Draft of Possible Revised Eastern Illinois University Learning Goals
EIU graduates will reason and communicate clearly as responsible citizens and leaders in diverse personal, professional, and civic
contexts.
Critical Thinking
EIU graduates will question, examine, evaluate, and respond to problems or arguments by:
1. Asking essential questions and engaging diverse perspectives of issues.
2. Seeking and gathering data, information, and knowledge from experience, texts, graphical, and media sources.
3. Understanding, interpreting, and critiquing relevant data, information, and knowledge.
4. Synthesizing and integrating data, information, and knowledge to infer and create new insights
5. Anticipating, reflecting upon, and evaluating implications of assumptions, arguments, hypotheses, and conclusions.
6. Creating and presenting defensible expressions, arguments, positions, hypotheses, and proposals.
Writing and Critical Reading
EIU graduates will comprehend and evaluate varied sources and write purposively and critically by:
1. Producing written works that are appropriate for specific audiences, purposes, genres, disciplines, and professions.
2. Crafting cogent and defensible applications, analyses, evaluations, and arguments about problems, ideas, and issues.
3. Producing documents that are well-organized, focused, and cohesive.
4. Using appropriate vocabulary, mechanics, grammar, diction, and sentence structure.
5. Understanding, questioning, analyzing, and synthesizing complex textual, numeric, and graphical sources.
6. Evaluating evidence, issues, ideas, and problems from multiple perspectives.
7. Collecting and employing source materials ethically and understanding their strengths and limitations.
Speaking and Listening
EIU graduates will prepare, deliver, and critically evaluate presentations and other formal speaking activities by:
1. Collecting, comprehending, analyzing, synthesizing and ethically incorporating source material.
2. Adapting formal and impromptu presentations, debates, and discussions to their audience and purpose.
3. Developing and organizing ideas and supporting them with appropriate details and evidence.
4. Using effective language skills adapted for oral delivery, including appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure.
5. Using effective vocal delivery skills, including volume, pitch, rate of speech, articulation, pronunciation, and fluency.
6. Employing effective physical delivery skills, including eye contact, gestures, and movement.
7. Using active and critical listening skills to understand and evaluate oral communication.
Quantitative Reasoning
EIU graduates will produce, analyze, interpret, and evaluate quantitative material by:
1. Performing basic calculations and measurements.
2. Applying quantitative methods and using the resulting evidence to solve problems.
3. Reading, interpreting, and constructing tables, graphs, charts, and other representations of quantitative material.
4. Critically evaluating quantitative methodologies and data.
5. Constructing cogent arguments utilizing quantitative material.
Responsible Citizenship
EIU graduates will be active, responsible citizens in diverse personal, professional, and civic contexts by:
1. Pursuing lifelong learning and applying knowledge and skills to new and changing contexts.
2. Comprehending various forces, events, and processes that shape the natural world, human history, and culture.
3. Understanding and interacting with diverse ideas, individuals, groups, and cultures.
4. Making informed and ethical decisions in personal, professional, and civic settings.
5. Accessing, interpreting, and applying credible information in order to act as a responsible member of society.
6. Engaging formally and informally in civic life to better the public good.
EIU Mission Statement
Eastern Illinois University is a public comprehensive university that offers superior, accessible
undergraduate and graduate education. Students learn the methods and results of free and
rigorous inquiry in the arts, humanities, sciences, and professions, guided by a faculty
known for its excellence in teaching, research, creative activity, and service. The University
community is committed to diversity and inclusion and fosters opportunities for student-faculty
scholarship and applied learning experiences within a student-centered campus culture.
Throughout their education, students refine their abilities to reason and to communicate
clearly so as to become responsible citizens and leaders
Current EIU Learning Goals
Critical Thinking
Draft of Possible Revised Eastern Illinois
University Learning Goals
Critical Thinking
Mission of General Education:
• to encourage students to think critically and reflectively
CASL definition of goal to assess
EIU graduates will demonstrate the ability to think critically
Students should demonstrate the ability to:
1. Sort, evaluate, and interpret information;
2. Formulate hypotheses and strategies for analysis;
3. Comprehend and extract significant evidence;
4. Recognize and evaluate assumptions, evidence,
and reasoning;
5. Detect fallacious arguments;
6. Reason deductively; and
7. Apply techniques, rules, and models to solve
problems.
EIU graduates will question, examine, evaluate, and respond
to problems or arguments by:
1. Asking essential questions and engaging diverse
perspectives of issues.
2. Seeking and gathering data, information, and
knowledge from experience, texts, graphical, and
media sources.
3. Understanding, interpreting, and critiquing relevant
data, information, and knowledge.
4. Synthesizing and integrating data, information, and
knowledge to infer and create new insights
5. Anticipating, reflecting upon, and evaluating
implications of assumptions, arguments, hypotheses,
and conclusions.
6. Creating and presenting defensible expressions,
arguments, positions, hypotheses, and proposals.
Writing
Writing and Critical Reading
Mission of General Education:
to enhance student literacy and oral communication
EIU graduates will comprehend and evaluate varied sources
and write purposively and critically by:
1. Creating documents appropriate for specific audiences,
purposes, genres, disciplines, and professions.
2. Crafting cogent and defensible applications, analyses,
evaluations, and arguments about problems, ideas,
and issues.
3. Producing documents that are well-organized,
focused, and cohesive.
4. Using appropriate vocabulary, mechanics, grammar,
diction, and sentence structure.
5. Understanding, questioning, analyzing, and
synthesizing complex textual, numeric, and graphical
sources.
6. Evaluating evidence, issues, ideas, and problems from
multiple perspectives.
7. Collecting and employing source materials ethically
and understanding their strengths and limitations.
CASL definition of goal to assess
EIU graduates will demonstrate the ability to write effectively.
EIU students will prepare written assignments that
demonstrate competent writing skills including:
1. Establishing and maintaining focus and appropriate
voice;
2. Awareness of audience (degree of knowledge and
expectation);
3. Organization that enhances presentation of
materials/ideas;
4. Development of ideas supported by details;
5. Use of effective sentence structure, syntax, and
diction;
6. Use of correct mechanics; and
7. Proper use and documentation of sources
Speaking
Mission of General Education:
to enhance student literacy and oral communication
CASL definition of goal to assess
EIU graduates will demonstrate the ability to speak effectively
The student should demonstrate the ability to complete the
steps necessary for an oral presentation or formal speaking
activity including:
1. Collect, analyze, and synthesize source material;
2. Recognize the audience, and shape the
presentation appropriately;
3. Organize ideas effectively;
4. Use effective language skills, including appropriate
grammar, diction, and sentence structure;
5. Use effective verbal communication skills, including
volume, rate of speech, and pronunciation, and;
6. Employ effective nonverbal communication skills,
including eye contact and gestures.
7. Cognitive objectives: Quality speaking naturally
exhibits content.
Responsible Global Citizenship
Mission of General Education
• to introduce students to knowledge central to responsible
global citizenship.
CASL definition of goal to assess
EIU graduates will demonstrate the ability to function as
responsible global citizens.
Students should demonstrate the ability to:
1. Display civic engagement
2. Convey an understanding of history, including an
ability to comprehend world-shaping forces and
events that have affected human culture
3. Exhibit an appreciation of diversity both at home
and abroad
4. Make objective decisions informed by multiple
perspectives
Speaking and Listening
EIU graduates will prepare, deliver, and critically evaluate
presentations and other formal speaking activities by:
1. Collecting, comprehending, analyzing, synthesizing
and ethically incorporating source material.
2. Adapting formal and impromptu presentations,
debates, and discussions to their audience and
purpose.
3. Developing and organizing ideas and supporting them
with appropriate details and evidence.
4. Using effective language skills adapted for oral
delivery, including appropriate vocabulary, grammar,
and sentence structure.
5. Using effective vocal delivery skills, including volume,
pitch, rate of speech, articulation, pronunciation, and
fluency.
6. Employing effective physical delivery skills, including
eye contact, gestures, and movement.
7. Using active and critical listening skills to understand
and evaluate oral communication.
Responsible Citizenship
EIU graduates will be active, responsible citizens in diverse
personal, professional, and civic contexts by:
1. Pursuing lifelong learning and applying knowledge
and skills to new and changing contexts.
2. Comprehending various forces, events, and
processes that shape the natural world, human
history, and culture.
3. Understanding and interacting with diverse ideas,
individuals, groups, and cultures.
4. Making informed and ethical decisions in personal,
professional, and civic settings.
5. Accessing, interpreting, and applying credible
information in order to act as a responsible member of
society.
6. Engaging formally and informally in civic life to better
the public good.
Quantitative Reasoning
EIU graduates will produce, analyze, interpret, and evaluate
quantitative material by:
1. Performing basic calculations and measurements.
2. Applying quantitative methods and using the resulting
evidence to solve problems.
3. Reading, interpreting, and constructing tables, graphs,
charts, and other representations of quantitative
material.
4. Critically evaluating quantitative methodologies and
data.
5. Constructing cogent arguments utilizing quantitative
material.