Integrating Liberal Studies at the Assignment Level - A Case Study

The definition of liberal arts has evolved from its Roman origins, and its renaissance expansion. While there are many modern interpretations of what constitutes a liberal arts curriculum, one distinction has remained throughout; a focus on and value of intellectual rather than vocational skills. This paper demonstrates an approach to integrating those intellectual skills to enhance vocational ones. As a result of industry feedback, a community college adopted four Workforce Skills to be integrated into the entire curriculum. Multiple ways of measuring each competency were also identified for each competency. The skills identified were: Communication Skills - Communicate effectively through speaking, listening, and writing. Critical Thinking - Use critical thinking to analyze and solve problems. Technical Skills - Demonstrate knowledge and competence in academic and technical fields of study. Interpersonal Skills - Demonstrate positive, effective, and appropriate interpersonal skills. With the exception of technical skills, these fall within the modern definition of liberal studies. This case study describes how one technical program integrated these skills into its laboratory intensive program. The subject of this study was a Tool, Die and Mold Making program, leading to an Associate of Applied Science degree. Identifying linkage to outcomes such as these is fairly common at the program and course level. In this study, the relevant skills are integrated at the assignment level as well. In courses where assignments did not support these skills, assignments were added or modified as appropriate. For example: communication, critical thinking, and teamwork were integrated into laboratory ( machining) sections through the use of individual and team based projects. These projects required written plans, written evaluations at the conclusion, a reflective paper to cement learning, and a presentation to the class and others. This paper will provide a detailed description of how this integration and the demonstration of these competencies were achieved. Linkages between all assignments and the relevant liberal studies items ( Workforce Skills) will be identified. The paper will also discuss the how the integration of each of these liberal studies skills enhances the application of technical skills and job readiness.