Draft of First-Year Student Learning Goals
February, 2010
In the first year, students learn to take responsibility for themselves and develop a sense of who they are as members of a
diverse community. Students become active participants in campus and community life, engage in a variety of
experiences, learn to embrace diverse perspectives, and develop foundational skills to help them become well-educated
persons. Students engage in critical inquiry throughout their first year and begin to communicate the results of this
inquiry to work for the common good within our pluralistic society.
Community
Looking Inward
Integrity
Embrace challenge
Persevere
Recognize limits and strengths
Identify personal learning styles
Respect
Nurture respect for oneself
Pursue physical, mental, academic and financial well-being
Responsibility
Demonstrate positive relationships with faculty and peers
Take an active role in planning academic career
Understand social/behavioral expectations in the university
Looking Outward
Integrity
Engage with various communities
Act in accordance with personal values
Practice empathy for others
Respect
Embrace diverse perspectives (local, national, and global)
Demonstrate respect for all citizens in a pluralistic society
Responsibility
Act to take responsibility for self and others
Understand learning as a lifelong process
Critical Inquiry
Academic Literacy
Understand the structure of the university
Appreciate liberal arts education
Locate university resources
Act in accordance with academic ethics
Understand college academic expectations
Learn different modes of inquiry
Communication
Develop skills in reading, writing, oral communication, thinking and quantitative reasoning
Practice civil discourse
Develop visual literacy
Develop awareness of aesthetic modes of human expression
Intellectual engagement
Exhibit curiosity
Understand how knowledge is interconnected and is critical in problem-solving
Practice creativity
Negotiate ambiguity
For feedback on these goals, contact April Chatham-Carpenter at “chatham@uni.edu”.