CC at OCC... Core Commitments: Educating Students in Personal and Social Responsibility An initiative supported by the Association of American Colleges and Universities

What have OCC students said about personal and social responsibility?

“This semester I am in an Ethics class. There are many controversial issues that we discuss and it’s nice to see the different perspectives of others. After listening to everyone in class, I start to reexamine my point of view.” What our students are saying…

“There’s rarely any opinionated discussions in classes. I can’t think of one time that has happened…”

“It is always interesting to have another perspective. That is what I was planning on having [in] my current class and I must say I am disappointed. There has been no room for discussion and the only right answers are the opinions of the instructors.”

“I’m very involved in the community due to the type of job that I have, working with runaway teens, but the college hasn’t really had any part in my community involvement…”

“In my Political Science class I was challenged to speak out my morals and develop them even though I knew they were opposing the instructor’s view. He made us comfortable doing that because we knew that even if our views were different than his, that would not affect the grading of our work.”

“Having NO meaningful discussions with students has strengthened my sense of responsibility toward the greater good. They are not interested in being aware.”

“What is the deal with ethics? Can’t we just get an education?”

The Five Dimensions of the Core Commitments  Striving for excellence  Cultivating personal and academic integrity  Contributing to a larger community  Taking seriously the perspectives of others  Developing competence in ethical and moral reasoning

Participating Institutions Allegheny College, PA Babson College, MA Bowling Green State University, OH California State University- Northridge, CA Concordia College-Moorhead, MN Elizabethtown College, PA Miami University, OH Michigan State University, MI Middlesex Community College, MA Oakland Community College, MI Portland State University, OR Sacred Heart University, CT Saint Anselm College, NH Saint Mary’s College of California, CA St. Lawrence University, NY United States Air Force Academy United States Military Academy, NY University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL University of Central Florida, FL University of the Pacific, CA Wagner College, NY Winthrop University, SC West Point, NY

PSRI (Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory) Administered Fall 2007 by all participating colleges/universities October 2007, 491 OCC students responded and 216 faculty Students were selected who had completed at least 1 credit during Fall 2007, 18 years and older, and were seeking a degree Inventory assessed the 5 dimensions

Findings Full reports can be found at under Results/Findings Today, sharing only… 1. Some of our students thoughts 2. Major gaps in perception between OCC students and faculty 3. Gaps between OCC students and other participating college students (We are surprisingly very similar in most findings!)

Gaps in Perceptions Students and Faculty

Striving For Excellence

Cultivating Personal and Academic Integrity

Contributing to a Larger Community

Taking Seriously the Perspective of Others

Refining Ethical and Moral Reasoning

OCC Student Responses Compared to Participating Students In National Study