Core Skill

Definition

Example From COM Experience/Curriculum

Confidence

Feeling able to do what you set out to do, mentally, emotionally, and physically. 

Performance and writing assignments throughout the curriculum should work to instill confidence in your ability to speak and write well under pressure.

Intellectual Curiosity

Valuing and participating in experiences that comprise “the life of the mind.”

Asking higher level questions in class.  Connecting concepts, themes and behaviors between courses. Completing extra work of an academic or scholarly nature; participating in extracurricular opportunities, offered by the university that are academic or scholarly nature (e.g., attendance at lecture series or challenging artistic performance).

Responsibility

Taking control of the processes necessary to achieve what you set out to accomplish.  This involves the coordination of motivation, initiative, and perseverance.

Consistently meeting due dates and criteria of assignments.  Honoring your advising appointments, office visits by being on time and prepared.  Many assignments in various situations require responsibility, both as a member seeking positive final peer evaluation and in giving honest feedback.

Collaboration

Working well with others to accomplish a high quality outcome of a completed task, service, product or performance.

Panel presentations, video projects and many other COM assignments will require and foster collaboration.  It is important to explicitly work on becoming a better team member, as well as completing the task at hand.  Both process and product are important concerns.

Critical Thinking

Using sound reasoning, criteria, theories and definitions to explore specific questions or issues of concern.

Debates, class discussions and performance analyses, as well as essays that ask for arguments help to acquire and develop critical thinking skills.

Problem Solving

Coordinating all that you know and can do to bring about satisfactory outcomes.

Research and DIS projects, internships, extracurricular opportunities within the department (Advertising Club, CSS, Storytellers, Lambda Pi Eta) as well as groups and organizations outside the department such as SGA and SBTV are all ways to demonstrate and refine problem solving abilities.

Civility

Showing regard for the dignity of other people and the importance of social expectations.

Respectful involvement in class discussion and performances (active listening and meaningful contributions).  “Pulling your own weight” out of respect for your fellow group members as people.  Being honest but tactful in peer feedback, interaction with faculty and other communication exchanges.

Praxis

Able to do what the theory or concept tells you to do with skill and self-awareness.

Making clear, insightful and recognizable connections in assignments that demonstrate your ability to connect course content to your own thinking, performance choices and habits.  This concept speaks to your ability to put course vocabulary into practice.