Operational Definition

Operational Definition

Operational definitions are brief statements clarifying how the competencies are operationalized at Ferris.

Collaboration: Collaboration occurs when students participate in a cooperative endeavor that involves common goals, coordinated efforts, and outcomes or products for which they and their teammates share responsibility and credit.

Communication: Communication study investigates and improves the process of communication. Communication occurs when individuals or groups use words, sounds, signs, and/ or behaviors in the expression of ideas, thoughts, information and/or feelings.

Culture: Culture is the system of shared beliefs, values, practices, and artifacts that group members use to understand, cope with, and interact with one another and their environment, and is transmitted from generation to generation through participation and learning.

Diversity: Diversity, from the individual to global scale, is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, national origin, intellectual or physical ability or attributes, economic, religious, or ethical values system, and political beliefs. 

Natural Sciences: Natural sciences are academic disciplines that collectively use empirical evidence to comprehend and explain the physical world. At Ferris State University, these disciplines include Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Geology, and Physics.

Problem Solving: Problem solving is the process of designing, evaluating and implementing a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal.

Quantitative Literacy: Quantitative Literacy represents the ability to interpret numerical information and apply it when solving real world problems.

Self and Society: Social/behavioral science methods, theories, principles, and application should make up at least 80% of the course content of Self and Society courses.

 

Last updated: 6/8/2026