Focus Requirements for Students

The faculty on the Contemporary Ethical Issues Focus Board use these Hallmarks when evaluating proposals for the “E” designation.

Students will be able to:

ELO1. Identify ethical issues within a given discipline or context;

ELO2. Use tools/processes/frameworks to deliberate on ethical issues;

ELO3. Express an ethical judgment that informs thinking and actions;

ELO4. Critique and evaluate their own thinking, behavior and ethical identity using ethical tools and reasoning practices.

• The goal of E courses, at least in part, must be to equip students with some degree of proficiency in ethical deliberation. These courses should not be purely descriptive, merely characterizing, for example, the moral beliefs of person or peoples. Nor is it intended that the pedagogy be value-free, using approaches that maintain an “arms-length” relationship with current ethical issues.
• Course materials must be pertinent to the ethical issues under review. While well-selected philosophical and literary texts would serve, so would case studies, judicial opinions, statutes, codes of ethics (and commentaries), films, works of art, performances, as well as a broad range of other readings.
• Different academic approaches and methodologies can be used to give students tools for the development of responsible ethical judgments. Approaches might include small group discussions, formal debate, round-table discussions, Socratic questioning, etc.
• E courses may be associated with particular disciplines, professions, and larger enterprises (e.g., the ethics of human and animal research, medical ethics, bioethics, biotechnology, business ethics, engineering ethics, ethics in government, and journalistic ethics). Still others might look at ethical issues that emerge at cultural interfaces, such as war, evangelism, colonialism and multi-cultural societies, etc. Contemporary ethical issues must be fully integrated into the main course content and must be tied to activities that develop student proficiencies in forming sound ethical judgments.

To fulfill the Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Issues Focus requirement, at least two-thirds of a class must satisfy the following Hallmarks:

H1. The content should reflect the intersection of Asian and/or Pacific Island cultures with Native Hawaiian culture.

H2. A course can use any disciplinary or multi-disciplinary approach provided that a component of the course uses assignments or practica that encourage learning that comes from the cultural perspectives, values, and world views rooted in the experience of peoples indigenous to Hawai’i, the Pacific, and Asia.

H3. A course should include at least one topic that is crucial to an understanding of the histories, or cultures, or beliefs, or the arts, or the societal, or political, or economic, or technological processes of these regions; for example, the relationships of societal structures to the natural environment.

H4. A course should involve an in-depth analysis or understanding of the issues being studied in the hope of fostering multi-cultural respect and understanding.

Students will be able to:

HLO1. Explain the intersection of Native Hawaiian issues with Asian and/or Pacific Islands issues;

HLO2. Analyze issues using the conceptual and ethical frameworks and practices of the cultural perspectives, values, and world views of the Indigenous peoples of Hawai‘i, and the Pacific and/or Asia;

HLO3. Integrate the histories, cultures, beliefs, arts, social, political, economic, or technological processes in their analysis of Hawai‘i, and the Pacific and/or Asia; and

HLO4. Demonstrate respect and empathy as defined by the Indigenous peoples of Hawai‘i and the Pacific and/or Asia in interpersonal and intergroup relationships.

• The course must compare and contrast Native Hawaiian culture (1) with Pacific Islander cultures (2) and/or Asian cultures (3). A course exclusively about Native Hawaiian culture, Pacific Islander cultures, or Asian cultures is not eligible for a HAP Focus designation. A course that does not include intersection with Native Hawaiian culture is not eligible for a HAP Focus designation.

  1. The term “Native Hawaiian” is defined in different ways, depending on the context in which it is used. For the purposes of these Explanatory Notes, “Native Hawaiian” refers to the Indigenous population of Hawaiʻi.

  2. The term “Pacific Islander” refers to the peoples Indigenous to Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia and the Pacific diaspora.
  3. The “A” in HAP aims to be inclusive, allowing for the intersection of Asian cultures with Native Hawaiian culture and the cultures of Pacific Islanders. Asian perspectives can include Asians, Indigenous Asians, Asian migrants/diasporas/refugees, Asian immigrants/settlers, Asian-Americans, and mixed-race Asians.
• The structure, content, and activities of the course should be designed to emphasize the intersection between cultures and can be organized in any format. A significant portion of the course materials must be authored or created by Native Hawaiians, Asians and Pacific Islanders to ensure the inclusion of their voices, values, and perspectives. Proposals should also explain how the course frames the inclusion of perspectives from Native Hawaiians, Asians and Pacific Islanders.
• It is important that faculty teaching HAP Focus courses ensure Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander voices are heard. In doing so, students are introduced to those perspectives, world-views and cultural understandings in the disciplinary topics covered in the course and are encouraged to develop an appreciation for cultural perspectives that might be different from their own.
• HAP Focus courses should promote self-reflection as well as intercultural knowledge through the analysis of regional issues rooted in Native Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Islander perspectives and experiences. Successful proposals have demonstrated that respect and understanding will be fostered through reflection papers/projects, cross-cultural activities, community engagement, service learning opportunities, and attendance at cultural events. Proposals that cite having a diverse student population as evidence of how the course will encourage intercultural knowledge and perspective sharing will be deemed insufficient.

The faculty on the Oral Communication Focus Board use these Hallmarks when evaluating proposals for the “O” designation.

Students will be able to:

OLO1. Present information orally in an organized manner appropriate for intended a) audience and b) purpose;

OLO2. Demonstrate effective verbal and non-verbal delivery techniques;

OLO3. Select and use appropriate content for oral (presentation) activity/context; and

OLO4. Generate/use/develop visual aids and handouts appropriate to the rhetorical situation that promote clarity, interest, and comprehension.

• It is assumed that O classes will develop assignments responsive to student needs and to the professional demands students will face. Consequently, a variety of assignments can be designed to satisfy the O requirement, which must be viewed and evaluated by the instructor.
• Simple class attendance does not constitute an oral communication activity and may not be counted toward the required percentage. If class participation is included in an oral activity, syllabi must include a description of how the quality and quantity of participation will be assessed.
• For oral communication assignments and activities, at least some of the points allocated must be awarded for oral skills assessment. Assignments and activities that are evaluated only for content may not be counted toward fulfilling the O requirement.
• Assignment descriptions in the syllabus or supporting materials must include specific skills or behaviors required for a successful performance (e.g., clearly-stated conclusion).
• Rubrics included with syllabi are highly encouraged, but not required, on syllabi EXCEPT in cases where all oral communication points are allocated to one assignment.
• It is possible for online courses to carry an O Focus designation. Successful proposals have included assignments featuring both audio and visual components (i.e., no audio-only recordings or voice-overs) and “one shot” recordings so students can practice “real-time” communication.
• The following statement must be included in the syllabus for courses worth 4 or more credits: “Students must adequately complete all oral communication assignments to pass the course with a D grade or better. Students who do not complete all oral communication assignments will not earn O Focus credit.”

The faculty on the Writing Focus Board use these Hallmarks when evaluating proposals for the Writing-intensive designation.

Students will be able to:

WLO1. Adapt writing to a clearly identified purpose and audience, according to disciplinary conventions and genres;

WLO2. Develop and organize appropriate and relevant content;

WLO3. Evaluate and integrate supporting materials from appropriate sources, and credit them appropriately according to the genre and discourse requirements of the field; and

WLO4. Control style and mechanics to communicate effectively.

• Instructors assign formal and informal writing, both in class and out, to increase students’ understanding of course material as well as to improve writing skills.
• Types of interaction will vary. For example, a professor who requires the completion of one long essay may review sections of the essay, write comments on drafts, and be available for conferences. The professor who requires several short papers may demonstrate techniques for drafting and revising in the classroom, give guidance during the composition of the papers, and consult with students after they complete their papers.
• Only students who satisfactorily complete the writing assignments should be allowed to pass the course with a “D” or better. Thus, the Board recommends that writing assignments count for at least 40% of the course grade. Alternatively, the Board recommends that if writing assignments count less than 40%, the course instructor state explicitly on the syllabus that “students must adequately complete all writing assignments to pass the course with a ‘D’ or better. Students who do not complete all writing assignments will get a D- or an F and will not earn W Focus credit.”
• The types of writing assigned will vary and may include formal and “informal” (writing that is not revised) writing. Depending on the course content, students may write analytic essays, critical reviews, journals, lab reports, research reports, reaction papers, etc.