General Education Requirements
The Maryland Higher Education Commission stipulates that in order to receive associate degrees, students must fulfill not only the requirements of their specific program of study but also those of a general education.
Specific General Education requirements vary with the type of program and associate degree. Meet with an academic advisor or program coordinator to select the appropriate General Education sequence.
CCBC Definition of General Education:
CCBC’s General Education Program introduces students to a variety of disciplines that build a common foundation of knowledge that promotes critical thinking and lifelong, independent learning. General Education courses prepare students to meet the academic and career challenges of today and tomorrow as empowered citizens of a global society.
CCBC General Education Program Goals:
- Written and Oral Communication - Develop effective skills in written, oral, and/or signed communication for a variety of audiences and situations, including active listening, the creation of well-organized messages, and critical analysis of others’ messages.
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning - Evaluate information by identifying the main concept, point of view, implications, and assumptions in order to come to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards.
- Technological Competence -Use contemporary technology to solve problems, validate information, and to meet challenges as a member of an evolving technological society.
- Information Literacy -Identify, find, and evaluate appropriate resources for research as well as incorporate the information effectively and ethically for lifelong educational, professional and personal use.
- Scientific, Quantitative or Logical Reasoning -Apply basic mathematical, scientific, and/or logical concepts and theories to analyze data, solve problems and make decisions.
- Local and Global Diversity -Use knowledge and skills to participate effectively in dynamic, evolving multicultural contexts and to address the challenges in building just, equitable, and productive societies.
- Personal and Professional Ethics -Identify, examine, evaluate, and resolve personal and professional ethical issues and their ramifications using a variety of ethical perspectives and problem-solving approaches.
General Education Course Requirements by Degree:
PLEASE NOTE: For AA and AS degrees in the Biological and Physical Sciences category, students must take 7-8 credits. The courses must come from two different disciplines or be two sequential courses (these courses are labeled I and II in their titles) from one discipline. One of the courses must be a lab.
A special exemption would be made for students who have taken BIOL 220 and BIOL 221 as program prerequisites and then change their major. In this case, these students would continue to substitute the combination of BIOL 220 and BIOL 221 as the general education equivalent to BIOL 109 , giving them one, 4-credit General Education Science course. The other General Education Science class should be BIOL 110 . Because anatomy and physiology builds upon concepts learned in General Biology, these courses can serve as a “sequence” for general education purposes.
CCBC Core Competencies
CCBC has identified four core competencies (Communication, Problem Solving, Global Perspective and Social Responsibility; and Independent Learning and Personal Management) that will help students develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviors to be successful as intentional learners; to be productive as workers; and to be thoughtful, engaged citizens. These core competencies will be evidenced throughout students’ learning experiences at CCBC. All courses outside the General Education curriculum, using specific course content as the vehicle, will include activities that encourage the development of one or more of the indicated abilities associated with the core competencies. A variety of assessment tools can be used to gather evidence of student achievement in the learning activities where students will be developing these competencies.
1. Communication
Definition: ability to use reading, writing, oral, or signed communication skills to organize, express, and absorb ideas and information in interpersonal, group, organizational, and presentational settings
Students will be able to:
- Read, retain, restate, and apply ideas for a variety of purposes, to include: informing, persuading, enjoying, and appreciating.
- Write clearly, concisely, and accurately in a variety of contexts and formats.
- Speak clearly, concisely, and accurately in a variety of contexts and formats.
- Demonstrate active listening skills.
2. Problem Solving
Definition: ability to think critically and to solve problems using data, analysis, interpretation, and reasoning skills
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate observation skills.
- Identify a problem to be solved, a task to be performed, or a decision to be made.
- Determine the nature and extent of needed information.
- Access information effectively and efficiently.
- Evaluate information sources and content.
- Make connections and draw inferences.
- Identify criteria appropriate for evaluation of a process, solution, or decision.
- Formulate alternative processes, solutions, or decisions and potential consequences.
- Select an appropriate process, solution, or decision.
3. Global Perspective and Social Responsibility
Definition: ability to understand and interpret events and issues within a global perspective; ability to demonstrate ethical and cultural awareness and to foster an appreciation of diversity through appropriate and effective modes of social interaction
Students will be able to:
- Express an understanding of the interconnections and interactions between and among people and systems (political, economic, social, and natural) and of the necessity of balancing human needs with the limitations of world resources.
- Gain knowledge of and experience with people in their own and other cultures, past and present, and how they live, think, communicate, and view the world.
- Describe the impact of the global economy on life, work, and opportunities.
- Recognize the commonality of human experience across culture.
- Recognize the influence of diverse cultural perspectives on human thought and behavior.
- Define personal responsibility in a given circumstance.
- Demonstrate respect for the rights, views, and work of others.
- Recognize their responsibility to personal, social, professional, educational, and natural environments and make informed decisions based on that responsibility.
- Display behavior consistent with the ethical standards within a discipline or profession.
4. Independent Learning and Personal Management
Definition: ability to set individual goals and devise strategies for educational, personal, and professional development in a changing world
Students will be able to:
- Appreciate the value and importance of inquiry and the learning process in the classroom and their personal and professional lives.
- Set goals and devise strategies for educational, personal, and professional development in a changing world, consistent with their abilities and circumstances.
- Utilize computers and related technology to increase task efficiency.
- Recognize their own self-worth, strengths, weaknesses, and potential for growth.
- Recognize their own biases and values.
- Demonstrate the ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
- Behave appropriately in a variety of situations, circumstances, and roles.
- Recognize conflict and use conflict resolution skills when appropriate.
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