Core Skills

            

                   Written Communication 

"The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using text in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.

The student can clearly present written information.

I choose my informative paper from my writing and inquiry class from the first semester of my senior year, 2023, to demonstrate my written communication skills. We had to select a topic that we were interested in for this paper. I decided to write about how climate change is affecting our planet and its consequences. I believed that this artifact would be beneficial since it demonstrates my growth as a writer during my time as student at SPCC. My first goal for this skill is to be able to convey myself more precisely when writing. When I'm writing, I have a tendency to stray. However, it's critical to maintain a sharp focus while working on a subject as serious as climate change. This paper utilizes the knowledge I gained from this class. Enhancing my writing formatting knowledge is my second objective for this skill. I predominantly used MLA format in high school and college, although it's customary to use APA while writing scientific papers. I didn't know much about APA formatting. Yet with the support of my instructor and the Academic Support Center, I was able to learn more formatting guidelines and produce an APA paper that was successful. In many respects, learning written communication has been beneficial.  My career goal is to work as a marine biologist. This line of work required not only extensive research but also the ability to articulate my conclusions and ideas in writing. This ability, in my opinion, will be useful to me as I pursue a career as a marine biologist. 
 

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                   Oral Communication  

"The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using the spoken word in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience."

I decided to use my zombie apocalypse film from my HUM-115 class, the second semester of my senior year, as my oral communication artifact. I choose this project not only because it had me consider my options in a life-or-death scenario, but also because it made me reflect. This assignment helped me apply my critical thinking abilities and to think creatively because we had to discuss in detail what we would do in the given situation. Since one of the objectives of this homework was to demonstrate to the teacher that you could, in fact, survive the zombie apocalypse, it's critical that you be quite specific and explicit in your thinking. My first goal was to eliminate unnecessary words from my speech and learn how to use less filler words when I was trying to talk in front of an audience and convey my views verbally. I found that the structure of the task and the need for us to delve into specifics were helpful. I now know that it is simple to rule out poorly composed sections if you have sufficient information and have given your work careful consideration. This is because you will have enough information to fill in the blanks. My second goal was to improve my facial expressions and physical eye Contact during conversations. I've discovered that eye contact can have a significant impact on how people interpret and retain your speech throughout this class and my public speaking course. As previously said, one of my career goals is to become a marine biologist, which requires me to effectively convey my research. I will benefit in the long run from this assignment and the class since I have learned techniques that will make my words and speeches more captivating and engaging. After I graduate from SPCC, I also intend to attend a four-year institution, and I believe that oral communication will be a crucial subject at this time.

                         

                           

                            Critical Thinking 

"The learner will identify, interpret, analyze, or synthesize problems before developing and implementing solutions in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience."

To illustrate my ability to think critically, I used the critical thinking activity from my humanities class during the second semester of my senior year in 2024. We were required to select three definitions from credible sources, then apply those three concepts to build our own individual definitions of critical thinking. I utilized one term from Cambridge, one from Merriam Webster, and one from the University of Louisiana for this task. Using critical thinking was essential for this assignment. I selected this particular piece because it demonstrates how I might expand upon and advance my understanding that I have acquired from a dependable source. Critical thinking is crucial for my future profession in marine biology since without it, new research would not be conducted. It is, nevertheless, also crucial for each and every work. Without critical thought, life is almost impossible. My first goal was to become more adept at solving problems. Because this assignment taught me how to contribute more to the conversation and integrate my ideas into others' ideas, I think it helped me become a better problem solver. My second objective was to become proficient at crafting a compelling response. I hope I succeeded in demonstrating the various perspectives on critical thinking and the fact that there are multiple varieties of critical thinking. I believe that overall this demonstrates how much I have evolved while attending SPCC. I've had trouble coming up with original ideas, but this course and many others, including my writing and inquiry classes, have taught me how to take things one step further and add to the conversation.


 

               Intercultural Competence

"The learner will demonstrate a “set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.” 

To showcase my intercultural skill, I chose the assignment, nonverbal communication United States versus Japan from my public speaking class that I am currently taking in the second semester of my senior year 2024. For this assignment, we watched a video of a boy from Japan, and a boy from the United States, and one of them would show a hand gesture, and say what it meant in their country then the other boy would show what hand gesture they would use for that meaning or what that hand gesture met in their country. I chose this artifact because it shows how different countries interpret things variously because they have a different culture and history. This artifact taught me a lot of things, most notably how diverse and unique each country is. But I also learned that it is very important to understand the people around you and how they view things. I do plan to travel in my career and feel that being able to understand that not all cultures view things similarly is important to learn because it will help you communicate better and show respect. My first goal was to have a better understanding of other cultural backgrounds for this assignment. When we compared US hand gestures to Japanese hand gestures, I did learn more about Japanese culture and how they are more different, such as how many of their motions are particular to genders and males. My second objective was to be able to carry on a conversation with someone from a different background; this assignment helped me realize how to do that. Understanding their worldview and culture is important because it can influence both the dialogue and your relationship. This shows how my knowledge and understanding on other cultures has expanded while at SPCC.



 

               Information Literacy

"The learner will select and use technology to access, process, and exchange information in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience."

To show my technology skills, I have chosen my argument source evaluation paper from my writing an inquiry class that I took in the first semester of my senior year 2023. For this assignment, we had to use three of the sources we were using for our argumentative essay. Within, we had to use crab analysis, which stands for currency, relevancy, authority, and bias. This helps evaluate the sources that we were using for important papers. I chose this paper because it shows how I am using my resources effectively and using the information I have learned online to support my paper and back up my argument. This artifact taught me how to break it down, making it easier to know that the source I am using is credible and relevant to my paper. The scale will be extremely important in my future career and my future at a four-year college, because if you do not use credible sources and do not know how to use information that you are given in a proper format, then you will be set up for failure. when using unreliable data. You are giving out unreliable information. My first goal was to become familiar with different types of media and websites. This assignment helped me very much with this goal because it breaks down where your media is coming from, who is giving out the information, what their credentials are, and why it’s important to your paper. My second goal was to learn how to use websites to improve my work while at SPCC. When you use technology to find information that helps prove your point and add information to your topic, it improves your paper because it backs up your information and helps you develop your argument. This shows how I have learned how to use technology to my benefit and improve my standard of work while at SPCC.