University Learning Outcomes - General Education

The core skills of critical thinking, effective communication, information literacy, and social awareness shape all of the courses offered in our general education program. Because they are essential to our students’ educational and future success, these core skills are recognized as University Learning Outcomes (ULOs).

Through their general education classes at Oakland University, students will meet the University Learning Outcomes to become critical thinkers, effective communicators, information literate learners, and socially aware citizens.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinkers are capable of comprehensively exploring issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.

What will I learn?

Analyze and evaluate relevant information, alternative points of view, inferences, and/or assumptions;
Synthesize information in order to arrive at substantiated conclusions.

Effective Communication

Effective communicators analyze rhetorical situations, adapt their discourse to diverse genres and media, treat their sources and source material ethically, and meet the expectations of a variety of discourse communities in the academy and beyond.

What will I learn?

Convey ideas, arguments, or analyses clearly and cogently in oral, written, or visual form;
Apply effective communication skills as appropriate to the context and intended audiences.

Information Literacy

OU graduates are information literate citizens who reflectively discover information, understand how that information is produced and valued, and use information ethically to create new knowledge and participate as lifelong learners in society.

What will I learn?

Find, evaluate, and responsibly use different kinds of information for different purposes;
Effectively integrate relevant information sources to build new, or add to existing, public or professional understandings.

Social Awareness/Responsibility

Socially aware citizens demonstrate their intercultural competence and consider the ethical implications of their words, actions, and engagement with or indifference to other communities.

What will I learn?

Apply principles, methods, value systems, or ethics to social issues confronting local and global communities.