Students are required to complete three (3) credits in the Dimensions of Wellness category.
The primary focus of this course requirement is upon one of the following dimensions of wellness: emotional, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, or spiritual. Because wellness is a multidimensional concept, each course must clearly demonstrate how the dimension of primary focus relates to at least one of the other dimensions. All Dimensions of Wellness courses must require students to participate in active learning or experiential activities designed to enhance personal well-being.
Dimensions of Wellness Expected Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes
Syllabi for courses designed to fulfill the Liberal Studies Dimensions of Wellness requirement must provide course content that enables students to achieve the Expected Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes identified below. Course proposals may identify additional objectives from the list of Expected Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes as appropriate to the course content.
Informed Learners understand nature and society through forms of inquiry fundamental to the sciences, the humanities, and the arts. Learners are informed by knowledge and ways of knowing that extend beyond core concepts enabling them to link theory and practice.
As Informed Learners, students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the interrelationships within and across disciplines.
Empowered Learners are critical thinkers who demonstrate intellectual agility and creativity and the ability to manage or create change. They are able to derive meaning from experience and observation. They communicate well in diverse settings and employ various strategies to solve problems. They are empowered through mastery of intellectual and practical skills.
As Empowered Learners, students will demonstrate:
- information literacy skills, including the ability to access, evaluate, interpret, and use information from a variety of sources.
- the ability to transform information into knowledge and knowledge into judgment and action.
- critical thinking skills, including analysis, application, and evaluation.
- reflective thinking and the ability to synthesize information and ideas.
Responsible Learners are engaged citizens of a diverse democratic society who have a deep sense of social responsibility and ethical judgment. They are responsible for their personal actions and civic values.
As Responsible Learners, students will demonstrate:
- an understanding of the ethical and behavioral consequences of decisions and actions on themselves, on society, and on the physical world.
Dimensions of Wellness Required Course Content
Proposals for courses designed to fulfill the Liberal Studies Dimensions of Wellness requirement must include:
- clearly identified active learning or experiential activities that require students to apply course content.
- self-reflective activities that provide insight into personal wellness.
- an assessment of personal strengths and challenges within the dimension of primary focus.
- development of an improvement plan to address the challenges identified in the assessment exercises.
- a culminating self-evaluation of the student's progress toward improvement.
- use of the Internet as a means to gather accurate information relevant to the topic of primary focus; it is expected that the Internet will be where students and their families will seek wellness information.
Individuals proposing courses designed to fulfill the Liberal Studies Dimension of Wellness requirement are encouraged to include:
- activities that promote development of oral and/or written communication.
- activities that encourage service learning opportunities.
- approximately 30 percent of the class time devoted to active learning or experiential activities.
Dimensions of Wellness Common Learning Objectives
All courses meeting the Liberal Studies Dimensions of Wellness requirement will establish common course objectives stating:
- At the conclusion of the course the student should be able to:
- describe the factors within the course's primary focus that influence wellness.
- understand how to apply the skills learned in this course throughout his or her life.
- use information literacy skills to seek and evaluate wellness-related information.
- identify the benefits of a wellness-oriented lifestyle and consequences of a wellness-neglected lifestyle.