Write a 4 page self-assessment that addresses your achievement of the knowledge, skills, and values of the learning outcomes of Ottawa’s liberal arts studies. Reflect on your understanding of a liberal arts education and on your learning in each breadth area referring to specific courses and/or life experiences that have contributed to your learning and growth in that particular area.

Liberal Arts 4 Breadth Area’s Essay
Self-Assessment of Learning Outcomes in Liberal Arts Studies

Review the Ottawa University Learning Outcomes for Liberal Arts Studies (LAS) and the descriptions of the four Liberal Arts Breadth Areas provided in the course materials.

Write a 4 page self-assessment that addresses your achievement of the knowledge, skills, and values of the learning outcomes of Ottawa’s liberal arts studies. Reflect on your understanding of a liberal arts education and on your learning in each breadth area referring to specific courses and/or life experiences that have contributed to your learning and growth in that particular area. Conclude your essay with a brief reflection on how you will enhance your knowledge of the breadth areas in the future.

Use the following questions to help guide your reflections on your achievement of the learning outcomes in each of the breadth areas.

Art and Expression Breadth Area

Knowledge. When you reflect on the types of courses and life experiences that fall into this breadth area, identify one college course (e.g., Music Appreciation) or one life experience as an adult (e.g., taking painting lessons) in which you increased your knowledge about a form of art and expression. What is a key piece of knowledge that continues to be useful or to have relevance and/or meaning in your life?

Skills of communicating, critical thinking, problem solving, expressing, etc. Referring to your response above, in what ways did the course and/or life experiences as an adult, help you improve your skill in the following:

Communicating orally, verbally, with one’s body movements (dance), with one’s hands (painting, sculpture, playing an instrument)

Problem Solving (e.g., writing a song and figuring out the best words for conveying the message; choreographing a dance to express a particular story)

Critical Thinking (e.g., doing a research paper on Frida Kahlo and analyzing how her art expressed her experiences with chronic and severe pain; watching the movie “Crash” and taking the perspective of each main character)

Personal growth and ongoing examination of personal values. Referring to your responses above, describe how this course and these experiences have contributed to your personal growth. If they have caused you to question, change, or re-affirm a value that you had, describe that as well.

Social and Civic Breadth Area

Knowledge. When you reflect on the types of courses and life experiences that fall into this breadth area, identify one college course (e.g., a human services, sociology, or psychology course) or one life experience as an adult (e.g., volunteering at an agency for elderly immigrants) in which you increased your knowledge about a social or civic issue. What is a key piece of knowledge that continues to be useful or to have relevance and/or meaning in your life?

Communicating orally, verbally, with non-verbals (e.g., specific skills in working with human services clients)

Problem Solving (e.g., designing a treatment program for adolescent girls who are first-time offenders)

Critical Thinking (e.g., doing a research paper on legalizing marijuana and taking a stand based on medical or social research)

Science and Description

Knowledge. When you reflect on the types of courses and life experiences that fall into this breadth area, identify one college course (e.g., anatomy, math, accounting, geography course) or one life experience as an adult (e.g., learning how to compost one’s garbage) in which you increased your knowledge about a science. What is a key piece of knowledge that continues to be useful or to have relevance and/or meaning in your life?

Communicating orally, verbally, with non-verbals (e.g., giving a presentation to an elementary school class on how and why leaves change color in the Fall)

Problem Solving (e.g., for a Planning & Budgeting class, creating a budget for non-profit agency)

Critical Thinking (e.g., doing a research paper on the benefits and costs of recycling plastics)
Personal growth and ongoing examination of personal values. Referring to your responses above, describe how this course and these experiences have contributed to your personal growth. If they have caused you to question, change, or re-affirm a value that you had, describe that as well.

Value and Meaning

Knowledge. When you reflect on the types of courses and life experiences that fall into this breadth area, identify one college course (e.g., death and dying, world religions, ethnic relations & multiculturalism) or one life experience as an adult (e.g., volunteering at a hospice) in which you increased your knowledge about a topic related to this breadth area. What is a key piece of knowledge that continues to be useful or to have relevance and/or meaning in your life?

Communicating orally, verbally, with non-verbals (e.g., giving a presentation on the spiritual beliefs and values shared by many American Indian tribes)

Problem Solving (e.g., doing a group project in a conflict resolution class on finding common ground between two groups who are in disagreement)

Critical Thinking (e.g., researching five of the world’s major religions and finding a common thread or belief between them all)

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