Cross-Cutting Capacities

Today, it is recognized that there are a number of capacities and values that not only contribute to personal success but also to the success of the society and the organizations within it. The cross-cutting capacities in OU’s general education program include:

• Effective communication
• Critical thinking
• Social awareness
• Information literacy

Oakland's general education program ensures students are exposed to these capacities multiple times throughout their general education experience by requiring that general education courses incorporate the cross-cutting capacities.

The ability to communicate effectively could be met through the use of oral presentations or writing assignments. Communicating information in a meaningful way is a fundamental skill necessary to success in academe and society.

The critical thinking requirement can be demonstrated through the ability to handle formal reasoning and through more complex writing assignments that require students to analyze or critique information. Critical thinking includes a number of skills, including the ability to:

• raise vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly
• gather and assess relevant information using abstractions to interpret effectively
• come to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions and test them against relevant criteria
• recognize and assess the assumptions, implications and consequences of alternative systems of thought
• work with others to figure out solutions to complex problems.

Social awareness is intended to encourage instruction that will enhance a student's understanding of society and their effectiveness as citizens. Courses with a social awareness component will provide students with the ability to understand issues of social importance, examine the ways in which these issues are handled within our society and enable students to act as effective citizens.

Information literacy addresses the need for students to develop the skills to investigate problems on their own once they graduate. The tools for acquiring information, the ability to evaluate the quality of the information source and the ability to use the information are central to this capacity. Also important is the need to develop the ability to acquire information from a variety of sources and delivery mechanisms.