LOREN MANSFIELD
Student. Artist. Adventurist.
General Education Core Skills
Upon graduation South Piedmont Community College, students are expected to leave with specific skills that will create a foundation to aid us in our future endeavors. These skills are known as the General Education Core Skills. The six core skills are: Written Communication, Oral Communication, Intercultural Competence, Technology, Analysis and Interpretation, and Problem Solving. There are many classes that aid in enhancing and developing these skills, however; each one is used within every class. Written and Oral Communication and Technology are especially present in all classes regardless of the subject.
One unique thing about the General Ed. Skills is the ability to build onto each skill using other skills. Without a deep understanding of analyzing and interpreting information one cannot write a paper or present a speech. Each of these skills can be linked to each other and used in pairs. During my time at SPCC while learning these educational skills I was able to create a foundation for myself as I go on to continue my education. Whether I chose to go back to school or go straight into a career I would have the basic requirements needed for any position. The importance of written and oral communication cannot be expressed. The classes I have taken such as my English classes and Public Speaking have opened new doors for me as a student and future professional.
Below you can read more about the importance of each skill and how it relates to me. While completing my associate degree I developed many educational goals within each skill. Attached to each skill is an artifact that highlights my growth and understanding of each General Ed. Core Skill. Achieving these goals took a lot of time and effort as a student but with the help of my teachers I was able to evolve into an accomplished student. The six skills are only the tip of the iceberg of my achievements as a student at SPCC but I will carry them on for a lifetime!
The first core skill I will discuss is the written communication skill. The classes that allowed me to enhance this skill where ENG 111, ENG 113 and even classes like Art History and Art Appreciation. This skill was very important to me as a student and upon entering my English classes I set two SMART goals for myself. The first goal was to learn how to properly research an issue while maintaining a tight focus on my topic. The second goal I chose was to learn how to properly format papers (MLA or APA) and organize them effectively.
The goals I chose were important to me because they are the key elements that really make a good essay. Staying tightly focused on a topic allows me to give my audience a deeper understanding of my topic without straying too far from the subject. Learning the proper APA and MLA formats were also very important to me because I will use these later on as I further my education. Organizing my papers in a way that was impactful to my writing was also very important to me so I can allow my audience to flow through the information.
The artifact I chose to showcase for this skill was completed in ENG 113 my Writing in Disciplines class. I chose this artifact because it not only demonstrates my writing skills it is also related to my major. The assignment was to create a research paper related to our discipline and I chose to write about the life and inspirations of Salvador Dali. Whilst completing this assignment I practiced better research and organizational methods. I also tried to keep my focus on the artist and his many works. I believe I completed my goals for this skill and that this artifact demonstrates my improvement in both areas.
Written Communication
You will organize and express ideas clearly through written communication in a manner appropriate for the intended audience.
Artifact 1
ENG-113
Salvador Dali
Oral Communication
You will organize and express ideas clearly through oral communication in a manner appropriate for the intended audience.
American Literature Speech- "Trifles"
The second core skill is definitely the main core skill I had to work on. Like many students the thought of speaking in front of the class petrified me. My main goal for this skill was of course to become comfortable talking to large groups and become a confident speaker. The second goal was to learn how to get straight to my point quickly and effectively. In the past I would tend to ramble on with a shaky voice and would often lose my audience.
There were a lot of classes that helped me work towards my goals for this skill. Of course Public Speaking was the main one but other classes also forced me to break out of my shell. Surprisingly the most helpful classes were Biology 111 and Business 280. In Biology we were assigned to groups and put together a comical skit to teach the class about the zika virus. The skit was an awesome way for us to adjust to speaking in front of groups because it was not only with a group but it was also meant to be funny. However, the most influential class that aided me in developing this skill was my American Literature class.
The artifact I chose is a lecture I performed in front of a public audience in my American Literature class. This was a two-part group project that required us to compile a lecture and play that interpreted our feelings on the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell. I was in charge of the lecture and this was significant because it was my first time speaking in front of a large audience. The assignment required an in-depth analysis that dug into the deeper meaning of the play therefore assisting me with my second goal for this Core Skill. I feel this assignment really pushed me past my comfort zone and definitely helped me to achieve my goal of being a more confident speaker.
The intercultural competence was a unique skill to me. This skill is one that involves learning about other cultures and their impact on everyone. This is important to me because I have always felt that more people, especially in these times, should learn more about other cultures. My goals involving this skill were to really learn about other cultures and their effects on our culture. I also had the goal to travel to another culture and be able to immerse myself fully in another way of life.
Some classes I found assisted with this skill were my World Civilizations class and even my public speaking class. I found Public Speaking to be an interesting contribution to this skill because I did not learn about other cultures from the curriculum but rather my classmates. There’s no doubt that in a community college the student body is quite diverse and we are all from different cultural backgrounds. It was amazing to see students focus their speeches on their first home whether it was Spain or China.
I chose a midterm project from my World Civilizations class to show my knowledge of other cultures and any behaviors within them. I think however some of the most impactful things I came across at SPCC were my involvements with events such as the Multicultural festivals and Day of the Dead celebrations. There were several things at SPCC that taught me about other cultures and perhaps the most exciting one to come is traveling to France in Spain in April 2017.
Intercultural Competence
You will develop awareness, knowledge, and behaviors necessary for intercultural competence.
1. You will develop intercultural competence that positively influences their identities and personal choices.
2. You will develop intercultural competence necessary for positive communication in cross cultural contexts.
3. You will understand the impact of culture on organizations.
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Artifact 1
HIS-112
History Midterm
Technology
You will choose and utilize appropriate technologies to access, organize, and analyze and communicate information.
Click to view website.
The technology skill is possibly the one skill I was most confident in. My understanding of computers and programs were already pretty advanced prior to entering the program. My goals were to learn how to use all of the Microsoft programs appropriately and to learn how to build a website.
I worked towards my goals in classes such as CIS 110, ACA 122, and my Portfolio and Resume class. I think I was able to enhance this skill with every class I took as I completed my degree. Technology is a very large part of education nowadays and I think with each class I learned something new to apply to the technology skill. When writing a paper on Word or creating a PowerPoint I was able to continuously improve my technology skills. One of the most unique skills I acquired was also learning how to better use Photoshop which I used to create my portfolio and also other websites. Learning to use Photoshop was very significant to me because I learned how to improve photos and use it for my portfolio.
The artifact I chose to use to demonstrate my knowledge of this skill is a website I created for a midterm project in my American Literature class. The assignment was to create a website highlighting the life and works of an American writer. I chose for this project Kurt Vonnegut a favorite author of mine. The website was especially challenging at times but I think it is what truly enhanced my technology skills the most during my time completing my degree. I was able to learn how to create a design, input multimedia, and create an interactive experience that teaches my viewers of an amazing writer. It also aided in my goals because I used microsoft to first write my material and input it later. I found my website was very successful and is a unique display of my technical skills.
The analysis and interpretation skill focuses on my abilities to draw conclusions from things like pieces of art and significant texts. I set goals for myself to learn how to write an in-depth analysis. I also wanted to focus on my ability to analyze key information such as textbooks and literature. These skill will later help me especially within my continuation of my education at a larger university.
I think one of the most significant classes that helped me improve this skill were American Literature and Introduction to Business. My literature class held daily student-led discussions that strongly focused on unveiling the true meanings behind famous American authors most famous works. The discussions forced the class to really think past what they were reading and draw conclusions from the tiniest of textual hints. I also found that Sociology was a unique class because of one specific project that involved use watching groups of people and drawing conclusions. This was especially significant to me because I hope to one day own a business and this is helpful to my ability to do research on my potential customers.
The artifact I chose to represent this skill is from my Introduction to Business class. The project was a group project that focused on analyzing a business. The purpose was to present the business as if our teacher was an investor. My group chose Boeing as our business. The analysis met my goals because it was very in-depth. It focused on not only numbers and financial information but also the company’s purpose. With this information the project was then to determine based on our information if this was not only a good investment choice but also a choice you could be proud of. This project really forced me to look deep into a situation and draw conclusions from it that could essentially have been serious financial decisions.
You will apply the basic principles of interpretation and analysis to synthesize information.
Artifact 1
BUS-110
Boeing Analysis
Artifact 2
SOC-
Observation Essay
Analysis and Interpretation
Problem Solving
You will apply the basic principles of mathematics and/or scientific inquiry to identify, interpret and evaluate and solve problems.
Artifact 1
ENG-113
Proposal
The problem solving skill intends on improving my ability to resolve issues whether mathematical or situational. My goals were to be able to assess an issue and identify a resolution to the situation. This goal allows me to take initiative on upcoming issues and resolve them as quickly as possible. My second goal for this skill is to learn how to properly conduct research to find a resolution to a problem at hand if the answer is unclear. Combining these two goals allows me to quickly resolve issues and be able to take initiative when needed.
The classes I took to enhance my problem solving were of course Quantitive Literacy and surprisingly English 113. My math class taught me more than just numbers and figures. We focused on logistics and assessing information and drawing from the information whether statements made sense or where true or false. These techniques really made you focus on the details within a text and I found myself using these techniques when I was doing research for my other classes.
The most impactful class I felt was my English 113 class due to the proposal we were required to write for our final paper. I used this paper as my artifact although there is no real solution to the issue I addressed. I chose this because it truly allowed me to question an issue and perform very in-depth and specific research on the issue of Art Education in public schools. This is not an issue that can be solved easily or even immediately but I was able to really elaborate on the issue. I feel like this assignment taught me the measures that can be necessary to find a solution to a problem. This skill is also a skill that I can apply to my future career goals of being a business owner because I will be faced with many problems on my journey of creating a successful business.