General Education Requirements

In addition to meeting degree requirements for a particular major, a student at Christian Brothers University will be required to have a broad understanding of self, others, and the contemporary world. Furthermore, the graduate of Christian Brothers University shall have cultivated, through the arts and sciences, the necessary skills of reasoning and communication, and shall have developed an awareness of the religious dimension of human existence. In the tradition of the Christian Brothers, all students take a broad range of courses, thus providing the opportunity to experience the full breadth of the curriculum.

The Pyramid of Learning

At CBU, the goals for student learning have been grouped into four major areas, represented by a pyramid. The most basic goals are at the base of the pyramid: critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and effective communication. At the next level are knowledge of religion, culture, society, and self, and knowledge of the natural world, the scientific method, and its application. At the peak of the pyramid are moral, ethical, and aesthetic principles.

Student Outcomes

Within each of the four major learning goals listed above are several student learning outcomes:

A. Critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and effective communication

1. Quantitative Problem Solving. Students will demonstrate the appropriate use of mathematical, quantitative, and logical methods to solve problems.
2. Statistics. Students will demonstrate the appropriate use of statistical methods to analyze data, solve problems, and make decisions.
3. Effective Written Communication. Students will demonstrate their ability to write effectively, employing appropriate use of language, sentence structure, and grammar.
4. Effective Oral Communication. Students will demonstrate their ability to speak effectively.
5. Critical Reading. Students will demonstrate their ability to read critically.
6. Research Skills. Students will demonstrate their ability to access scholarly communication effectively, and locate, evaluate, and properly cite information resources both online and in print.

B. Knowledge of religion, culture, society, and self

1. Knowledge of World Religions. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the beliefs, principles, and practices of Christianity as well as those of other religions and cultures.
2. Impacts of World Religions. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the influence of religion on individuals, cultures, and societies from both historical and contemporary perspectives.
3. Knowledge of Cultural and Global Issues. Students will demonstrate an understanding of personal, cultural, social, and global issues from historical and contemporary perspectives.*

C. Knowledge of the natural world, the scientific method, and its application

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the Scientific Method and the ability to interpret data.

D. Moral, ethical, and aesthetic principles

1. Ethics and Judgments. Students will demonstrate an understanding of accepted ethical principles and their applicability in making ethical and moral judgments.
2. Aesthetic Principles. Students will demonstrate an understanding of aesthetic principles from the perspective of diverse academic disciplines.

The Matrix (Table) indicates in general terms which Student Learning Outcomes are met by each category. A more detailed list of course requirements in each category follows the Table.

Matrix of G.E.R. Outcomes

√ indicates this outcome is assessed in this category

* indicates that this outcome is reinforced in some of the courses in this category