Ethics Literacy: (a) theory: the ability to summarize different ethical theories, either general (e.g., utilitarianism, care ethics, social contract theory) or field-specific (e.g., the wilderness ideal in environmental philosophy, principlism in biomedical ethics); and (b) application: the ability to use these theories to identify and assess ethical, legal, and social implications of novel technologies and scientific research (ELSI) and/or relate ethical theories to stakeholder perspectives in socially significant controversies.
STEM Literacy: for at least one STEM field, (a) exposition: the ability to identify key theoretical frameworks, research questions, methods, and findings, e.g. while working with primary research literature (e.g., journal articles) or in conversation with experts; and (b) analysis: the ability to assess research quality using either scientific norms (e.g., statistics, sampling theory, experimental design) or theoretical frameworks from fields such as the history, philosophy, and social studies of science.
Critical Engagement: while in group settings, such as in a scientific laboratory, (a) teamwork: the ability to work productively with others in pursuit of predetermined objectives, as when completing a group project; and (b) assessment: the ability to determine progress and provide feedback, as when observing a presentation.
Independent Research: (a) project management: the ability to formulate, plan, and execute a research project with multiple components over a period of time, from start to finish, while also iterating on the scope and plan of the project as conditions change; and (b) communication: the ability to communicate various aspects of the project to relevant audiences, from start to finish.
For all four PLOs, proficiency will be assumed if the average grade or score is a C or higher, whereas mastery will be assumed if the average grade or score is a B or higher. Majors are expected to be proficient in all four PLOs, while Minors are expected to be proficient in the first two PLOs.
