Alliant Professional Practice Competencies
In order to achieve its vision as a Professional Practice University, Alliant has identified a set of Professional Practice Competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) that all students should master at a level appropriate to their degree
programs. These competencies must be learned and practiced in the context of Alliant’s Core Values of Integrity, Intellectual Advancement, Diversity, Social Responsibility, Innovation, Stewardship, and Community & Partnership.
Mission: Alliant International University prepares students for professional careers of service and leadership, and promotes the discovery and application of knowledge to improve the lives of people in diverse cultures and communities
around the world.
Competency General Definition
Alliant trains
students to influence
our world = A(lliant)-
IMPACT
A A discipline-specific Students master a
body of knowledge discipline-specific body
and of knowledge and gain
research/scholarship competency in
research/scholarship at
levels appropriate to
their degree programs.
I Insight into the Students place issues
context of practice or problems
encountered in their
professions in their
appropriate and
relevant contexts.
M Multicultural/inter- Students have an
national competence awareness of, respect
(I-MERIT) for, and curiosity about
multicultural and
international
similarities and
differences; knowledge
of frameworks
for exploring the
similarities and
differences; and skills
in applying the
frameworks in
interpersonal and
professional contexts.
Examples of Student Skills and Abilities Alignment with Alliant Core Values
Integrity Intellectual Diversity Social Innovation Stewardship Community &
Advancement Responsibility Partnership
1. Students master a discipline-specific body of knowledge and professional X X X
skills.
2. Students produce applied research/scholarship that can be used by
professionals to inform their practices. That research/scholarship is also
informed by those practices, which provide insight into the implications
of current research/scholarship and present new questions for applied
researchers/scholars. Engaging in this iterative process is a key
component of research/scholarship in a professional practice context,
and ensures that research/scholarship training at Alliant remains vital,
productive, and relevant.
1. Students place problems in context, including social, political, economic, X X X X X
cultural, and environmental.
2. Students understand the similarities and differences with, and
relationships to, other related and intersecting professional disciplines.
1. Students have a positive, pro-active and non-judgmental attitude towards X X X X X
diverse cultural and international identities and in their interpersonal and
professional interactions.
2. Students have a multicultural skill set for understanding oneself and being
able to successfully navigate intercultural transactions.
3. Students have the ability to engage effectively in difficult dialogues about
multicultural and international issues.
4. Students have the ability to transfer and apply insights from one’s group,
region or nation-state and culture to another to create knowledge and
understanding in areas of professional practice.
5. Students have general knowledge of various local and international
cultures as it relates to one’s own field to include: cultural differences and
similarities, the dimensions of privilege and power, identity, social and
political issues; communication and personal expression.
a. Understanding of at least two cultures, preferably covering at
least two countries.
b. Understanding of problems and issues related to race, gender,
1
 Competency General Definition Examples of Student Skills and Abilities Alignment with Alliant Core Values
Alliant trains Integrity Intellectual Diversity Social Innovation Stewardship Community &
students to influence Advancement Responsibility Partnership
our world = A(lliant)-
IMPACT
social class, etc. within the two cultures.
6. Students demonstrate an ability to conceptualize and deliver culturally
competent professional services in their respective areas to diverse
populations.
7. Student should be able to show respect, affirmation and adaptability to
diverse cultures and nationalities with which they interact.
8. Students should be able to communicate effectively regarding
multicultural and international issues.

[Desired/Aspirational] Students should demonstrate skills and abilities in a

second language; one of the two languages should be Alliant’s language of
instruction.
P Professional Students achieve Students achieve four professional literacies as described below: X X X X
literacies language literacy, data 1) Language literacy – oral, written and technology-mediated fluency in
literacy, information language and communication,including the ability to construct
literacy, and professional-level arguments and present thoughts in a reasoned,
organization/communit organized and compelling way.
y (systems) literacy at 2) Data literacy –expertise with numbers, measures, and arithmetic
the appropriate functions and statistics; gathering, analyzing/evaluating and presenting
educational/ quantitative and qualitative data; understanding the cultural contexts for
professional level. designing and interpreting data, and the uses and misuses of data for
decision-making.
3) Information literacy – ability to identify information needs, access and
evaluate various types of information from many sources, incorporate
information into one’s knowledge base and use information effectively
and appropriately.
4) Organizational/community (systems) literacy – understanding of the
culture, values, and concepts and demonstration of the skills required to
function successfully in complex social systems; fluency with the
dynamics of power, privilege, oppression and the differential distribution
of resources within social and environmental contexts and political
systems.

• Students at the undergraduate or foundational level will have the ability

to access, understand, analyze, synthesize, create and communicate
information successfully including fluent use of traditional tools and
contemporary technologies to achieve professional goals.
• Students at the graduate level attain these literacies in the context of
their chosen discipline or profession, each of which has a defined set of
advanced professional literacies including particular genres and
expectations for written and oral communication and presentation;
quantitative and qualitative methodological norms and competence;
ability to find and use information effectively to accomplish
research/scholarship and creative activity goals; and systems-level

2
 Competency General Definition
Alliant trains
students to influence
our world = A(lliant)-
IMPACT
A Application of Students possess the
knowledge and reflective abilities skills
research/scholarship to connect theories
in new ways and research/
scholarship to
immediate issues in
professional practice
and the skills to apply
appropriate models,
strategies and
interventions in new
ways.
Examples of Student Skills and Abilities Alignment with Alliant Core Values
Integrity Intellectual Diversity Social Innovation Stewardship Community &
Advancement Responsibility Partnership
conceptualization and action. Graduate level work is focused on the
higher order cognitive levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (applying, analyzing,
evaluating, and creating).
1. Students can recognize issues and classify them using consensually- X X X X
accepted, domain-specific, knowledge-based taxonomies (or relevant
specially-created taxonomies when pre-existing classifications do not
exist or are insufficient).
2. Students can select appropriate interventions that have reasonable
likelihoods of positively addressing identified issues from among
alternatives anchored in empirical and professional practice findings and
grounded in the value of positive social change.
3. Students can implement proposed solutions, evaluate their interventions
and adjust their approaches when those approaches prove ineffective,
inappropriate or lack sufficient social value.

C Conduct, judgment, Students demonstrate
dispositions and ethical conduct in all
ethics aspects of personal
interactions and
professional practice.
4. Students can apply the latest scholarly findings to the practice and
evaluation of professional activities in order to be change agents for
individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
1. Students employ ethical communications and the ethical use of data and X X
information.
2. Students understand and apply principles of ethical decision making.
3. Students have knowledge of and apply legal principles and regulatory
guidelines, and the professional standards for their chosen discipline.

4. Students demonstrate ethical behavior in the application of knowledge.

5. Students demonstrate integrity in leadership and professional practice.

T Team-based and Students collaborate 1. Students have the ability to incorporate or draw from interdisciplinary or X X X X X X
multidisciplinary with other extra-disciplinary approaches and perspectives.
approaches professionals or teams,
integrating information 2. Students have the ability to translate their own disciplinary perspectives
and implementing and genres into other genres so that others may benefit from the
knowledge across knowledge of their discipline.
disciplines and
domains in order to 3. Students take leadership and responsibility to seek out, organize and
develop creative, multi- collaborate with others in the application of theory and
faceted responses to research/scholarship to practical problem-solving.
community needs.

Endorsed by the Faculty Senate: Spring 2010

Endorsed by SSGA: September 26, 2009
Endorsed by the Academic Council: October 7, 2009 (pending final faculty discussions, issues or concerns, or final changes) 3
Endorsed by the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board: October 23, 2009 (pending final faculty discussions, issues or concerns or final changes)