Power Skills

Program Learning Outcome: Demonstrate engagement with others to strengthen team cohesiveness and effectiveness.

Course Description:
The Collaboration course is designed to help learners develop their abilities to collaborate effectively. When you collaborate, you are working with others to achieve a common purpose, and to strengthen overall team cohesiveness and effectiveness. This is accomplished by fully engaging with team members, utilizing individual strengths and skills to facilitate contributions, and eliminating bias toward personal perspectives. Collaboration may be asynchronous, in which team interactions such as document-sharing do not happen in real time, or it may be synchronous, such as attending real time face-to-face or online meetings. Regardless of whether collaboration is synchronous or asynchronous, it remains focused on using the talents and skills of a diverse team to accomplish a shared, defined business purpose. When it is effective, collaboration results in shared understanding and agreement that support accountability to shared standards.

Program Learning Outcome: Persuade others using written and oral communication techniques.

Course Description:
The Communication courses is designed to help learners develop their abilities to communicate effectively. When you communicate, you are usually looking for a specific outcome as a result of the communication, such as presenting new information, gaining agreement, providing direction, changing behavior, or taking action. As the sender of the communication, regardless of the situation, it is your responsibility to make sure your message has been understood by the recipients. If a communication fails to result in the sender's desired outcome, it is worthwhile to rethink the message, consider altering the message, or even reconsider sending the message. Many times, the culture and politics of our work environment prevent us from being focused and direct in our communications. A lack of succinct and direct communication creates additional workload, confusion, unnecessary politics, and ultimately, loss of value to stakeholders.

Program Learning Outcome: Select the best decision resulting from the judging process.

Course Description:
Decision-making is one of the key components of the critical thinking process. Decision-making follows from problem-solving and judging, and is the process that results in making a choice among multiple possible courses of action. Effective decision-making can be delayed or prevented by a number of factors such as too much/too little information, too many people and/or beneficial interests (in the case of group decision-making), and over/under commitment to a decision. Individuals who apply effective decision-making skills, are able to identify available options, evaluate them objectively, and choose appropriately, are valued personal and professional contributors. Learners in this course will have the opportunity to develop skills proposing decisions that are synthesized and logically extrapolated from the analysis of evidence in the judging process.

Program Learning Outcome: Judge evidence derived from problem-solving.

Course Description:
Sound judgement is more than simply demonstrating mastery of the knowledge or processes related to a specific job or profession. Sound judgement, one component of an individual’s ability to think critically, results from the application of a logical structure for considering relevant information in light of past experience. When sound judgment is applied, a person is able to accurately assess various options or solutions in order to make the most effective and/or appropriate choice. This is accomplished by thoroughly analyzing evidence established during the problem-solving process, determining relevant limitations and implications, identifying and objectively assessing assumptions and biases, and applying integrity when considering objective data and facts. When individuals exhibit sound judgement, they demonstrate an important leadership trait, gain the respect and commitment of others, and bring additional value to their personal and professional activities.

Program Learning Outcome: Recognize and solve problems using the most appropriate strategy for the specific context.

Course Description:
Everybody solves problems because everybody encounters problems on a daily basis that require solutions. As part of an individual’s critical thinking capabilities, the ability to solve problems effectively and efficiently is a valuable personal and professional skill. Developing effective problem-solving skills allows learners to recognize problems when they occur, conduct analysis of the problems, assess the severity of the problems, and evaluate a variety of possible solutions. The ability to solve problems constructively and objectively increases efficiency and productivity. Clearly and insightfully considering the history and context of a problem enables learners to evaluate multiple problem-solving techniques to select the most appropriate strategy for solving the problem. This course is designed to help learners acquire and develop effective problem-solving skills.

Program Learning Outcome: Assess relevant attitudes and behaviors when working in a professional context.

Course Description:
In simple terms, self-management can be defined as the processes we use to control our own behavior. An expanded definition of self-management would include a variety of factors, skills, and techniques individuals must consider and use to manage their activities in pursuit of goals. Activities such as personal development and learning, setting goals, personal reflection, and self-assessment contribute to an individual’s self-management skills. Other factors inherent in effective self-management practices include self-confidence levels, the ability to manage stress, self-motivation capacity, and organizational and time management competencies. This course is designed to provide learners with skills in assessing their relevant attitudes and behaviors when working in a professional context, assuming responsibility for their actions, overcoming obstacles ethically to achieve objectives, demonstrating professionalism, developing a sense of self as a learner, and building fully on previous learning and experience.

Program Learning Outcome: Form conclusions about personal and professional value interrelationships.

Course Description:
Values clarification is essential for effective decision-making, collaboration, and self-management. Values are typically defined as the ethical priorities and moral standards that guide our actions. By identifying and focusing on their personal values, individuals can achieve greater self-awareness, higher levels of personal integrity, and enhanced credibility as a person and a leader. This course assists learners in comprehensively evaluating their personal values for complexity, multiple layers, and interrelationships, and developing their skills articulating and internalizing the consequences and outcomes related to values interrelationships. When personal values are correlated with actions, individuals are better prepared to make sound decisions, collaborate effectively with others, manage themselves more efficiently, and assess the impact of their decisions on others. Values clarification provides a solid moral and ethical foundation that can improve personal and professional relationships, while reducing anxiety/stress, minimizing or eliminating negative behaviors, and reinforcing positive behaviors.