and organization (Level 4), discovering organizational unity
and overall meaning. A student in a nursing course, for instance,
might be asked to analyze the relationships among certain key factors
known to influence nutritional adequacy in individuals adapting to
adolescence, pregnancy, lactation, or old age in order to plan diets for
a series of clients. The student chooses among nursing concepts and
frameworks and applies them to integrate her observations and
inferences into a meaningful diagnosis.
A student of intermediate-level analysis learns many frameworks and
begins to work on developing principles for choosing among them.
In a course on practicing literary criticism, for example, a student
learns the methods and assumptions of four critical frameworks and
reflects on the suitability of different schools of criticism for gaining
insight into the meaning of different novels. Similarly, in
intermediate calculus the student evaluates models of projectile
motion. She asks questions about which factors each model takes into
account and when one model will be more appropriate than another.
Advanced Levels
The advanced student consciously and purposefully applies
disciplinary frameworks to analyze complex phenomena. As a
student learns more explanatory frameworks from different
disciplines, she refines her understanding of those frameworks, and
identifies criteria for determining what frameworks are suitable for
explaining a phenomenon (Level 5). She asks questions about fit and
appropriateness does a theory she is considering deal with the most
important aspects of the situation she wants to analyze? She evaluates
the power of a framework will it give her any new insight into the
situation? And she asks critical questions about a frameworks
Analysis
limitationswhat are its biases? What kind of information does it

leave out, and what kind does it overemphasize? She develops
methods of correcting for the limitations of a single framework, such
as by applying multiple frameworks to analyze complex situations.
She also learns to vary her analysis by the application of different
frameworks. This means, essentially, that she learns to analyze from
a variety of perspectives, not always taking the same approach to
every situation.
In the area of management, for example, a student works with a
faculty member to learn to develop marketing strategies. She works in
a simulated setting for a company she creates herself. She analyzes
economic, social, political, and technological factors in order to
develop new product opportunities for the company. With the
guidance of the instructor, she learns to use the analytic strategies
appropriate to the field of management. The simulation provides an
effective yet safe testing ground for the students analysis and helps
her develop into an independent, reflective professional.
As she advances toward graduation, the student demonstrates her
ability to apply frameworks from her major and minor discipline
independently to analyze complex issues (Level 6). A student of nursing
might use part of a nursing process model to assess a clients
condition. After applying this specific theoretical structure to develop
her diagnostic statement, she might use a framework from the
humanitiesa philosophical or religious approach, for exampleto
deepen her understanding of the issues facing the client and help her
create responses to them. An education student undertakes an
analysis of learner needs and learning effectiveness for each teaching
setting in which she works. Whether working with young children or
adult learners, the student who has mastered advanced analysis
applies appropriate frameworks and theories from education, from
psychology, and from her other subject areas. She makes analytic
connections among all her education-related experiences in order to
develop her own interdisciplinary repertoire of frameworks out of
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which she will design future learning strategies. She can confidently
integrate theory and practice as an independent and analytic teacher.
The student ultimately demonstrates that she can use all her
previously developed analytic skills to unravel the complex questions
involved in bringing many frameworks and systems into a coherent
whole. She shows that she can draw verifiable conclusions while
dealing with an array of differing and even contradictory perspectives
tied together by her own analytic insights. She designs her own
approaches, in consultation with her professors and, perhaps, with
practitioners in the field. This helps to demonstrate that she can
think through large, complex undertakings logically and can engage
in serious discourse about them in her professional, civic, and
personal life.
Analysis
Beginning Levels:
Observes individual parts of phenomena and their relationships to
one another
Level 1 Observes accurately
Level 2 Draws reasonable inferences from observations
Uses disciplinary concepts and frameworks with growing
understanding
Level 3 Perceives and makes relationships
Level 4 Analyzes structure and organization
Consciously and purposefully applies disciplinary frameworks to
analyze complex phenomena
Level 5 Refines understanding of frameworks and identifies
criteria for determining what frameworks are
suitable for explaining a phenomenon
Level 6 Applies frameworks from major and minor
discipline independently to analyze complex issues
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Problem Solving
Asking a critical question, making an educated guess, proposing
alternate solutionsthese are generally recognized as distinctive
features of human intellect. Adapting a plan to the constraints of
time and resources, critically evaluating performance in midstream,
seeing a project through to its conclusionthese, too, are admitted
hallmarks of applied intelligence.
At Alverno, a deliberately planned outcome of education is the ability
to solve problems, which includes defining a problem, selecting and
applying problem solving processes, and critiquing ones own actions.
We have designed a plan for student development in response to the
need for the educated person in our society to enter into important
processes of planning and change, in both public and private life.
Problem solving is focused on developing a students ability to get
things done through a conscious, organized process. At the advanced
levels, it explores the transferring of problem solving from a variety of
disciplinary contexts to professional and personal experiences.
Problem solving clearly overlaps other ability areas in the Alverno
curriculum. It draws on analysis and valuing in decision-making
abilities to accurately observe situations and make reflective
judgments. It also involves the ability to formulate goals and to
articulate ideas and strategies in collaboration with othersskills
developed in communication and social interaction.
At the same time, problem solving calls for its own unique and
often difficult-to-assess qualities. One is the imaginative ability to
project consequences, and to pursue intuitive hunches. Another is
the perseverance to risk implementing a solution in the face of
obstacles. A third is the flexibility to adapt to constraints and to learn
from results.
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Beginning Levels
At the beginning levels of this ability, the student learns to articulate
her problem solving process and understand how a discipline
framework is used to solve a problem. When given a problem, the
student articulates her problem solving process by making explicit the
steps she takes to approach a problem (Level 1). This means the student
needs to be introduced to, and use appropriately, a problem solving
vocabulary. She is also introduced to problem solving processes, both
generic and discipline specific. As a general process, for example, she
learns to distinguish carefully between an existing condition and a
desired state or outcome, and she learns to identify possible
constraints that may affect her actions and choices. She also learns
more discipline-specific methods. A student in a beginning
mathematics course, for example, is taught to use the Polya method
for systematically approaching quantitative word problems.
As she progresses, the student practices using elements of disciplinary
problem solving processes to approach problems (Level 2). Faculty
present students with typical problems from within a discipline and
direct them to apply specific frameworks, such as the scientific
method, the communication process, adaptation theory in nursing,
or artistic design principles. Although both the problems and
approaches are usually quite specific, instructor feedback and peer
discussion help the student recognize the possibility of alternative
problem solving methods and gain insight into the nature of problem
solving processes generally.
At the beginning levels the student may be introduced to both wellstructured and less-structured problems within the discipline,
although problems that are linear and readily solvable provide more
opportunities for the student to practice all dimensions of a process
and to experience how practitioners in the discipline solve problems.
Problem Solving
In less-structured problems, the student must identify some elements

of the problem, such as determining what information is necessary, or
prioritizing goals. For example, in a computer simulation of
aquaculture, students identify and investigate variables that influence
profitability of raising fish commercially. The student is assigned
some variables to optimize, then presented with others that may or
may not be important depending on the fish she is raising. She must
use her data to decide which variables to manipulate.
Repeated practice in applying disciplinary problem solving
frameworks, coupled with detailed improvement-oriented feedback
from instructors provides the student with the experience and
confidence needed to develop intuition and creativity as the student
progresses in her problem solving ability.
Intermediate Levels
The intermediate student takes thoughtful responsibility for her
process and her proposed solutions to problems. While the
beginning student is learning vocabulary and practicing steps within
a problem solving process in the context of instructor-defined
problems, the student now becomes more aware that she is a problem
solver. Whether in real world or simulated situations, she performs
all phases or steps within a disciplinary problem solving process,
including evaluation and real or simulated implementation (Level 3).
She is no longer simply practicing a modeled process; she is actively
solving problems, while accepting responsibility for the risks inherent
in proposing solutions. In economics, for example, the student
determines the applicability of various theories to a scenario provided
by the instructor and then goes on to apply the appropriate theory to
make predictions. In a three-dimensional art studio course, the
student may be given the task of creating a sculpture that reveals no
hint of the nature of the original raw materials. She then articulates
through an oral presentation of her work how principles of problem
solving informed her creative process. Instructors continue to provide
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advice and support in helping the student tailor a chosen problem

solving process to a specific situation, but the activity is centered on
the student as disciplinary problem solver.
As the student gains confidence in carrying out sustained disciplinary
approaches to problems, she independently analyzes, selects, uses, and
evaluates various approaches to develop solutions (Level 4). Instructors
no longer frame specific problems in the discipline. Instead, the
student is responsible for approaching the thought and practice of the
discipline as a problem solver. In an education course on the
exceptional learner, for example, the student examines the case of a
pupil with exceptional educational needs. Using educational and
developmental frameworks she has learned in this and other
education and psychology courses, the student identifies the childs
learning needs and designs instructional strategies that respond to
those needs. Faculty support this growing independence by helping
students reflect on the broader implications of discrete problem
solving experiences for their stance and self awareness as disciplinary
or professional problem solvers.
Advanced Levels
The advanced student uses problem solving strategies in a wide
variety of professional situations. Since real-world problem solving
almost always involves interaction among professionals and with
representatives of different interests, she demonstrates the capacity to
transfer the understanding of group processes into effective performance in
collaborative problem solving (Level 5). As an experienced problem
solver, the student participates in intellectual exchanges with
colleagues, recognizing their expert knowledge, to gather information
necessary to define problems. Her instructors encourage her to think
broadly about problem situations, recognizing their interdisciplinary
nature and the potential resources of conceptual frameworks she has
learned while solving problems in different disciplines. Senior
management students in a policy and strategy course, for example,
work as members of a multifunctional team in a simulated company
Problem Solving
to evaluate the risks and advantages of various global growth

strategies in order to select the most appropriate strategy to achieve a
significant presence in a given country. In other disciplines the
collaboration involves students and practicing professionals in the
community. Education students in their student teaching placement
work with a variety of professionals in their buildings to select,
implement, and evaluate strategies for addressing the learning needs
of diverse learners.
As she nears graduation, the student demonstrates advanced facility
in attempting to solve problems in a variety of professional settings
and disciplinary applications. She applies the methods and frameworks
of her profession/discipline(s): integrating them with her personal values
and perspectives; adapting them to the specific field setting;
demonstrating independence and creativity in structuring and carrying
out her problem solving activities (Level 6).
She critiques the effectiveness of the problem solving methods and
frameworks of each of her disciplines. She habitually develops her
own criteria and uses them to evaluate the problem solution and her
performance. She recognizes contextual factors in negotiating
problem situations, communicating outcomes and monitoring the
consequences of implementation. She demonstrates a commitment to
her discipline or profession by following through on the results of the
problem solving process.
Through development of her problem solving ability, the student
integrates aspects of the complex demands of field settings within a
profession or discipline with awareness of the broad consequences of
her actions. She communicates, analyzes and interacts as she solves
problems in the field setting. She considers values, effects on the
broader community, and aesthetics when she makes decisions.
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Beginning Levels:
Articulates problem solving process and understands how a discipline
framework is used to solve a problem
Level 1 Articulates problem solving process by making
explicit the steps taken to approach a problem
Level 2 Practices using elements of disciplinary problem
solving processes to approach problems
Takes thoughtful responsibility for process and proposed solutions to
problems
Level 3 Performs all phases or steps within a disciplinary
problem solving process, including evaluation and
real or simulated implementation
Level 4 Independently analyzes, selects, uses, and evaluates
various approaches to develop solutions
Uses problem solving strategies in a wide variety of professional
situations
Level 5 Demonstrates capacity to transfer understanding of
group processes into effective performance in
collaborative problem solving
Level 6 Applies methods and frameworks of
profession/discipline(s): integrating them with
personal values and perspectives; adapting them to
the specific field setting; demonstrating
independence and creativity in structuring and
carrying out problem solving activities
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Valuing in Decision-Making
Because decisions about What is the good, the true, the beautiful?
What is worth striving for? and What ought to be done? are
implicit in every human endeavor, Alverno includes valuing in
decision-making (referred to as valuing in the remainder of this
text) at the core of each students educational process. Expressing and
acting upon the values embodied by our decisions is often a difficult
but important process. It is no small task to sort through the many
intertwined factorslike tradition and hope for change, reasoning
and emotion, personal goals and social forces, imagination and
effortthat can underlie our value positions. Therefore our main
goal in teaching and assessing for valuing is for the student to develop
the ability to make decisions in all realms of her life using a more
conscious awareness of this complexity, of how her values emerged,
how they are changing in light of new experiences and learning, and
how they affect how she chooses to think and act.
Dimensions of the Valuing Process
From more than thirty years of teaching experience and systematic
scholarship regarding this process, we have identified some general
patterns in student learning and performance that represent how an
Alverno student learns to develop, articulate, and apply her valuing
stance. In order for the student to effectively construct her valuing
stance and act out of it accordingly, we find that she must pursue
several key, interconnected dimensions of development over the
course of her academic program.
One dimension is value examination and interpretation. Through
thoughtful introspection, careful listening and connected
conversation, as well as both appreciative and critical interaction with
humanistic, artistic and scientific works, the student becomes more
conscious and systematic in identifying the values and principles in
her life. She sees that value decisions usually are embedded in the
diverse array of relationships that the learner holds with other
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students, friends, family, co-workers, as well as the broader

relationships with institutions, cultures and societies. Because such
examination always happens in relation to other people who are
similarly searching for their own best path and invested deeply in
their choices, the student learns to explore values in both a cognitive
and emotional way, in the languages of both principles and feelings.
Another dimension is moral sensitivity. A central feature of our
contemporary life is its cultural diversity. Such diversity is an
opportunity for growth but also a challenge, and the valuing process
must incorporate tools for navigating it. Thus as she advances in her
understanding of how various, often competing, value systems
operate at the core of broader institutions, communities, and
cultures, the student discerns the reasons for different moral
perspectives. She can clarify relationships between moral worlds and
can appreciate value differences with greater empathy.
And yet another dimension is moral and ethical reasoning. Applying
values in decisions involves the formulation of a living ethic. To
engage in responsible, ethical decision-making means to use specific
frameworks to think through moral positions on important questions
and issues, and to act with integrity. Aware of the emotional power of
values for herself and others, and having analyzed moral questions,
the student comes to examine value issues within her field of study or
profession, as well as within her civic and her personal life, and works
with others to effect the positive changes she seeks.
Teaching and Assessing for Valuing
To bring these dimensions alive in student performance and
encourage their lifelong development, we structure our curriculum in
particular ways. First, because valuing is pervasive, it is taught
explicitly and implicitly in a wide range of disciplinary and
professional contexts. Valuing is embedded across the curriculum
from freshman through senior years in many relevant courses.
Second, we teach and assess valuing in holistic ways that require

relational thinking. As the student proceeds through both general
education and her more specialized areas of study, she must
repeatedly examine the relation between values and emotions,
between values and spirituality, between value systems and their social
contexts, and between values and actions. Assignments within and
external to courses reflect these learning goals, as do the students
periodic self assessments.
Third, we know that the ability to make decisions informed by values
is developed over time. While such development is not often linear,
there are empirically recognizable steps students tend to take sooner
rather than later. Foundations must be established to help build more
sophisticated constructs in later areas of study. The work is
cumulative and iterative and increases in complexity. The standards
faculty and students use to describe and to assess effective valuing
performances in courses or other learning experiences are structured
into three basic tiers: beginning, intermediate and advanced. As a
further subtlety, within each tier are two levels that express the room
for movement and change in the students engagement with the
overall ability. Here is a brief narrative description of the levels.
Beginning Levels
Since we believe valuing questions emerge in all areas of life, students
begin immediately as freshmen by exploring the valuing process in
diverse courses across the curriculum. The student identifies her own
and others values and some key emotions they evoke (Level 1). She
connects her values to her behavior and she is able to articulate the
cognitive and spiritual dimensions of this process (Level 2). She also
shows an awareness of the voices of valuing that are present in the
world around her. She may, for instance, infer the valuing process of
a character in a novel, or of a person theorizing about a psychological
principle or scientific phenomenon.
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Intermediate Levels
Toward the middle of her academic program, we expect the student
to broaden her understanding of the cultural mosaic of valuing of
which she is a part, by more precisely analyzing the role of groups,
cultures, and societies in the construction of values and their
expression in moral systems or ethical frameworks. We want her
to examine ways that she both affects and is affected by the wider
circle of culture (and cultures) that surround her. In this way, the
student grows to critically evaluate her values with an informed
awareness of the processes of value diffusion, conflict, transformation
and change. She sees where she stands in the midst of many places to
stand.
The student analyzes the reciprocal relationship between her own values
and their social contexts and explores how that relationship plays out for
her (Level 3). She can also explain how her actions or decisions may
influence the values and decisions of the broader community. As the
student advances through this level, she shows an awareness of the
ways that moral conflicts are rooted in different value systems within
and across communities. For example, in a humanities course she
reflects on the relationship between the spiritual principles of a
community and their socio-economic practices; or in a psychology
course she studies the ways in which child-rearing practices shape the
moral attitudes within a society.
As the student progresses in her learning she starts to use themes and
ideas from her major areas of study more frequently to organize her
approach to value questions. While she may not yet be completely
rooted in a major, she is better able to use the perspectives and concepts
of particular disciplines to inform moral judgments and decisions (Level
4). She can specify core values at the heart of a particular discipline,
and she can make connections between those values and the wider
principles and policies of the communities that the discipline affects.
As she advances, she grows in her ability to constructively critique
decisions and policies that emerge from various value frameworks and
she can talk about her own value stance. She can, for example, apply
ethical principles in nursing practice, or analyze how ethics violations
in an investment firm impact both individuals and society itself, or
use her understanding of chemistry to explore issues regarding
regulation of chemical weapons.
Advanced Levels
Advanced levels of valuing are pursued primarily within a students
work in her major and/or minor, so the criteria for achievement are
cast more directly in the language of the discipline or profession
than criteria at previous levels. As she works within the contexts of
more specialized and advanced courses, the student explores and
applies the value systems and ethical codes that are at the heart
of the field.
The student uses valuing frameworks of a major field of study or
profession to engage significant issues in personal, professional, and
societal contexts (Level 5). She consistently examines and cultivates her
value system in order to take initiative as a responsible self in the world
(Level 6). Advanced level valuing also recapitulates all earlier levels on
all the key dimensions, but on a more sophisticated plane. The goal
here is to foster the students encounter with the heart of her field
through practice thinking, researching, delivering care, producing,
directing as a member of the field or profession. Advanced levels
are thus strongly about integration of learning: the integration of
emotion, thought and belief, and behavior. They are also about the
student consolidating her own stable center of care and strength, that
which is at the heart of her decision-making.
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Beginning Levels:
Explores the valuing process
Level 1 Identifies own and others values and some key
emotions they evoke
Level 2 Connects own values to behavior and articulates the
cognitive and spiritual dimensions of this process
More precisely analyzes the role of groups, cultures, and societies in
the construction of values and their expression in moral systems or
ethical frameworks
Level 3 Analyzes reciprocal relationship between own values
and their social contexts and explores how that
relationship plays out
Level 4 Uses the perspectives and concepts of particular
disciplines to inform moral judgments and decisions
Explores and applies value systems and ethical codes at the heart of
the field
Level 5 Uses valuing frameworks of a major field of study or
profession to engage significant issues in personal,
professional, and societal contexts
Level 6 Consistently examines and cultivates own value
system in order to take initiative as a responsible self
in the world
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Social Interaction
The ability to deal with others is crucial to personal and professional
success. A society that accomplishes the bulk of its work in
conversation, consultation, discussion and debate, on committees and
task forces, must depend heavily upon those members who can be
effective in interpersonal situations.
We have depended, as a society, on learning social skills almost totally
without formal attention to their development. We learn interaction
initially the same way we begin to learn our oral and written language
by being born into a family of persons who speak and interact. Yet
we supplement language development with years of elementary and
secondary school instruction in reading and writing (with less
attention to listening and speaking). College curricula continue the
development of writing, but have rarely included the development of
interaction skills in their scope assuming either that students come
with these skills or that their growth in effectiveness is somehow a byproduct of the total experience.
It is also more important, as we attend to the development of social
skills, to extend them to incorporate awareness of and competence in
civil discourse. Drawing upon work in the behavioral disciplines that
provides tools to describe, assess, and develop social interaction in
diverse contexts, the Alverno faculty define social interaction as an
integral part of the learning program.
Effective social interaction, as defined at Alverno, involves three
dimensions: analytic frameworks, self-awareness, and willingness to
engage. Analytic frameworks refers to a broad range of knowledge,
information and sources that enable students to interact effectively
with others in diverse social and cultural contexts. Self awareness,
grounded in Alvernos philosophy and practice regarding self
assessment, refers to the students conscious awareness of her
attitudes, beliefs, emotions, and cognitive processes and how they
affect her behavior and reactions. Alvernos philosophy and practice
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regarding self assessment form the foundation for this dimension.

Willingness to engage refers to the students disposition to be open to
interaction with others, in particular those whom she perceives as
being different from herself.
Throughout this document we refer to the social and cultural
contexts of interaction, so we think it is important to clarify our
meaning of this phrase. Social and cultural contexts refer to a
multitude of factors that interactors need to consider in making
decisions about appropriate interaction behavior. Factors include
individual characteristics (e.g., interaction skill level, state of mind),
group and member identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual orientation,
political affiliation, socio-economic class), intergroup dynamics (e.g.,
history of interactions, power and privilege, stereotyping,
discrimination), the setting (e.g., classroom, professional, civic,
personal), and social meanings of important symbol systems (e.g.,
language, verbal and nonverbal communication) as mediated
through culture.
Beginning Levels
The social interaction ability begins as the student interacts in small
groups and learns terms, behaviors, and frameworks that make for
effective social interaction. The student learns about frameworks
and self assessment skills to support interpersonal and taskoriented group interactions. Along with these explicit frameworks
related to interaction, the student also explores the varied categories
by which differences between people are constructed and the force of
these differences in peoples lives.
The beginning student recognizes analytic frameworks as an avenue to
becoming aware of her own behaviors in interactions and to
participating fully in those interactions (Level 1). In her first semester,
Social Interaction
instructors prepare the student to participate in a simulated taskoriented group interaction. Her participation is observed by a faculty
member or a community volunteer assessor who makes written
observations about her behavior. Following the interaction she sits
down with the assessor to discuss her performance in the group,
coming to a common understanding of what she demonstrated and
how it helped the group complete its task. The student then works
with the assessor to set goals for future interactions. A key aspect of
the level one experience is accurate self assessment.
In her courses the student gains insight into the affective and practical
ramifications of her interactions in their social and cultural contexts
(Level 2) by observing examples of others interactions, by
experiencing new situations, and by applying analytic frameworks.
For example, in a course focused on interpersonal and group
communication, the student formally learns two basic interaction
models distilled from interpersonal communication literature, one
focused on task-oriented group situations and the other addressing
interpersonal conflict. Within the course she has multiple
opportunities to learn the terms and practice the behaviors associated
with these two models, not only in her own interaction but also in
analysis of the interaction of others. She also advances her
understanding of the many dimensions of social interaction, learning
basic social and psychological concepts that are relevant to interaction
in a variety of contexts. As she develops facility in applying the
interaction models, she builds a firm foundation for further
developing her effectiveness in social interaction situations.
Intermediate Levels
With a solid sense of the stages and behaviors of social interaction
models, at the intermediate levels the student focuses on her own
interaction, using analytic frameworks and self awareness as she
engages with others in increasingly effective interaction across a
range of situations.
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The student purposefully extends herself in concrete actions and plans

aimed toward increasing her effectiveness in group and interpersonal
interaction, based on a careful analysis and awareness of self and others
in social and cultural contexts (Level 3). By attending to her
interaction in and out of the classroom setting, she evaluates the
effectiveness and appropriateness of her own responses in interaction
with others. She recognizes her own possible misinterpretations and
consequent behaviors, examining how these attitudes and behaviors
affect herself, others, and the group as a whole. She takes into
account both her emotions and their sources when deciding on
future action. In order to increase her understanding of similarities
and differences among people, she seeks perspectives from those
outside her circles, including the perspective of those with whom she
is interacting, in order to become more receptive to others in
interaction situations.
In a professional communication course, for example, faculty
videotape students in group interaction settings, asking them to use
the task-oriented model to analyze how their interaction impacts
individual members of the group as well as the functioning of the
group and the quality of the product. Faculty also require each
student to keep an interaction journal, carefully describing
interactions, interpreting them using relevant frameworks, and
evaluating the effectiveness of these frameworks. In each mode, the
student also incorporates into her analysis a projection of how she
might change her behavior and what impact the change would
have on the outcomes of the interaction or her relationships with
others involved.
As she moves into interaction related to her discipline or professional
major, the student displays and continues to practice increasingly
effective interactions in group and interpersonal situations reflecting
cognitive understanding of social and cultural contexts and awareness of
affective components of her own and others behavior. (Level 4).
Interpreting complex and subtle cues in specific interactions, she
recognizes the limitations and flexibility of frameworks and models,
Social Interaction
consciously adapting her interaction style to a variety of social and

cultural contexts. In working with others, she is able to consider
challenges to ideas, behaviors, and choices without perceiving them as
personal attacks. Incorporating the results of her self assessment, she
creates action plans for effectiveness in interpersonal situations and
with groups and assumes a conscious responsibility to interact
effectively with others.
Education field-work assignments, for example, are designed by
instructors to assist the student to build an effective working
relationship with her cooperating teacher, accurately recognizing the
roles that each plays in the classroom context. The student is
proactive in asking questions and proposing activities that will assist
her to become a part of the social and cultural context of the
classroom. She is open to the reflections and suggestions of her
cooperating teacher, recognizing the valuable perspective of an
experienced professional. In the classroom, she develops lessons that
engage learners, showing respect for their ideas and interests and
adapting her interaction style to their developmental needs. In field
logs and in self assessments of lesson presentations, she thoughtfully
reflects on her performances and sets goals to guide her ongoing
development as an effective interactor.
Advanced Levels
At the advanced level the focus is on effective interaction in complex
professional settings. The student integrates discipline-specific
frameworks with the social interaction models in order to
function effectively with diverse stakeholders as she collaborates,
negotiates, and coordinates in her professional role.
The student consistently and with increasing autonomy demonstrates
effective professional interaction using multiple disciplinary theories,
frameworks, and models to interpret behavior and monitor her own
interaction choices (Level 5). She demonstrates confidence in applying
a range of frameworks and models in interpreting interaction among
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persons with whom she has varied types of relationships, e.g., client,
peer, subordinate, or supervisor. In working with diverse others, she
focuses on professional goals, seeking to build not only consensus for
a particular action, but ongoing collaborative working relationships
with others. She addresses conflict as an opportunity to explore
perspectives that can lead to more effective decisions, showing a
genuine respect for persons, even when she disagrees with their ideas.
She internalizes the process of self assessment, monitoring
interactions both as they happen and in thoughtful reflection.
In nursing, for example, the advanced student takes on professional
roles in relationship both to the range of patients/clients and to the
team of health professionals with whom she works. With clients she
hones her ability to take appropriate responsibility and action to
move them to functional health patterns, using a range of diagnostic
frameworks to determine interaction needs. She applies therapeutic
interventions to help clients express their emotional needs and then
creates care plans that include her holistic understanding of the
client. Becoming part of nursing as a collaborative profession, she
draws upon professional models of interaction to enhance her
working relationships with peers and other professionals. From that
base of collaboration, she is able to facilitate teamwork and manage
conflict in order to advocate effectively for her clients needs.
As she moves toward graduation, the student uses leadership abilities
to facilitate the achievement of professional goals in effective interpersonal
and group interactions (Level 6). Recognizing her growing level of skill
as a professional, she takes responsibility to initiate consideration of
issues that affect professional goals, inviting others to join her in
taking responsibility for moving those goals forward. She recognizes
the strengths and limitations of herself and others and works to draw
upon strengths and find ways to balance weaknesses, so that all
contribute most effectively to the successful accomplishment of tasks.
She actively seeks the perspectives of a range of stakeholders, not only
Social Interaction
to assure that all necessary information is available but also to engage

all participants in ownership of the decisions.
Advanced work in a capstone course for business majors, for example,
emphasizes leadership and professional responsibility. The student
serves as a member of a small team of external consultants for a
Wisconsin corporation wishing to develop its Asian market. The
student collaborates on research tasks and negotiates the development
of recommendations for the team to present to their client. Through
interactions with her peers, discussions with the corporation-client,
and in a simulated meeting in the new market and country, the
student develops and demonstrates professional interaction skills,
including problem solving, teamwork, and conflict management. The
project ends with a power point presentation and question-answer
session with the corporation-client regarding the groups
recommendations
Regardless of a students career aspirations, she will need to be able to
engage in effective interaction in personal and professional settings.
The development of the social interaction ability positions her to
apply meaningful analytic frameworks, to thoughtfully practice self
awareness, and to engage others with an openness to what she can
learn from them.
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42
Beginning Levels:
Learns frameworks and self assessment skills to support interpersonal
and task-oriented group interactions
Level 1 Recognizes analytic frameworks as an avenue to
becoming aware of own behaviors in interactions
and to participating fully in those interactions
Level 2 Gains insight into the affective and practical
ramifications of interactions in their social and
cultural contexts
Uses analytic frameworks and self awareness to engage with others in
increasingly effective interaction across a range of situations
Level 3 Increases effectiveness in group and interpersonal
interaction based on careful analysis and awareness
of self and others in social and cultural contexts
Level 4 Displays and continues to practice increasingly
effective interactions in group and interpersonal
situations reflecting cognitive understanding of
social and cultural contexts and awareness of
affective components of own and others behavior
Integrates discipline-specific frameworks with social interaction
models to function effectively with diverse stakeholders in
professional roles
Level 5 Consistently and with increasing autonomy
demonstrates effective professional interaction using
multiple disciplinary frameworks to interpret
behavior and monitor own interaction choices
Level 6 Uses leadership abilities to facilitate achievement of
professional goals in effective interpersonal and
group interactions
43
Developing a Global Perspective

The complexities of modern life increasingly demand the informed
involvement of every citizen. Decisions made in one part of the
world have the potential to affect events in another part of the world.
It is now possible to see the world as a global village, where actions
taken by citizens in one country may have long-term consequences
for inhabitants of another country. Global thinking the ability to
recognize and understand global interconnections is a crucial aspect
of todays life.
To think globally, however, is not simply a matter of deciding what is
best for everyone, everywhere. First, such thinking could become so
abstract that we oversimplify issues, looking for only one solution
where many are needed. Second, generalized thinking could lead us
to minimize, or even dismiss, the many cultural differences that give
our world much of its vitality. We need to find a delicate balance
between recognizing our diversity and maintaining an awareness of
our common interests as citizens of the world and to engage in the
kind of discourse that fosters a truly global perspective. The faculty of
Alverno College teach our students how to achieve such a balance
through an ability we call developing a global perspective.
Like our world, the ability to develop a global perspective is complex.
The student needs to understand how issues are globally
interconnected geographically, culturally, and temporally and she
must be able to make informed judgments regarding them. She must
also use other abilities, such as analysis, valuing, and communication,
to understand not only her own point of view what it is and how it
has been shaped but the points of view of others. Through each
discipline and each course a student takes at Alverno College, she has
an opportunity to consider both the personal and the global
dimensions of humanity and the world in which we live.
44

Beginning Levels
At the beginning levels, the student identifies what shapes her
opinions and judgments with regard to global issues, as well as
the extent to which these opinions and judgments reflect
multiple perspectives. The student assesses her own knowledge and
skills with regard to her ability to think about and act on global concerns
(Level 1). She begins to identify her own point of view in
relationship to the points of view held by other individuals or groups.
She learns to identify what she needs to know, for example, about
other cultures, institutions, economies, ethnic communities, religions,
ecologies, and so on, to better articulate those points of view. In the
process, she begins to understand a variety of disciplines, using
concepts and frameworks to explore global issues.
For example, in a first year humanities course that focuses on point
of view, the student explores literary texts and films that present
perspectives different from her own. She might read the story of a
woman who was a member of the Communist Party in the United
States during the 1950s, or view a Hungarian film depicting the
effect of the Holocaust on Jewish citizens of a small Hungarian
village. Through a variety of written exercises and self assessments,
she monitors her developing awareness of both her own and others
points of view.
As she progresses, the student begins to apply concepts and
frameworks from the disciplines to examine the complex relationships
that make up global issues (Level 2). Her work in the natural sciences
enables her to understand some of the biological, chemical, physical,
and technological aspects of these issues. The behavioral and social
sciences help her examine the psychological, sociological, political,
and economic dimensions; and the humanities provide her with
perspectives to consider the artistic, historical, philosophical, and
religious dimensions of global issues. Faculty across these disciplines

design learning experiences and assessments in their courses that
require the student to identify which disciplinary strategies,
frameworks, and skills will be of use to her as she gathers information
she needs to render her own judgments on various global issues.
Finally, she learns to distinguish between opinion and informed
judgment as she begins to examine the data.
Intermediate Levels
With a practiced focus at the beginning levels on how she and others
think and act with regard to global issues, at the intermediate levels
the student incorporates her response to multiple perspectives and
uses the frameworks from the disciplines to reflect on her own
judgments about issues. Through her study in particular disciplines
she turns her attention toward the interconnections between local
and global issues.
The student uses disciplinary concepts and frameworks to gather
information that allows her to explore possible responses to global issues
(Level 3). By responding to multiple perspectives on a variety of
issues, the student broadens her own understanding of what
constitutes informed judgment.
In a nursing course, for example, faculty require the student to
research the health and hygiene behavior of an ethnic or cultural
group different from her own, examining economic and social factors
that influence those behaviors, ultimately comparing her previous
perception of the groups practices with what her research has
revealed. In a communications course the student uses the principles
of general semantics to examine the validity of televisions portrayal of
a selected minority group, considering the perspectives of the
television producers, the viewers, and members of the group being
portrayed. And in a literature course a student examines the
treatment of an issue by several different writers.
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46
As she progresses, the student integrates the skills and knowledge she
has developed to demonstrate her ability to think in an
interconnected way about global issues. She chooses one of a series of
special topics courses to explore a global issue from multiple
perspectives across cultures, time, and place. The courses are
organized around a comparative approach to a global topic such as
human rights, water use and development, global migration of
peoples, or crime and punishment. The student uses frameworks from
a variety of disciplines to clarify and articulate her own informed
judgment on the issue (Level 4).
At the end of the semester, all students who have completed one of
this series of courses participate in an external assessment in which
they apply what they have learned in their special topics courses. In
this simulation, students represent a non-governmental organization
in a presentation to a bipartisan congressional hearing convened to
gather information for setting the U.S. agenda for engaging global
problems. Students from different courses in this series are grouped
together to get the widest range of topics, problems, and solutions.
After the presentations are completed, students sit down with faculty
and community volunteer assessors to discuss the nature of global
change among diverse peoples and nations. Finally, students self
assess their performance, considering both the formal presentation
and group discussion, in terms of how the experiences have
influenced their understanding of political change, global diversity,
and interconnectedness.
At this point, the student can analyze and comprehend complex
global issues. She has also created a viable framework for articulating
her worldview and acting responsibly within the global community
by integrating various perspectives and disciplinary frameworks. She
has gained experience in expressing her own perspective and
identifying how her global thinking has developed.
Advanced Levels
At the advanced levels the student refines her general abilities by
integrating them with the frameworks and concerns of her major
areas of study and uses this synthesis to further develop her own
global perspective. Through her understanding of the
interconnections between local and global issues, she sees herself as a
potentially effective member of the global community. She identifies
global issues that concern her and takes positions based on analysis of
their contexts and an understanding of the multiple disciplinary
perspectives that contribute to the formulation of those issues.
The student uses theory to generate pragmatic approaches to specific
global issues (Level 5). She identifies an issue that is germane to her
discipline and, building on the process she has demonstrated at level
four, uses theoretical constructs and paradigms from that discipline to
formulate alternative resolutions. A social science major, for instance,
uses her understanding of organizational behavior to analyze the
ineffectiveness of a campus organization devoted to raising awareness
of human rights. She also proposes a strategy for linking human
rights concerns to students in a variety of disciplines as a way to help
build a broader and more effective organization. A history student in
her study of modern Eastern Europe applies her understanding of
shifts in the geography of nations and ethnic and national identity in
the context of post-World War II Europe to understand present day
attitudes regarding the Holocaust and pre-war Jewish life.
In her most refined work, her proposed solutions to a selected global
issue reflects an integrated synthesis and a discussion of the
limitations of those resolutions from cultural or technological
standpoints. At this point the student creatively and independently
proposes theoretical and pragmatic approaches to global concerns. (Level
6) She articulates, defends, and advocates for her understanding and
judgment. She actively engages her research, observation, and
analytical skills to further her understanding of issues most
concerning her and acts as a leader to bring these issues to public
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awareness. A student of professional communication, for instance,

would build on her research on gender and its impact on war crimes
to present her findings at a student peace conference. An
environmental studies student researching candidates attitudes
toward financing of mining in rural areas might create a public forum
to bring out the issues and raise awareness of the significance of these
concerns to a state-wide election.
At this point in her studies, the students performance is characterized
by an engagement with complex issues, an awareness of the contexts
and perspectives active in the formation of diverse cultures,
imagination regarding the best means to collaborate and draw out the
best resolutions, and a willingness to reflect on the viability and
processes she uses to attain her goals. She commits herself to the idea
of lifelong learning because she understands the constantly changing
nature of global interrelationships. She is aware of the power of her
ability to voice her concerns out of an informed foundation and has
an appreciation of her capacity to help create a better world by
envisioning it in her daily interactions and relying on her ability to be
informed and explore the fine points and subtleties of global issues.
Beginning Levels:
Identifies what shapes own opinions and judgments with regard to
global issues, as well as the extent to which these opinions and
judgments reflect multiple perspectives
Level 1 Assesses own knowledge and skills with regard to
ability to think about and act on global concerns
Level 2 Examines the complex relationships that make up
global issues
Incorporates response to multiple perspectives and uses frameworks
from disciplines to reflect on own judgments about issues
Level 3 Uses disciplinary concepts and frameworks to gather
information to explore possible responses to global
issues
Level 4 Uses frameworks from a variety of disciplines to
clarify and articulate own informed judgment on the
issues
Refines general abilities by integrating them with frameworks and
concerns of major areas of study to further develop own global
perspective
Level 5 Uses theory to generate pragmatic approaches to
specific global issues
Level 6 Creatively and independently proposes theoretical
and pragmatic approaches to global concerns
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51
Effective Citizenship
Civic responsibility involves direct, meaningful participation in
public life and includes political engagement as well as many other
types of public activity. Consideration of the realm of social life that
exists beyond the private and personal is a significant component of a
liberal arts education.
Effective citizenship as we define it at Alverno College develops the
students capacity to feel socially responsible to her community and
to take corresponding action to support its assets and to deal with its
concerns. As a basis for involvement, the student learns about
communities and organizations, and similarities and differences
among them.
Inherent at all levels of this ability are four identifiable dimensions:
awareness, information gathering, judgment, and community
involvement. These provide the framework for the developmental
sequence for each level of effective citizenship. As an effective citizen
she knows herself, her communities, and her world. She is able to
gather information and identify credible sources. She applies
principles of sound judgment as she gets involved in the civil
discourse surrounding issues, choosing when to lead or follow in
order to contribute.
As the student demonstrates the first four levels of effective
citizenship, she integrates substantive knowledge about society and
her involvement in it. Since this ability is taught within all disciplines
and professional areas at Alverno, the student is encouraged to see all
of her education as a resource for life in her community. This vision
is a hallmark of a liberally-educated person.
52

Beginning Levels
At the beginning levels of this ability, the student identifies
significant community issues and assesses her ability to act on
them. She examines her knowledge base and her capacity to
participate effectively in addressing community issues.
Introductory courses give each student opportunities to develop her
self assessment skills and to begin to identify frameworks that she can use
to describe her community experience (Level 1). As she assesses what she
knows about her communities, she examines what influences her
opinions and what motivates her involvement in community issues.
For example, in an introductory psychology course, students analyze
articles about local and global issues as they develop as critical
thinkers. Through these analyses and a series of self assessments, with
feedback from faculty, students develop a deeper awareness of the
processes necessary to apply an informed psychological perspective to
civic issues.
Using the results of her self assessment as a starting point, the student
uses course concepts to describe what makes an issue an issue and to
develop the skills necessary to gather information, make sound judgments,
and participate in the decision making process (Level 2). In an
introductory biology course, the student researches an environmental
concern in her community. She identifies and gathers the kinds of
data and information she needs to clearly understand the different
perspectives on the issue and to develop her own point of view
regarding various action plans. A student might research a proposed
development project in her home county and the impact of that
project on the countys watershed and consequently on the
endangered wildlife in a neighboring unprotected park. By attending
a public hearing to learn the perspectives of developers, area business
owners, and concerned citizens, and by interviewing members of
environmental agencies she would gather the kind of information

necessary for sound judgment.
Intermediate Levels
At the intermediate levels, the student works within both
organizational and community contexts to apply her developing
citizenship skills. Primarily through internships and other applied
learning experiences in her major, she makes connections between her
theoretical understanding and real life settings as she explores
different roles as a citizen. These learning experiences are included in
existing courses and in external experiences (volunteer activities or
active participation in an organization dealing with an issue) that are
designed and directed by faculty. The experience must focus in a
substantive way on the issue and the students strategy for affecting it.
It must also provide her with the opportunity to reflect on the
effectiveness of her plan.
The student learns how to read an organization in terms of how
individuals work with others to achieve common goals (Level 3). She
also analyzes the ways that organizations interact with each other in
order to understand the context in which all operate and the
distinctive contribution of each. For example, in an art therapy
internship, a student is required to understand how her sponsoring
organization operates, both in theory and in practice. She learns how
the organization connects to government funding sources. In an
advanced level interdisciplinary course, students examine how the
governments of various countries interact with non-governmental
organizations about contentious issues.
The student tests her developing citizenship skills in a community
setting through her involvement with an issue of personal,
professional, societal, or political concern. She responds to her
concerns by developing both a strategy for action and criteria for
evaluating the effectiveness of her plan (Level 4). The student uses
frameworks to organize her strategies, develops solutions to problems,
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interacts with others, and develops strategies for dealing with

conflicts that might arise. For example, in a nursing course where
students work in community health contexts, the student spends time
analyzing community strengths and needs. Based on this analysis, she
identifies a specific need and then works with community
representatives to meet this need. In one instance, a student
recognized that many of the families she visited were unable to afford
age-appropriate toys for their children. She worked with health
educators and nurses to develop a colorful brochure about using
commonly found home resources to make toys, e.g., rolling a sock
into a ball. The brochure was so well received that it was approved
for distribution through the health department.
Advanced Levels
At the advanced levels, the focus is on integration integration of a
students community, academic, professional and political life with
increased emphasis on involvement, initiative, and leadership. Since
civic responsibility involves direct, meaningful participation, the
student takes a leadership role in addressing organizational and
community issues. Meaningful participation in community life has
many facets. The student may work through an existing organization
to address a social or organizational problem or she may start a new
group to address a perceived need.
However the student chooses to participate, she demonstrates that
she can work effectively in the civic or professional realm and can work
effectively with others to develop their ability to participate (Level 5).
As she develops a plan for action, she identifies what the issue
involves, who the key people are, what other perspectives exist, and
what conflicts between different interests need to be resolved. In
creating a strategy for dealing with the issue, she includes a profile of
resources and articulates the consequences she foresees for the strategy
she has designated.
She integrates the cognitive and experiential dimensions of the earlier

levels of effective citizenship into a cycle of learning, systematically
improving her civic participation. She tests her developing theory,
anticipating problems that are likely to emerge, and devising ways to deal
with them (Level 6). She learns to more astutely recognize
opportunities for constructive action, and to create ways to capitalize
on them. She seeks feedback from her environment to improve her
understanding of what is happening. In short, she exercises
leadership, becoming a reflective practitioner who can make a
difference in her community.
In making opportunities available to students to develop their
citizenship skills, the Alverno faculty are practicing one of the earliest
traditions of liberal arts colleges, a tradition which emphasizes public
involvement as a means to express ones commitment to ideals and
ones responsibility to the community.
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56
Beginning Levels:
Identifies significant community issues and assesses ability to act on
them
Level 1 Develops self assessment skills and begins to identify
frameworks to describe community experience
Level 2 Uses discipline concepts to describe what makes an
issue an issue and to develop skills necessary to
gather information, make sound judgments, and
participate in the decision making process
Works within both organizational and community contexts to apply
developing citizenship skills
Level 3 Learns how to read an organization in terms of
how individuals work with others to achieve
common goals
Level 4 Develops both a strategy for action and criteria for
evaluating the effectiveness of plans
Takes a leadership role in addressing organizational and community
issues
Level 5 Works effectively in the civic or professional realm
and works effectively with others to develop their
ability to participate
Level 6 Tests developing theory, anticipating problems that
are likely to emerge, and devising ways to deal with
them
57
Aesthetic Engagement
Aesthetic engagement is the students ability to participate in the arts,
both as creator and as active audience member. She develops the
capacity to engage with the arts by learning processes associated with
creative endeavors. The student makes and interprets artistic forms,
such as creating a sculpture, delivering a dramatic monologue,
writing historical narrative, analyzing a poem, designing a web
page, or responding to a film. These experiences help the student
develop her understanding of artistic forms and broaden her
artistic preferences.
Educators recognize that participation in the arts is not an elective
aspect of education, but an integral component of student
development as critical thinkers and learners. Engaging creatively in
the arts provides the student with strategies that enhance her ability
to learn and perform across the curriculum. Specifically, engaging
with the arts:
Balances the intellectual and emotional

Asks the student to learn in the experience, by doing
Makes the student aware of how her own choices shape her
learning
Develops the students awareness and appreciation of the
role, value, and power of non-verbal forms of
communication
Requires the student to recognize her own culture and to
engage with other cultures
Opens up new ways of ongoing and integrated self
assessment
Returns the student to the ways that humans begin their
learning, through their senses
Leads the student to tolerate and appreciate ambiguity
Challenges the student to take risks
Illustrates to the student that learning is an ongoing process
58
While the formal contexts for learning aesthetic engagement are, by

definition, those courses and disciplines in the humanities and the
arts, the processes associated with this learning leads to a heightened
sensibility in and application to all areas of study.
Beginning Levels
At the beginning levels of aesthetic engagement, the student makes
informed artistic and interpretive choices, in both the role of artistic
creator and of responder/ interpreter of the arts. Through two firstyear courses, one focused on a particular artistic medium and the
other on a particular humanistic mode of inquiry, she develops an
openness to the arts, to a variety of artistic forms and styles, and a
variety of modes of expressing cultural meaning.
In order to develop this openness to the variety of choices she may
make in expressing herself through the arts, the student must first
become aware that she has choices and that she is an active
participant in making cultural meaning. Therefore, beginning courses
in the arts and humanities provide opportunities for the student to
make informed artistic and interpretive choices (Level 1). In her roles of
artistic creator and responder/interpreter, she learns to articulate her
rationale for her artistic choices and interpretations (Level 2). As she
learns more about art forms through participation in the creative
process and as an audience member, she develops a vocabulary of the
arts that enables her to communicate more precisely about her
choices. She uses her growing understanding of artistic elements to
create and interpret meaning in artistic and humanistic works.
Through her participation in creative processes, the student integrates
the analytical with the emotional and intuitive dimensions of her
artistic choices. A student in a beginning arts or humanities course
might be introduced to different poetic forms and asked to write a
sonnet, experimenting with the structure and language of formal
poetry. A student in a music course might analyze the structure of the
twelve-bar blues, improvise with percussion instruments, and create

her own blues lyrics.
Intermediate Levels
In her intermediate courses, the student deepens her understanding
of her engagement with the arts by exploring the factors that
influence her aesthetic preferences. She refines artistic and
interpretive choices by integrating her own aesthetic experiences
with a broader context of disciplinary theory and cultural and
social awareness.
Typically the starting point for the refinement of her choices is her
recognition that her engagement is shaped by, and often changes,
according to the context in which she encounters or creates art. Since
the student is required to study in several different arts and
humanities disciplines, she comes to recognize the way in which
disciplines frame the creative and interpretative experience of the arts
in different ways. She revises her choices by integrating disciplinary
contexts (Level 3). A theatre student may be asked to research the
physical and psychological impact of Hurricane Camille on Gulf
Coast residents as she prepares to embody a character from Beth
Henleys Crimes of the Heart, which is set in Mississippi five years
after this catastrophic event. A student in an intermediate literature
course researches historical contexts surrounding The Great Gatsby in
order to deepen her understanding and interpretation of character
motivations and behavior. She is asked to give a speech in which she
articulates ways that her interpretation has been shaped by gaining
knowledge about 1920s America.
As the student works with her expanding body of disciplinary
knowledge and insight as an integral aspect of her personal aesthetic
engagement, she comes to understand that she is changing as a
learner, and not merely acquiring additional knowledge. She develops
awareness of her creative and interpretive processes (Level 4). For
example, as her aesthetic engagement develops, her emotional
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60
repertoire, her ways of engaging with people, subjects, and the world
also expand.
At this level, the students understanding of the complexity of her
own engagement makes her more attentive to various points of view
on artistic works and processes, and she recognizes how her own
engagement influences the responses of others. For example, in a film
class, students collaborate on storyboards that use film elements to
convey their response to a short story. Each student explores ways
that literary criticism influences her interpretation of the story, and
ways that technical details of film can help her engage an audience in
her vision.
Advanced Levels
The advanced student of the arts and humanities independently
develops criteria for creating and judging works of art, reflecting a
growing openness to diversity of cultures and genres. The student
uses these criteria to create significant works of art, such as
choreographing and performing a dance, installing a senior art
exhibit, or to develop theories of aesthetics within the context of her
literature and philosophy courses. In her advanced arts or humanities
course, the student creates works of art and/or interpretive
strategies and theories that synthesize personal preferences and
disciplinary concepts. A theatre student writes and directs a play for
public performance, collaborating with actors and designers to
develop and express her personal aesthetic vision (Level 5). In an
advanced senior humanities seminar, the student composes an
intellectual autobiography that uses creative writing techniques to
develop and convey her worldview. A major assessment in an
advanced course on British Modernism asks students to read and
synthesize several theories of aesthetics written by modernist authors.
The student is then asked to develop her own theory of aesthetics,
and to present this theory to the class for criticism. In this
presentation, the student demonstrates the relationship between her
theories of art and those held by modernist authors, and presents a

work of art that reflects her definition of art.
At the advanced level of aesthetic engagement, the student integrates
aesthetic vision into her academic, professional, and personal life (Level
6). For students majoring in the arts or the humanities, this
exploration may be focused more directly on aesthetic theory or on
creation in the arts. All students, however, continue to reinforce their
aesthetic sensibilities in different ways through their majors. For
example, the education student creates a philosophy of education that
integrates attention to classroom design with pedagogical theories. A
nursing student learns to develop an aesthetic environment that
enhances comfort and healing, recognizing the role of personal
belongings or cultural symbols to facilitate patient memory. At this
point in her development, the student uses the aesthetic engagement
ability as part of an ongoing process to create and discover meaning
in her life.
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Beginning Levels:
Develops an openness to the arts
Level 1 Makes informed artistic and interpretive choices
Level 2 Articulates rationale for artistic choices and
interpretations
Refines artistic and interpretive choices by integrating own aesthetic
experiences with a broader context of disciplinary theory and cultural
and social awareness
Level 3 Revises choices by integrating disciplinary contexts
Level 4 Develops awareness of creative and interpretive
processes
Creates works of art and/or interpretive strategies and theories that
synthesize personal preferences and disciplinary concepts
Level 5 Develops and expresses personal aesthetic vision
Level 6 Integrates aesthetic vision into academic,
professional, and personal life

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Ability-Based

Other publications available from the Alverno College Institute

Copyright 1976, 1981, 1985, 1989, 1992, 2005

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

valuing, problem solving, and involvement. The curriculum

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

levels of the curriculum. We learned to ask ourselves questions about

professional responsibility. These departments are responsible for

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

discipline departments, we created ability departments for each

While identifying and fostering these connections, we continue to

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

developed a Diagnostic Digital Portfolio that houses key

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

through feedback and self assessment she learns to judge her

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

with a model for effective listening, developing skills in interpreting

synthesis. In an organic chemistry course this might mean developing

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

work: discipline-based research, creative production/artistic

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

some phenomenon, problem, or issue, bringing different perspectives

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

limitationswhat are its biases? What kind of information does it

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

The Developmental Process

In less-structured problems, the student must identify some elements

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

advice and support in helping the student tailor a chosen problem

to evaluate the risks and advantages of various global growth

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

students, friends, family, co-workers, as well as the broader

Second, we teach and assess valuing in holistic ways that require

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

regarding self assessment form the foundation for this dimension.

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

The student purposefully extends herself in concrete actions and plans

consciously adapting her interaction style to a variety of social and

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

to assure that all necessary information is available but also to engage

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

Developing a Global Perspective

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

The Developmental Process

Developing a Global Perspective

religious dimensions of global issues. Faculty across these disciplines

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

Developing a Global Perspective

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

awareness. A student of professional communication, for instance,

Developing a Global Perspective

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

The Developmental Process

environmental agencies she would gather the kind of information

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

interacts with others, and develops strategies for dealing with

She integrates the cognitive and experiential dimensions of the earlier

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes

Balances the intellectual and emotional

Ability-Based Learning Outcomes