Woven into every course at vnsr威尼斯城官网登入, the 8 Abilities empower our students to become agents of
change and principled leaders who meaningfully engage with their communities. They focus specifically on mastering skills in aesthetic engagement, analysis,
communication, developing a global perspective, effective citizenship, problem solving, social interaction and valuing in decision making.
Why doesn’t vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 give grades? Rather than use simple letter grades, we believe in
pushing students to reach their highest personal potential. A standard letter grade tells you where you stand today; an vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 assessment tells you that plus how to take the next step to
achieve greater understanding and application of knowledge. At vnsr威尼斯城官网登入, we challenge students to "know it and show it."
Our students get to know their strengths and opportunities for growth, and they push themselves to reach their highest potential. Simply put, our 8 Abilities are what set our students and alums apart.
vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 is excited and proud to celebrate 50 years of our 8 Abilities Curriculum. Throughout the 2023-2024 academic year we will celebrate and focus on each ability monthly. Check out our #AbilitiesInAction shared by our students, faculty, staff and alums as we not only celebrate but show our abilities in action and practice! As we say, if you know it, show it!
AESTHETIC ENGAGEMENT
The goal: Aesthetic engagement allows students to not only appreciate beauty in the world but to also make informed artistic and interpretive choices
within and outside of the arts.
Why it’s important: Mastering this ability allows students to discover and develop their own expressive voice, unique style and creative process. They cultivate critical skills like creativity, innovation, collaboration, resiliency, empathy, work ethic and risk taking, all transferable to various career paths.
ANALYSIS
The goal: Students who master this skill are clear, critical and independent thinkers. They combine data, experience, reason and expertise to make and
reexamine judgments.
Why it’s important: A keen ability to analyze situations allows our students to rely on their own thinking to negotiate their positions in the world. They have the mental power to examine complex or ambiguous arguments, sorting fact from fiction and determining the best path forward.
COMMUNICATION
The goal: Communicating effectively means integrating reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as information technology, numeracy and
growing attention to neurodiversity to meet the demands of increasingly challenging communication scenarios.
Why it’s important: Our multi-dimensional approach makes our graduates agile communicators who bring an array of knowledge and skills to the ever-changing challenges of communicating in today’s world. Students who master this highly valued career skill will have a leg up in the workforce.
DEVELOPING A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
The goal: Having a global perspective means understanding multiple viewpoints and taking into account the historical, political, economic, social and
cultural systems that influence those viewpoints. It’s knowing that we are all citizens of the Earth, and that decisions made in one part of the world have the potential to affect
events in another part of the world.
Why it’s important: Students who develop a global perspective will be able to navigate the world by making informed judgments and refining their own ideas using views and values from diverse contexts, allowing them to work effectively with people from varied cultures and backgrounds.
EFFECTIVE CITIZENSHIP
The goal: The effective citizen is an informed participant in civic life, whether through volunteering, active engagement in voting and advocacy, or
everyday decisions in their personal and professional lives. Students learn how to identify, describe and assess issues that affect communities as well as how to develop their own action
plans.
Why it’s important: Service and caring for others are at the heart of vnsr威尼斯城官网登入’s Franciscan values, and our students share a belief in the power of coming together to drive positive social change. Our graduates are equipped to contribute positively to their local, national and global communities.
PROBLEM SOLVING
The goal: Students will be able to define problems and utilize a range of abilities and resources to reach decisions, make recommendations or
implement action plans.
Why it’s important: Problem solving isn’t just focused on getting to an answer, but also in looking at the situation through different lenses and paying attention to the ramifications for different stakeholders. Balancing the needs of everyone while finding a solution is a highly valued leadership skill.
SOCIAL INTERACTION
The goal: Students will work well with others to achieve objectives, manage conflict and build relationships.They actively engage in one-on-one
communication and in small- and large-group discussion and effectively use conflict management skills.
Why it’s important: Social interaction has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the work that used to be done through group and face-to-face interactions has shifted to online meetings and text messaging. The methods may have changed, but the ability to build relationships, deepen understanding, manage conflict and reach decisions hasn’t.
VALUING IN DECISION MAKING
The goal: Taking a variety of perspectives and experiences into account is an important part of decision making. We want students to understand the moral
dimensions of their decisions and accept responsibility for any consequences in all facets of their life.
Why it’s important: The ability to understand your own values as well those of others transfers to all aspects of students’ personal and professional lives. This ability builds self-awareness as well as empathy and a deeper understanding of humanity.
We give students so much more than a single letter grade. We give them entire paragraphs of feedback, much like the performance reviews they’ll receive in the real world. This assessment lets students know what they’re doing well and where they can grow, fostering a desire for continuous improvement. All of our 8 Abilities are critically analyzed each year to determine their relevance and inspire a fresh perspective.
Students focus on their learning. They see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than as obstacles to their success.
The impact of systemic drivers of inequality like race, gender, socioeconomic status and disability is reduced, leveling the playing field for all students. Regardless of what level they start at, students are assessed for their own individual rate of growth
Students are encouraged to take more risks. When they’re focused on performance and their strengths rather than grades, students are more willing to experiment with new ideas, leading to deeper learning and more creative thinking.
Student learning is more accurately represented. A single letter grade reflects a student’s ability to hit a one-size-fits-all benchmark, whereas our assessment-based model measures each student’s mastery of a subject and ability to apply knowledge and skill in real-world settings.
vnsr威尼斯城官网登入’s 8 Abilities help to shape you into a woman who will succeed in all that she does. When I first started there, I was very shy. vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 offers a lot of opportunities for growth and to master skills needed in everyday life. vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 empowers you to be the woman you may have never dreamed you could be.
– Amorina Cruz ‘19
In the early 1970s, vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 sought to provide students with something more than a basic understanding of the subject matter being taught. We wanted our graduates to demonstrate what they know — to stand out — so we needed a curriculum that would stand out. It was through this desire that the 8 Abilities were born.
The abilities we weave throughout our curriculum represent the core, transferable skills that employers sought 50 years ago and continue to seek today. As those needs evolve, so do our abilities. vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 broke ground with our abilities-based, outcomes-focused approach to education.
In the decades since vnsr威尼斯城官网登入's 8 Abilities were born, countless educators from across the U.S. and around the world have come to study and adopt this model of teaching and learning. Why? Because it works.
Other well-respected institutions like Reed University, Brown University, Sarah Lawrence University and Stanford and Yale Law Schools have since dropped standard letter grades.
vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 was one of the first, but we won’t be the last.
We believe in the power of the 8 Abilities to transform lives, but don’t take our word for it. A survey of more than 300 of our graduates found the 8 Abilities positively impacted both
their learning and career experiences. Here’s what they had to say.
PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE
They were prepared to find a job or pursue graduate school and for the demands and expectations of their careers.
Find a Job/Pursue Graduate School
Very Well 75%; Well 18%
Career Demands & Expectations
Very Well 76%; Well 18%
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
They found vnsr威尼斯城官网登入’s 8 Abilities curriculum provided an immersive educational experience.
Very Immersive 70%; Moderately 24%
RIGOR, MOTIVATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY
They felt vnsr威尼斯城官网登入’s 8 Abilities and performance-based assessment was more rigorous, more motivating, and held them more accountable than traditional
letter-grading systems.
Rigor
Much More 53%; Somewhat 34%
Motivation
Extremely 55%; Very 34%
Accountability
Much more 78%; Somewhat 15%
8 ABILITIES USE
They frequently or moderately use the 8 abilities at work, home, or their communities.
Frequently 60%; Moderately 26%
The online multiple choice survey was conducted in Spring 2023.
vnsr威尼斯城官网登入’s assessment process mirrors performance reviews and feedback in the real world. This means graduates know their strengths and weaknesses, constantly assess their own work and are eager for constructive evaluation — the key to continual improvement.
Outcomes-based learning focuses on skill development by clearly communicating what a student should be able to do by the time they complete a course.That skill development is organized around a set of goals rather than memorizing facts for the purpose of getting good grades on an exam.
Our groundbreaking curriculum, utilizing the 8 Abilities and self-assessment, reduces comparison among students. Everyone starts in different places, and everyone has a different end goal. Learning at vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 isn’t a “one size fits all” approach; rather, it’s designed to help students achieve their personal best.
The official vnsr威尼斯城官网登入 College transcript consists of a chronological record of all courses successfully completed and for undergraduates, a history of demonstrated abilities. After graduation, an overall assessment of your academic career is included.
Check out our 8 Abilities flipbook online. Learn more about why vnsr威尼斯城官网登入's approach to preparing students for their next steps in life through the 8 Abilities has been described since the start as innovative and revolutionary.
