An Introduction to Foundation Standards

 

A truly educated person never ceases to learn.  One of the qualities of a good liberal arts education is that it makes learning a habit of mind, an essential ingredient of a well-lived life.  The years spent at Ferrum are but a beginning to the lifelong acquisition of knowledge and wisdom.  The earning of the bachelor's degree may be regarded as a framework for greater knowledge and wisdom.  This framework must rest upon a foundation--a foundation for higher education that you have been putting into place through all of the formal, as well as informal, education you have experienced to date.  The foundation that each student brings to Ferrum will vary somewhat, but there are certain skills that are critically important building blocks which must be in place if a Ferrum liberal arts education is to result from your work here.

 

This booklet identifies and explains five abilities or standards that are essential for academic success at Ferrum.  These building blocks will be discussed during the orientation program prior to the beginning of classes.  They will also be emphasized in Freshman Seminar 101 and College Skills 111, Introduction to Liberal Arts Learning.  These five standards are cornerstones of the foundation for the learning that is to occur.  During your first year of study it is important that you put them firmly in place if they are not there already.  To fail to do so will make it difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the quality of work expected at Ferrum College.

 

Read these foundation standards carefully.  During your first year there will be plenty of opportunity to acquire proficiency that you may not have now.  For example, the math placement test will help to determine if you need special work in meeting Standard #3.  Library orientation programs provided in Freshaman Seminar 101, College Skills 111, and English 101-102 will help you to meet Standard #4.  During the year, the Academic Resources Center will provide assistance in correcting deficiencies.  Most importantly, be aggressive in identifying problems and eliminating them.  By the time you enter your sophomore year, all your work should meet these foundation standards.

Although these foundation standards may seem ominous at first, approach them confidently and energetically.  You will soon put them in place and build to new levels of academic quality with every passing year of progress toward your bachelor's degree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                              THE FOUNDATION STANDARDS

 

 I.

  To write and speak with unity of purpose, coherent organization, and effective use of English consistent with standard rules and ordinary conventions.

 

II.

To read and to think critically, to comprehend, analyze, interpret, evaluate and synthesize information as a process of forming mature judgments and arriving at sound conclusions.

 

III.

To analyze quantitative information and to use mathematical skills and tools as an aid to the critical thinking necessary to reach sound conclusions.

 

IV.

To gather and evaluate information from libraries, from computer based resources, from observation, and from experimentation.

 

                                                                 V.

  To use microcomputers effectively for word processing, information access, and

data management.

USING THIS BOOKLET

The standards, as previously stated, represent a general description of what Ferrum College recognizes as the most basic skills that students need in order to succeed.  Clearly, some students may be well along in developing these skills and abilities when they come to college; others may be strong in some of the skills defined here but need work in other areas.  To better understand what goes into achieving these standards, carefully read the following section, which lists each standard separately and describes it more fully, including the various steps or components by which the general standard is defined.  By the end of the freshman year, Ferrum College expects all students to attain these standards or be well on their way toward correcting deficiencies.  The process does not stop with the first year, however.  Throughout your college career, you will be expected to continue to pursue the standards that are required to attain an excellent liberal arts education.

 IMPORTANT:

Please refer to the section in this booklet entitled Assessment of Students= Progress on pages 14-15.

 

Use of language enables us to convert mental activity into ideas and ideas into understanding. The effective use of language enables communication to take place between one person and another.  Therefore successful communication is fundamental to the process of education. It is what distinguishes one who is educated from one who is not.

 As writers and speakers mature, they evolve more effective skills in defining their purposes, developing the content of their thought, arranging their ideas in clear and sensible progression, and demonstrating mastery of grammar, usage and mechanics.  You must actively strive to achieve the following elements of good communication so as to be able to demonstrate them competently when you begin your second year of study:

             A.  Unity

Most types of academic expression should communicate a central idea.  All of the units of language--words, sentences, paragraphs--must serve the purpose of this controlling idea.  Whether using language informally in an academic discussion or formally in a class writing assignment, students should consciously strive to connect all ideas to a controlling idea or thesis.

             B.  Content

Writing and speech contain information.  This information should serve to clarify, exemplify and support the ideas that make up the controlling purpose of the communication.  Opinion and assertion must be supported by reason and fact.

C.  Organization

Writers and speakers organize material according to the purpose of the communication, the nature of the information being communicated and the nature of the audience.  Effective communication occurs when language is organized into clear and efficient units.  These units should be logically related, build upon one another, and lead the receiver of the information to understanding.

 D.  Grammar, Mechanics, Spelling

While language changes constantly according to prevailing usage, educated men and women must be able to use English according to the accepted rules of standard practice.  Students are expected to commit few or no grammatical errors in formal academic communication.  They are expected to know the meanings and connotations of the words they use.  Writers should use sentence structures that are grammatically correct as such correctness enhances clarity.  They should be able to punctuate correctly, for correct punctuation enhances clarity.

 E.  Audience

Effective communication uses language that is appropriate for its audience and its task.  It is precise, efficient and convincing.  It establishes appropriate mood and tone for its purpose.  Collegiate writers and speakers should recognize that some language is appropriate for informal situations but not for classroom, business or professional use.  They should know that wordy, sprawling, vague language frequently obscures ideas, and that choices in wording and structure often determine the reaction of readers and listeners.

 F.  Presentation

The availability of word-processing hardware and software on campus makes preparing neat, legible papers a reasonable expectation of all students.  Students will gradually learn to use appropriate format to enhance effective communication.  They will be able to write formal outlines and summaries.  Speakers will be expected to be conscious of the importance of movement, posture, use of space, facial expressions, gesture, visual aids, loudness, enunciation and tone of voice in oral communication.

                        * * *

The skills identified below are all qualities of what is often referred to as "critical thinking."  They lead to understanding written and oral communication and to evaluating and applying the ideas of others.  They are essential skills of college educated men and women. In the context of the college classroom, these skills imply a conscientious effort to understand challenging material, to analyze and to judge information and ideas, and to communicate the results of this "critical thinking" process in a variety of ways including essays, speeches, research projects, oral and written reports, etc.

 The skills described below are all qualities of critical thinking.  As an entering freshman, your professors will expect you to do the following:

  !  Accurately recall and summarize information.

 !  Recognize key points expressed in assigned materials.

 !  Read and be able to discuss intelligently the meaning expressed in assigned materials.

 !  Read and think with an open mind and be tolerant of new or unfamiliar facts and ideas.

By the end of your first year the following critical skills will be necessary for continued college success:

A. Test assumptions and evaluate the appropriateness and accuracy of supporting facts and evidence.

B. Recognize the techniques of persuasion that communicators use to present their views on a subject.

C. Communicate a considered conclusion based upon an analysis of multiple sources.

D. Mentally organize what has been written or said and determine the relationship between ideas.

E. Transfer or apply ideas from one context to another.

F. Define a problem accurately and develop reasonable alternatives for its resolution.

G. Develop, present and support original ideas; apply to one's own work the same critical standard that one applies to the work of others.

                      * * *

We live in an increasingly complex and competitive global society.  To achieve personal and professional success as you enter the twenty-first century, you will need to be proficient at interpreting quantitative information and at using mathematical analysis to help in sound decision making. 

 By the end of your first year, you should be able to meet the following standards: 

A. Possess the mathematical tools to recognize, analyze and solve problems using numerical, graphical, and symbolic approaches to create mathematical models of real-life situations.

 B. Have the confidence to access and use needed mathematics and other technical information independently, to form conjectures from an array of specific examples, and to draw logical conclusions from general principles.

C. Be able to choose the appropriate tools and technology to solve mathematical problems and judge the reasonableness of the results.

D. Communicate about mathematics both orally and in writing.

                       * * *

Because sound decisions and opinions should be based on a consideration of the best available information, assignments at Ferrum will often require you to evaluate the quality of the information and observations you have assembled against increasingly sophisticated norms.

 By the end of your first year, you should be able to meet the following standards:

 A. Have a command of basic library and information terminology.

 B. Know which research tools--indexes, catalogs, bibliographies, interactive software or full-text databases--to search for the categories of material they have selected.

 C. Search traditional and automated catalogs, indexes and databases thoroughly and efficiently.  You should be aware that synonyms and alternative terms are often needed to locate references to a subject, and they should know the wide variety of search types available in the computer environment.

 D. Locate material in the library and through document delivery, online services such as INTERNET and interlibrary loan.

 E. Recognize the circumstances under which observation is an appropriate form of research.

 F. Conduct and evaluate research based on systematic experimentation.

                       * * * 

During the past decade the microcomputer has become the indispensable connection linking us with the worlds of knowledge and commerce.  It is therefore necessary that every Ferrum student have a command of the basic computer skills required for research and communication.

 By the end of your first year, you should be able to meet the following standards:

 A. Be familiar with the microcomputer, the keyboard, and the basic terminology of computing.

 B. Use a word processor to compose and print written work.

 C. Use appropriate software to organize and analyze data.

                        * * *

 ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS' PROGRESS

 1. In order to ascertain whether appropriate progress has been made, a review of indicators that the standard has been achieved, will be made following the completion of the student's second semester of full-time study.  Results will be made known to the student and adviser.

 2. Students may indicate successful achievement of the Foundation Standards in the following ways:

 Standard I Passing English 102 with a grade of C or higher, or passing a written proficiency test upon transferring to Ferrum College.

Standard II   Passing Freshman Seminar and English 102 with a grade of C or higher.

Standard III  Passing Mathematics 101, 102, or 111, 112, or 120 or higher, with a grade of C or higher.

Standard IV  Passing English 102 or successfully passing the Library Skills Test.

Standard V   Passing Computer Science 100, or College Skills 150-151 or Business 230, or passing the Computer Literacy Test.

 4. Students who have not met the standards by the end of their third semester will be required to appear before the Academic Standards Committee prior to the beginning of the next semester.

 5. Students' progress will be audited and a report will be provided to the Office of the Dean and the Academic Resources Center of those who have and have not met the Standard at the end of their second term of full-time enrollment.