The Value of General Education
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has adopted a set of ESSENTIAL SKILLS that fit within the framework of the four "Essential Learning Outcomes" drawn from the Liberal Education and America's Promise (LEAP) campaign, an initiative of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. This initiative champions the importance of a twenty-first-century general education—for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. Employers want to hire graduates with GE skills.
What are these Four Essential Learning Outcomes?
1. Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World
Achieved through study in the Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, Humanities, Histories, Languages, and the Arts
2. Intellectual and Practical Skills, Including
- Written Communication
- Oral Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Information Literacy and Technology Literacy
- Teamwork
- Creativity, Inquiry, and Discovery
3. Personal and Civic Responsibility, Including
- Global Competencies
- Human Diversity Appreciation
- Ethical Reasoning and Social Responsibility
- Self-Understanding
- Foundation and Skills for Lifelong Learning
4. Integrative Learning, Including
Synthesis and Interdisciplinary Methods of Inquiry
Cal Poly, as part of the California State University system follows the General Education guidelines, set forth in Executive Order 1033 (PDF).