Advances collective understanding through listening, contributing relevant ideas, and engaging with others' viewpoints.
Discussions encompasses abilities related to productive dialogue such as active listening, appropriate contribution, and respectful engagement. Students might demonstrate this skill by paying attention to speakers, asking clarifying questions, summarizing to confirm understanding, building on others' ideas, contributing relevant thoughts, inviting input from quieter participants, disagreeing respectfully, or helping maintain productive focus. This skill can be applied in academic discussions, collaborative planning sessions, feedback exchanges, and other contexts requiring dialogue.
Facilitates dialogue that synthesizes diverse perspectives and guides conversations toward actionable collective conclusions.
Advanced Discussions involves taking on a leadership role in group dialogue to help integrate multiple viewpoints and move toward meaningful outcomes. This might include recognizing when discussions stall, redirecting conversations toward constructive paths, drawing connections between contributions, summarizing complex exchanges, asking probing questions, managing disagreement productively, or helping groups transform talk into conclusions. Students might demonstrate this by leading dialogues that incorporate multiple perspectives, guiding groups through complex topics, or facilitating resolution of conflicting viewpoints.
Delivers content adapted to the audience and purpose, demonstrating clarity, presence, and ability to maintain engagement.
Real-Time Presentations involves delivering substantial content to audiences in real-time while demonstrating strong speaking skills. This might include selecting language and examples appropriate for the specific audience and context, using clear speech and organized structure, maintaining confident physical presence, making eye contact to connect with listeners, adjusting voice tone and pace for emphasis, reading audience reactions, or sustaining energy throughout the presentation. Students could demonstrate this skill by presenting research findings using appropriate terminology, delivering speeches on local issues, presenting project outcomes to panels, or leading discussions that require sustained audience attention.
Delivers captivating content through strategic choices that produce measurable shifts in audience attitude or behavior.
Advanced Real-Time Presentations involves creating meaningful impact through strategic presentation choices that go beyond excellent delivery. This might include analyzing audience needs and potential concerns, crafting messages that connect emotionally and intellectually, designing presentation elements to maximize influence, using advanced speaking techniques, creating memorable moments that reinforce key messages, measuring audience response, or documenting specific changes resulting from presentations. Students could demonstrate this skill by delivering presentations that change community opinions with documented shifts in support, presenting proposals that result in funding or partnerships, or creating advocacy presentations that lead to documented policy changes.
Produces organized and purposeful written content that addresses the task and audience requirements.
Written Communication involves expressing thoughts and information in writing with clarity, coherence, and appropriate style. This may include organizing ideas logically, using relevant supporting details, maintaining consistent voice and tone, applying conventions of grammar and mechanics, or adapting writing for different purposes and audiences. Students might demonstrate this skill by composing various forms of writing, revising based on feedback, or effectively communicating complex ideas through written words.
Adapts writing across platforms to achieve specific outcomes while maintaining consistent voice.
Advanced Written Communication involves adapting writing approaches for different contexts while respecting diverse communication styles. This could include recognizing that effective written communication varies across cultural contexts, adapting format and style for different environments while honoring one's cultural identity, understanding that "professional" writing conventions differ globally, using accessible language when appropriate, considering translation needs for multilingual audiences, acknowledging various literacy traditions beyond Western academic styles, and recognizing when visual or oral communication might complement or be more effective than written formats.
Builds connections with peers, mentors, and community members to exchange information and support goals.
Networking relates to establishing professional connections that provide mutual support, information exchange, and opportunity development. This might include initiating contact with potential connections, communicating professional interests and goals, seeking and offering assistance, or developing diverse contacts. Students could demonstrate this skill by building connections with peers, teachers, community members, or professionals; leveraging networks for information or opportunities; or contributing value to connections through reciprocal support.
Maintains interpersonal connections that advance mutual goals through strategic partnerships across diverse communities.
Advanced Networking involves cultivating and sustaining reciprocal connections that create value across diverse cultural contexts. This might include identifying meaningful connection opportunities that respect various cultural approaches to relationship-building, developing inclusive and accessible methods for maintaining contact, creating opportunities for mutual benefit that acknowledge different values systems, building bridges between diverse groups, accessing networks for varied forms of knowledge and resources, or understanding how different cultures measure relationship value. Students could demonstrate this skill across various cultural contexts, including those that prioritize communal connections over transactional ones.
Communicates fluently in multiple languages while respecting cultural norms.
Multilingual Communication involves expression and comprehension across different languages and communication systems. This might include developing proficiency in multiple languages (including sign languages), valuing non-dominant languages and dialects, understanding cultural nuances beyond direct translation, respecting language variation, recognizing how power dynamics affect language use in different contexts, appreciating diverse forms of expression including those that blend languages, and communicating effectively with translation support when needed. Students could demonstrate this skill by engaging respectfully across language differences, whether through their own multilingual abilities or through thoughtful use of translation resources.
Maintains consistent use of physical cues to enhance understanding and connection across informal and formal communication.
Nonverbal Communication involves intentional use of physical cues, expressions, gestures, and spatial awareness to enhance understanding and connection. This might include maintaining appropriate eye contact across cultural contexts, using complementary gestures, recognizing others' nonverbal signals, adapting body language to different settings, managing physical presence to convey confidence, or ensuring consistency between verbal and nonverbal messages. Students could demonstrate this skill by using physical cues to enhance verbal communication, interpreting nonverbal signals accurately, adjusting for different contexts, or creating stronger connections through aligned messaging.
Collaborates with diverse team members to achieve shared goals while managing differing perspectives.
Cooperation involves working productively with others from various backgrounds and perspectives to achieve common objectives. This might include valuing team diversity, respecting different viewpoints, finding common ground amid disagreement, addressing conflicts constructively, communicating effectively in groups, supporting team members, fulfilling commitments, or maintaining positive relationships while pursuing goals. Students could demonstrate this skill by collaborating with diverse peers, navigating interpersonal tensions constructively, identifying common ground during disagreement, or contributing to positive team dynamics in challenging circumstances.
Leads diverse teams to achieve ambitious goals while leveraging differing perspectives as sources of innovation.
Advanced Cooperation involves guiding diverse groups toward exceptional outcomes by using differences as creative assets. This might include creating environments where diverse thinking is encouraged, establishing processes for engaging with different viewpoints, helping team members recognize value in different perspectives, facilitating constructive disagreement that leads to innovation, developing strategies to overcome team polarization, or documenting how diverse perspectives contributed to solutions. Students could demonstrate this skill by leading diverse groups to achieve outcomes that exceed what would be possible without multiple perspectives, transforming potential conflicts into innovation catalysts, or cultivating team cultures where differences are valued as assets.
Meets team commitments as agreed upon and on schedule.
Accountability in collaboration means reliably meeting obligations to group efforts and demonstrating ownership for contributions. This might include completing tasks as promised, communicating about potential challenges, following through on commitments, maintaining quality standards, or taking ownership of successes and missteps. Students could demonstrate this skill by being dependable for their peers, establishing trust through consistent follow-through, managing time to meet collaborative deadlines, or understanding how their individual contributions affect collective outcomes.
Creates systems that foster ownership and follow-through by cultivating shared purpose, transparent tracking, and mutual commitment to team success.
Advanced Accountability involves designing and implementing structures that promote collective responsibility and reliable execution across teams. This might include establishing clear expectations and success criteria, developing transparent tracking systems, creating processes for addressing accountability issues, aligning individual motivations with team objectives, fostering cultures of mutual support, or evaluating system effectiveness through performance indicators. Students could demonstrate this skill by designing accountability frameworks that enhance team performance, implementing practices that increase follow-through, addressing accountability breakdowns systematically, or creating environments where members feel both personally responsible and mutually supportive.
Provides and receives constructive input that improves work quality and relationships.
Feedback encompasses both offering helpful guidance to others and incorporating suggestions into one's own work. This might include delivering feedback that is specific, actionable, balanced, and respectful; receiving feedback non-defensively; distinguishing between feedback about work and personal criticism; or using input to improve outcomes. Students could demonstrate this skill by offering perspectives that help others improve, receiving critiques openly, implementing relevant suggestions, or engaging in improvement through feedback cycles.
Designs and implements structured feedback processes that produce measurable improvements in both work products and team dynamics.
Advanced Feedback involves creating systematic approaches to exchanging and incorporating input that enhance both outcomes and relationships. This might include designing feedback protocols for specific contexts, establishing regular input cycles, creating psychologically safe environments, teaching effective feedback techniques, measuring feedback impact on work quality and team functioning, or refining approaches based on effectiveness data. Students could demonstrate this skill by developing customized feedback systems, implementing processes that lead to documented improvements, creating environments where constructive feedback flows naturally, or maintaining healthy team dynamics through skillful feedback management.
Adapts to fulfill different team functions based on changing needs and personal strengths.
Role Flexibility involves shifting between different team roles and contributions based on project requirements and team dynamics. This might include alternating between leading and following, recognizing needed team functions in different situations, filling gaps in team capabilities, contributing diverse skills across projects, adapting work style to complement team members, stepping forward when expertise is relevant, or stepping back when others' strengths apply. Students could demonstrate this skill by providing different contributions across collaborative contexts, moving between leadership and supportive positions, or adjusting their approach based on team composition and project requirements.
Adapts to fulfill different team functions to meet changing needs while mentoring team members to develop similar versatility.
Advanced Role Flexibility involves not only shifting between team roles but actively helping others develop this capability. This might include analyzing team composition to identify capability gaps, stepping into needed functions while developing others who can fill those roles, creating opportunities for members to practice unfamiliar functions, providing coaching for role transitions, documenting collective flexibility development, or cultivating adaptability-valuing team cultures. Students could demonstrate this skill by assessing team capabilities and needs, filling role gaps while developing others for those functions, creating development pathways that increase team adaptability, or building environments where members comfortably shift between functions as needs evolve.
Creates and maintains systems for asynchronous communication using digital tools.
Remote Collaboration involves creating and maintaining effective team functions when working across physical distances using digital tools. This might include establishing clear communication protocols for distributed teams, selecting appropriate platforms for collaborative purposes, developing documentation systems for asynchronous progress, creating shared understanding despite limited face-to-face interaction, establishing cohesion-maintaining norms, balancing synchronous and asynchronous work, troubleshooting technology issues, or fostering trust without physical co-presence. Students could demonstrate this skill by establishing productive distributed environments, implementing seamless cross-location collaboration systems, integrating digital tools for team functions, or maintaining engagement despite physical separation.
Facilitates resolution between disagreeing parties by identifying underlying interests and guiding them toward mutually acceptable solutions.
Conflict Mediation involves facilitating constructive resolution between disagreeing parties to find mutually acceptable solutions. This might include establishing neutral ground for dialogue, helping parties articulate underlying interests rather than fixed positions, fostering mutual understanding across perspectives, redirecting unproductive conflict patterns, generating potential solutions for core concerns, facilitating compromise negotiation, documenting agreements, or establishing follow-up procedures for sustained resolution. Students could demonstrate this skill by creating safe spaces for addressing differences, helping identify shared interests despite opposing positions, guiding development of mutually beneficial solutions, or transforming potential conflicts into relationship-strengthening opportunities.
Finds, evaluates, and uses information from different sources responsibly.
Information Literacy encompasses the cycle of information use across traditional and digital contexts. This might include recognizing when information is needed, finding appropriate sources, evaluating content for credibility and bias, synthesizing information from multiple sources, citing sources properly, navigating digital platforms safely, distinguishing between reliable and unreliable online sources, understanding privacy concerns, or using information responsibly. Students could demonstrate this skill by finding and evaluating information across formats, critically assessing online content, using digital tools appropriately for different tasks, or applying information to address questions or solve problems.
Evaluates diverse media content critically by analyzing biases and algorithmic influence to apply credible information.
Advanced Information Literacy involves sophisticated evaluation of information ecosystems and how they shape knowledge consumption and production. This might include analyzing implicit biases in media content, investigating various influences on information presentation and distribution, examining curation mechanisms and their effects on discourse, tracing information provenance through networks, evaluating information governance and economics, applying verification techniques to distinguish fact from misinformation, or strategically employing validated information for specific challenges. Students could demonstrate this skill by deconstructing media messages to identify biases, explaining how various factors influence information exposure, developing strategies to overcome digital manipulation, or applying verified information to produce evidence-based solutions for complex issues.
Evaluates evidence critically to develop claims supported by reasoning that guide decisions and actions.
Analysis involves a methodical process of critically evaluating evidence to develop well-supported claims with sound reasoning. This might include gathering relevant evidence from reliable sources, assessing evidence quality and credibility, formulating clear claims based on evaluated evidence, connecting evidence to claims through logical reasoning, identifying patterns within data, distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information, detecting reasoning flaws, or building sound arguments for justified conclusions. Students could demonstrate this skill by systematically examining complex information, constructing valid evidence-supported claims, articulating reasoning that connects evidence to claims, or using analytical processes to guide decisions and actions.
Synthesizes competing evidence and contradictory perspectives to develop comprehensive explanations that account for complexity.
Advanced Analysis involves integrating conflicting information and viewpoints to construct nuanced understandings that acknowledge complexity rather than seeking simplistic answers. This might include identifying tensions between evidence sources and explanatory frameworks, mapping agreement and disagreement areas across perspectives, recognizing legitimate uncertainty in complex topics, developing explanations that incorporate contradictory elements, articulating single-perspective analysis limitations, reconciling incompatible viewpoints by identifying underlying assumptions, or producing accounts reflecting multi-faceted issue nature. Students could demonstrate this skill by developing explanations that integrate competing evidence without oversimplification, articulating strengths and limitations of contradictory perspectives, identifying factors contributing to incompatible interpretations, or constructing accounts of complex phenomena that acknowledge tensions.
Analyzes systems and constructs representations to predict outcomes and test theories.
Modeling involves examining systems and creating representations that capture essential features for understanding, prediction, or testing. This might include identifying key variables and relationships within systems, translating complex scenarios into simplified representations, constructing mathematical or conceptual models, making predictions about behavior or outcomes, testing predictions against evidence, revising models based on new information, recognizing model limitations, comparing different models, or transferring modeling approaches across contexts. Students could demonstrate this skill by developing system diagrams, creating mathematical relationship representations, building simulations, constructing physical models, evaluating model prediction accuracy, or identifying when models need refinement.
Constructs and refines representations of systems to evaluate alternative scenarios and guide decision-making.
Advanced Modeling involves creating sophisticated system representations that enable scenario testing and evidence-based decisions. This might include translating complex real-world systems into manipulable models capturing essential relationships, developing multiple model variations for alternative assumptions, predicting outcomes under different scenarios, calibrating models against real-world data, documenting model limitations and confidence levels, integrating insights from multiple model types, or connecting model-based predictions to concrete decision criteria. Students could demonstrate this skill by constructing complex system representations, systematically testing alternative scenarios, refining models based on evidence to improve accuracy, or applying modeling insights to guide specific real-world decisions.
Addresses complex challenges using structured approaches to create solutions that meet intended purposes.
Problem-Solving involves tackling substantive issues or needs in communities, environments, or systems beyond personal challenges. This might include identifying real-world problems worth solving, researching existing approaches, defining problem parameters, analyzing root causes and system interactions, generating multiple solution concepts, prototyping potential solutions, testing ideas with stakeholders, implementing feedback-based solutions, or evaluating real-world impact. Students could demonstrate this skill by producing needs assessments, design briefs, stakeholder-tested solution prototypes, impact evaluations, or documentation of condition improvements in specific contexts.
Addresses complex challenges by developing adaptive responses that evolve with changing conditions.
Advanced Problem-Solving focuses on developing flexible solutions that can adjust to evolving circumstances and conditions of high uncertainty. This might include analyzing problems with interconnected factors and shifting parameters, developing solution frameworks with feedback mechanisms, designing adaptable interventions, establishing monitoring systems for evolving contexts, implementing iterative improvement cycles, anticipating potential parameter shifts, or documenting solution evolution in response to changing conditions. Students could demonstrate this skill by developing responses to high-uncertainty problems, implementing solutions with adaptation mechanisms, adjusting approaches based on emerging information, or showing how their solutions evolved effectively as conditions changed.
Interprets, evaluates, and draws valid conclusions from complex datasets while recognizing limitations.
Data Literacy involves working with quantitative and qualitative information to draw valid conclusions while recognizing limitations. This might include selecting appropriate data collection methods for specific questions, cleaning and preparing datasets for analysis, applying analytical tools and statistical techniques to identify patterns and relationships, visualizing data effectively to communicate findings, identifying confounding variables and potential biases in datasets, determining when correlation might indicate causation, recognizing the limitations of available data, and communicating data-based conclusions in accessible ways to non-technical audiences. Students could demonstrate this skill by using appropriate analytical tools, creating effective data visualizations, identifying potential errors or misinterpretations, and communicating evidence-based conclusions with appropriate caveats about reliability and generalizability.
Organizes and categorizes information using persistent systems that enable efficient retrieval and maintain data integrity.
Information Management involves organizing knowledge assets using consistent systems that enable efficient retrieval and maintain integrity. This might include developing taxonomies for categorizing information types, implementing searchable storage systems with metadata, establishing version control protocols, creating backup procedures, developing permission structures for sensitive information, establishing documentation standards for retrievability, implementing maintenance procedures to prevent information decay, or designing systems accommodating growth and changing needs. Students could demonstrate this skill by designing information architectures, implementing sustainable organization systems, developing data integrity maintenance protocols, or creating efficient information retrieval methods.
Shifts between different thinking modes, perspectives, and disciplines to develop diverse approaches and connections.
Mental Flexibility involves adapting thinking processes, considering alternative approaches, and connecting ideas across different domains when faced with new information or changing circumstances. This might include shifting between thinking modes (analytical, creative, practical), considering problems from multiple angles, challenging personal assumptions, adapting approaches when initial methods aren't working, remaining open to contradictory ideas, identifying cross-disciplinary concepts, transferring methods between fields, or synthesizing perspectives from various fields. Students could demonstrate this skill by thinking beyond conventional approaches, adapting quickly to changing circumstances, considering alternative explanations, connecting seemingly disparate subjects, applying knowledge from one area to another, or developing innovative cross-domain approaches.
Reframes problems through multiple cognitive lenses to reveal unconventional solution paths.
Advanced Mental Flexibility involves deliberately applying diverse cognitive frameworks to redefine problems and discover novel approaches. This might include analyzing problems through multiple disciplinary lenses, identifying and challenging limiting assumptions, methodically applying different cognitive strategies, documenting how perspectives from diverse fields inform solution strategies, or demonstrating how reframing reveals opportunities invisible through conventional analysis. Students could demonstrate this skill by systematically applying multiple thinking paradigms to the same challenge, documenting how different cognitive approaches yield distinct solution paths, identifying solution opportunities that emerge specifically from cognitive reframing, or developing approaches that transcend discipline-specific limitations through cross-domain synthesis.
Generates, refines, and selects ideas to address challenges, opportunities, or creative pursuits.
Ideation encompasses the process of working with ideas, from initial generation through refinement to selection of promising options. This might include brainstorming possibilities without premature judgment, building upon initial ideas, combining existing concepts in new ways, evaluating ideas against criteria, or selecting promising approaches for further development. Students could demonstrate this skill by producing numerous diverse ideas, overcoming creative blocks, refining rough concepts into workable solutions, or identifying ideas with the greatest potential for addressing situations.
Orchestrates collaborative ideation by selecting targeted techniques and guiding participants through structured divergent and convergent thinking.
Advanced Ideation involves facilitating group creative processes to generate and develop high-potential ideas. This might include analyzing ideation challenges to determine appropriate methodologies, selecting and adapting specific techniques based on context and goals, establishing psychological safety for creative risk-taking, managing group dynamics to maximize diverse contributions, guiding transitions between divergent and convergent thinking phases, developing criteria for idea evaluation aligned with project objectives, facilitating idea selection and refinement processes, and documenting how collaborative approaches yielded superior outcomes to individual efforts. Students could demonstrate this skill by designing and facilitating ideation sessions for different purposes, selecting specific techniques tailored to particular challenges, managing group dynamics to enhance creative output, and demonstrating how their facilitation improved both idea quality and participant engagement compared to unstructured approaches.
Pursues untested ideas and approaches despite uncertainty of outcomes.
Creative Courage involves willingness to investigate unproven approaches and ideas despite possible failure or criticism. This might include stepping beyond familiar approaches, pursuing unusual or uncertain ideas, sharing creative work despite vulnerability, learning from unsuccessful attempts, calculating which paths are worth pursuing, or balancing creative experimentation with appropriate safeguards. Students could demonstrate this skill by pushing boundaries in thinking and creative work, overcoming fear that limits creative potential, distinguishing between productive and unproductive risks, or developing resilience when creative attempts don't succeed.
Develops and champions unconventional approaches that challenge established norms.
Advanced Creative Courage involves not only pursuing but actively promoting innovative approaches that diverge significantly from conventional practice. This might include identifying areas where established norms limit progress, researching historical norm challenges, developing approaches outside mainstream practice, advocating for experimental approaches despite resistance, creating protected spaces for radical ideas, documenting instructive successes and failures, building support coalitions for unconventional directions, or analyzing how norm-challenging contributes to innovation. Students could demonstrate this skill by articulating how specific norms constrain progress, developing and promoting outside-parameter approaches, creating high-risk creative exploration support structures, or demonstrating value created through deliberate convention-challenging.
Produces imaginative works that convey ideas, emotions, or perspectives.
Expression involves conveying thoughts, feelings, or viewpoints through artistic or imaginative means beyond conventional communication. This might include selecting appropriate creative mediums for specific messages, developing personal creative voice or style, experimenting with innovative expression forms, using creative devices effectively, or considering audience experience when designing creative works. Students could demonstrate this skill by expressing complex ideas through visual, written, multimedia, or performance-based forms; using creative approaches to engage audiences; or selecting techniques that enhance message communication.
Creates original works that demonstrate technical sophistication and elicit the intended emotional or intellectual impact.
Advanced Expression involves creating original works that convey genuine personal meaning while demonstrating mastery of technical elements. This might include selecting creative forms that best express personal perspectives, developing a distinctive creative voice or style, employing sophisticated techniques appropriate to the chosen medium, balancing technical execution with authentic self-expression, considering how formal elements enhance personal meaning, creating works that resonate emotionally or intellectually with audiences, refining creative choices to strengthen communication of personal vision, or documenting the relationship between technical decisions and expressed meaning. Students could demonstrate this skill by producing works showing both technical sophistication and authentic personal voice, articulating how technical choices enhance personal expression, integrating feedback while maintaining creative integrity, or creating works that effectively communicate personal meaning through skillful execution.
Develops solutions that address identified needs using established systematic processes.
Human-Centered Design involves creating solutions based on deep understanding of user needs through established methodological approaches. This might include conducting user research for explicit and implicit needs, developing personas to maintain human-experience focus, generating design requirements from identified needs, creating test prototypes, collecting structured feedback, iterating designs based on user interactions, balancing desirability with feasibility and viability, or documenting design decisions' relationship to user needs. Students could demonstrate this skill by implementing recognized design thinking methodologies, developing user-requirement-aligned solutions, conducting effective usability testing, or refining approaches through multiple user-feedback iterations.
Applies emerging digital tools to communicate ideas in original ways or develop unique solutions.
Technological Innovation involves creatively applying digital technologies to transform concepts into novel expressions or solutions. This might include evaluating emerging tools for their creative potential, combining technologies in unconventional ways, adapting digital platforms for purposes beyond their intended use, prototyping innovative applications, creating digital artifacts that communicate complex ideas, using technology to reimagine traditional processes, developing unique solutions to problems through technological means, or documenting how technological approaches enhanced creative outcomes. Students could demonstrate this skill by applying digital tools in original ways that transcend typical use cases, combining multiple technologies to create innovative outputs, developing creative technological solutions to real-world problems, or using digital platforms to express ideas in uniquely powerful ways.
Pursues knowledge independently based on personal curiosity and identifies meaningful questions to investigate.
Initiative to Learn focuses on intrinsic motivation to explore topics of interest and the ability to formulate worthwhile investigation questions. This might include identifying personal interest areas or knowledge gaps, developing curiosity about unfamiliar topics, asking probing questions driving deeper understanding, seeking diverse topic perspectives, finding personal learning material connections, or sustaining challenging content engagement through genuine interest. Students could demonstrate this skill through intellectual curiosity beyond assignment requirements, formulating meaningful inquiry questions, or showing enthusiasm for discovering new ideas without external prompting.
Drives self-directed inquiry by defining questions, determining methodologies, and adapting strategies through reflective assessment.
Advanced Initiative to Learn involves taking complete ownership of learning trajectory from question formulation through methodology selection to ongoing refinement. This might include identifying significant domain knowledge gaps or opportunities, formulating potential boundary-advancing questions, researching and selecting appropriate investigative approaches, designing inquiry-aligned learning pathways, systematically documenting learning progress, analyzing chosen learning strategy effectiveness, adapting methods based on reflective self-assessment, or demonstrating how self-directed approaches yielded deeper learning than externally structured processes. Students could demonstrate this skill by independently developing and pursuing substantive inquiry lines, selecting and justifying specific investigation methodologies, adapting learning approaches based on documented self-assessment, or showing deeper understanding achieved through self-directed pathways.
Demonstrates personal improvement through reflection, adapting to feedback, and using setbacks as opportunities for growth.
Growth Orientation involves actively developing abilities through deliberate practice and experience learning. This might include documenting specific-target personal growth goals, seeking and recording constructive feedback, creating and implementing feedback-based improvement plans, maintaining progress-tracking learning journals, producing development-demonstrating work samples, reflecting critically on setbacks for lessons, or providing skill advancement evidence through portfolios or metrics. Students could demonstrate this skill by producing concrete growth journey evidence including documented feedback cycles, progressive work samples, growth-analyzing reflection artifacts, or demonstrated improvement responses to challenges.
Drives personal development by systematically transforming setbacks into growth opportunities.
Advanced Growth Orientation involves proactively using challenges and failures as catalysts for significant development through systematic reflection and application. This might include analyzing setbacks for specific growth opportunities, developing structured reflection protocols extracting actionable failure insights, creating multi-challenge pattern tracking systems for recurring growth opportunities, designing targeted setback-analysis-based development plans, measuring progress related to difficulty-gained insights, deliberately seeking progressively more challenging growth-accelerating situations, or demonstrating how setbacks directly contributed to capability development. Students could demonstrate this skill by showing how specific setbacks led to measurable growth, implementing failure-analysis-linked development plans, documenting systematic challenge-to-advancement transformation, or demonstrating significantly enhanced capabilities emerging directly from leveraged setbacks.
Organizes and executes complex tasks by establishing goals, managing time, and allocating resources to deliver results.
Project Management involves systematically planning and implementing structured work to achieve defined outcomes within constraints. This might include establishing specific measurable objectives, breaking larger goals into manageable tasks with dependencies, creating realistic milestone timelines, identifying necessary resources, anticipating obstacles, tracking progress against plans, adjusting approaches when circumstances change, or delivering quality-standard completed work. Students could demonstrate this skill by producing clear-deliverable project plans, milestone tracking documents, resource allocation plans, risk management strategies, progress reports, or successful complex multi-step endeavor execution evidence.
Orchestrates multiple workstreams by balancing competing priorities, anticipating dependencies, and adapting resource allocation to deliver results despite changing constraints.
Advanced Project Management involves coordinating complex, multi-faceted initiatives with numerous variables and evolving parameters. This might include analyzing complex undertakings to identify critical components and relationships, establishing integrated multiple-workstream tracking systems, developing constrained-resource decision-making prioritization frameworks, mapping cross-workstream dependencies for cascade effect anticipation, creating high-impact risk contingency plans, dynamically reallocating resources for changing conditions, maintaining diverse stakeholder alignment, or producing successful complexity-navigation documentation. Students could demonstrate this skill by designing comprehensive multi-workstream coordination frameworks, creating complex decision-making prioritization systems, developing adaptive resource allocation approaches, or showing successful complex initiative delivery despite significant constraints or changing conditions.
Creates physical products and solutions with precision, care, and appropriate techniques.
Craftsmanship involves applying technical skills with attention to detail and quality when creating tangible works. This might include selecting appropriate tools and materials for specific tasks, applying precise and careful techniques, attending to quality-enhancing finishing details, following industry standards and best practices, iteratively refining based on feedback, or demonstrating pride in finished product quality. Students could demonstrate this skill by creating physical projects showing technical proficiency, detail attention, and quality commitment across various media including traditional crafts, digital fabrication, engineering solutions, artistic products, or other tangible works.
Creates physical products that demonstrate technical mastery, meticulous attention to detail, and adherence to professional quality standards.
Advanced Craftsmanship involves producing physical artifacts that meet or exceed industry-level quality benchmarks through exceptional technical execution. This might include researching and implementing domain-specific specialized techniques, incorporating professional-standard precision measurements and tolerances, applying function-and-aesthetic-enhancing finishing methods, documenting creation processes including technical decisions and quality assurance, incorporating expert feedback for refinement, testing products against industry benchmarks, or analyzing how specific technical choices affect overall quality and function. Students could demonstrate this skill by producing domain-specific-standard technical excellence works, documenting implemented techniques and quality control measures, articulating how their work meets professional benchmarks, or creating credible professional/commercial-context presentable products.
Recognizes and responds constructively to emotional states in self and others to foster safe and motivating environments.
Emotional Effectiveness involves applying emotional awareness to develop personal and collective resilience. This might include identifying personal emotional triggers and patterns, developing strategies for authentic expression of emotions, responding constructively to others' emotional states, adapting approaches based on emotional context, creating environments where emotions are acknowledged and respected, using emotional insights to inform decision-making, practicing gratitude as a method for building emotional strength, recovering effectively from emotional setbacks, or aligning emotional responses with personal values and goals. Students could demonstrate this skill by applying emotional awareness to resolve conflicts constructively, creating supportive environments during challenging situations, showing consistency between stated values and emotional responses, developing personalized strategies for emotional recovery during difficult circumstances, or using emotional insights to enhance personal and collective resilience across various contexts.
Exhibits reliability, integrity, and contextually suitable behavior in formal environments.
Professionalism involves demonstrating appropriate behavior, communication, and presentation standards across different settings. This might include adapting communication style and behavior to suit different professional and formal contexts, understanding and following implicit and explicit norms of different environments, presenting oneself appropriately through appearance, language, and demeanor based on contextual expectations, maintaining appropriate boundaries between personal and professional interactions, demonstrating reliability through consistent fulfillment of commitments, exercising discretion with sensitive information, navigating various organizational cultures effectively, and representing organizations appropriately to external stakeholders. Students could demonstrate this skill by appropriately adjusting their behavior across different environments, showing understanding of context-specific expectations, maintaining consistent professional demeanor even in challenging situations across varied settings, and building reputation through reliable and contextually appropriate conduct.
Demonstrates understanding of diverse perspectives, cultures, and global issues.
Global Awareness involves understanding the diversity of human experiences, cultural perspectives, and interconnected challenges across the world. This might include recognizing cultural differences and their perspective influences, understanding complex global challenges and causes, analyzing local-global action connections, considering multiple cultural topic viewpoints, or developing informed international event and trend perspectives. Students could demonstrate this skill by approaching cross-cultural interactions respectfully and openly, understanding complex global issues from multiple perspectives, recognizing local-global context connections, or thoughtfully engaging with diverse viewpoints and cultural expressions.
Applies deep cultural understanding to build significant cross-cultural connections.
Advanced Global Awareness involves using deep cultural knowledge to create meaningful relationships across different cultural backgrounds. This might include researching cultural norms and communication styles before meeting people, adapting behavior to show respect for different cultural values, finding common interests that bridge cultural differences, building trust through consistent respect for cultural differences, maintaining long-term relationships with people from different cultures, creating opportunities for cultural learning and sharing, or using these connections to expand personal understanding of the world. Students could demonstrate this skill by developing lasting friendships with international students, building partnerships with community members from different cultures, participating in cultural exchange activities over time, or showing how relationships with people from different cultures changed their perspectives and understanding.
Applies insights from understanding others' experiences to drive meaningful action.
Empathy involves understanding others' perspectives, experiences, and needs as a foundation for effective action. This might include recognizing others' feelings and viewpoints despite differences, actively seeking to understand contexts and circumstances, developing cultural and individual difference awareness, engaging with diverse voices and experiences, considering multiple situation perspectives, documenting understanding processes, or applying insights to drive meaningful responses and actions. Students could demonstrate this skill through perspective-taking exercises, empathy maps, stakeholder interview documentation, others-experience reflective writing, or work showing how understanding of others informed concrete actions and decisions.
Designs solutions based on understanding of diverse stakeholder needs, systemic barriers, and lived experiences different from one's own.
Advanced Empathy involves translating deep understanding of others' experiences into effective solution design addressing underlying needs and contexts. This might include conducting systematic diverse-need stakeholder research, analyzing different-group-affecting structural and systemic factors, identifying common solution approach implicit assumptions and biases, documenting how specific stakeholder insights informed design decisions, testing solutions with affected populations to validate empathic understanding, iteratively refining based on feedback, or evaluating outcomes through different user experience lenses. Students could demonstrate this skill by designing diverse-stakeholder-need-addressing demonstrable solutions, documenting empathic-insight-shaped design decisions, articulating how their approach addresses contextual and systemic factors, or showing evidence that affected groups find solutions responsive to actual rather than assumed needs.
Examines complex topics by weighing competing values and considering effects on different groups.
Ethics involves wrestling with moral questions and dilemmas lacking simple answers. This might include identifying situational ethical dimensions, analyzing competing principles and values, considering different stakeholder perspectives, evaluating potential action consequences for various groups, applying ethical frameworks to difficult cases, or developing reasoned moral issue positions. Students could demonstrate this skill by analyzing ethical dilemmas from multiple perspectives, evaluating ethical principle tensions, considering various choice implications, or developing nuanced complex-acknowledging positions on challenging moral questions rather than accepting oversimplified solutions.
Anticipates ethical implications by analyzing potential impacts and unintended consequences across diverse populations.
Advanced Ethics involves using principled reasoning to inform concrete decisions and implementing actions that align with examined values. This might include analyzing ethical dimensions of real-world situations, applying ethical frameworks to clarify key principles at stake, evaluating potential courses of action against these principles, consulting diverse perspectives to uncover blind spots in ethical reasoning, making decisions that reflect consistent ethical standards, accepting personal costs that may come with upholding principles, documenting how ethical reasoning informed specific decisions, and reflecting on the alignment between actions taken and core values. Students could demonstrate this skill by showing how they applied ethical reasoning to complex situations, documenting decisions made based on principled analysis, following through with actions that align with stated values despite challenges, and reflecting on the consistency between their reasoning and actions.
Advocates for and engages in activities that address community needs.
Community Engagement involves active participation in and advocacy for efforts that strengthen communities and address shared challenges. This might include identifying community needs or improvement opportunities, contributing time/skills/resources to collective efforts, collaborating on community initiatives, advocating for various-level positive change, amplifying underrepresented voices, evaluating engagement effort effectiveness, or developing larger social group wellbeing responsibility. Students could demonstrate this skill through effective service project participation, volunteer activities, community improvement initiatives, civic organization involvement, authentic community contribution identification, change advocacy, or engagement impact and effectiveness reflection.
Designs and implements programs that address community needs.
Advanced Community Engagement involves catalyzing sustainable positive change through initiatives addressing community needs with enduring structures. This might include conducting participatory authentic community priority needs assessments, designing with rather than for community members, developing shared-ownership-promoting governance structures, creating long-term sustainability resource development strategies, establishing evolving-need-tracking feedback systems, building institutional-memory-preserving knowledge transfer mechanisms, documenting mixed-method evaluation initiative impact, or analyzing factors contributing to sustained changes beyond initial interventions. Students could demonstrate this skill by leading demonstrably identified-need-addressing substantive community initiatives, establishing continuing-impact-enabling structures and processes, documenting community-ownership-promoting leadership approaches, or providing direct-involvement-transcending sustained positive change evidence.
Navigates institutional systems and democratic procedures to proactively influence public policy.
Civic Engagement involves understanding and actively participating in governmental and institutional systems to influence public policy. This might include researching multiple-perspective political issues, understanding various governmental body structures and functions, analyzing how policies affect different communities, registering and participating in voting, contacting elected representatives about concerns, attending and contributing to public meetings, understanding legal rights and responsibilities, following established civic participation procedures, tracking community-affecting policy developments, or evaluating various civic action strategy effectiveness. Students could demonstrate this skill by effectively navigating governmental and institutional processes, participating in formal democratic procedures, articulating well-informed policy issue positions, or engaging with decision-making systems for specific outcome advocacy.
Leads initiatives that contribute to collective well-being and establishes mechanisms for long-term impact and self-sufficiency.
Leadership involves guiding collective efforts that contribute to community well-being while fostering growth in others and creating positive environments. This might include articulating compelling visions that inspire commitment, building coalitions across different stakeholder groups, developing governance structures that distribute responsibility, mentoring team members to develop their leadership capabilities, creating opportunities for others to grow their skills and confidence, fostering environments where people feel valued and motivated, implementing accountability systems that maintain progress, establishing succession plans that ensure initiative continuity, maintaining team morale through challenges, celebrating successes and contributions, and documenting impact to build support for ongoing efforts. Students could demonstrate this skill by catalyzing collective action toward shared goals, developing leadership capacity in others, creating structures that sustain momentum beyond their direct involvement, and fostering team cultures where members feel both challenged and supported.