Departmental Pillars

As students in a program devoted to a liberal, broad based educational background, graduates of the Biology Department at Lewis University are trained to be well rounded, articulate individuals who are able to demonstrate their knowledge in a wide variety of manners. This includes but is not limited to foundational skills in writing, reading, speaking, listening, quantitative analysis, critical thinking, and the use of technology. To formally demonstrate an evolution of these core skills while at Lewis University, the Biology Department expects that all its graduates present an electronic portfolio in the final semester prior to graduation. This e-portfolio will include various assignments, documents, or projects related to course work that show evidence that the student has met the expectations of the department as articulated in the following five pillars. The student should also provide documentation that these skills have evolved during their undergraduate career(s). This will be achieved by inclusion of “early” (Fresh/Soph) documents demonstrating the required skill(s) followed by “late” (Jr. /Sr.) documents. Students should also include a written narrative in each section to explain where/why they felt their abilities evolved.

I- Written communication skills
Students should demonstrate an ability to demonstrate their knowledge and express ideas, opinions, beliefs, and facts to others effectively in a variety of written formats, ranging from basic essays to professional or research writing. In this writing, they should demonstrate an ability to comprehend, interpret, and analyze. These skills support the departmental mission by initiating students into the philosophy, traditions, and practices of the scientific ways of knowing (FIDELITY) as well as encouraging reflection on biological concepts so as to increase disciplinary understanding and application (WISDOM).

II- Oral communication skills
Recognizing that the ability to verbally express oneself is an integral part of any career, students in the Biology department should be able to effectively communicate ideas, beliefs, and facts in both the formal and informal setting(s). This can range from small group discussion in class to question/answer session(s) to formal research presentations. These skills are congruous with the departmental mission in that they recognize the pivotal natures of sharing information in scientific communities (ASSOCIATION) as well as well as support the aforementioned pillars of FIDELITY and WISDOM.

III- Critical thinking and quantitative skills
Critical thinking is an advanced cognitive process which involves the careful examination of ideas and integration of multiple perspectives/resources in order to clarify, improve, and advance one’s understanding of the world around them. Critical thinking may be demonstrated by solving challenging problems (through the use of quantitative skills), synthesizing information to arrive at reasoned conclusions, evaluating the logic, relevance, and validity of data, or using knowledge and understanding to raise new questions. This pillar supports the departmental mission by demonstrating student ability to master discipline specific concepts (KNOWLEDGE) as well as fostering a respect for the multiple components of the discipline (JUSTICE).

IV- Intellectual Depth, Breadth, and Adaptiveness
Students in the Biology Department should demonstrate an ability to examine, organize, and apply the disciplinary ways of knowing to specific issues. Intellectual depth is demonstrated generally through knowledge gained in the major, but should be complemented by breadth (e.g., knowledge gained outside the major, but pertinent to more fully addressing the question at hand). The student should also be able to modify his/her approach to a problem/question based upon the requirements of a situation, thereby demonstrating adaptiveness. This pillar also supports the departmental notions of KNOWLEDGE, JUSTICE, and WISDOM as previously outlined. Furthermore, this pillar also recognizes the importance of collegial learning communities (ASSOCIATION).

V- Integration and Application of Knowledge
Students demonstrate integration of knowledge when they articulate and apply concepts from two or more disciplinary areas. Application of knowledge, an extension of integration, shows that students are intellectually mature and capable of linking their knowledge so as to advance their own professional goals and the goals of society. Similar to the previous pillar, integration and application of knowledge support the departmental mission in the areas of KNOWLEDGE, JUSTICE, and WISDOM as well as further promotes JUSTICE.

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