Problem solving consists of applying the skills, attitudes and behaviours needed to effectively generate and implement ideas to address a need or challenge. A problem-solver is resilient, makes decisions and employs creativity, flexibility, and critical thinking to deliver solutions.
Each core competency is divided into three levels to support your growth and learning. Below are indicators and examples of the competency at each level.
Involved level Engaged level Leading level
Involved-level Competency
Students know the indicator or the criteria for demonstrating it. They can talk about it, write about it, describe it or explain it.
Competency indicators
How might someone demonstrate this competency?
- Ask questions to identify the information available in a situation.
- Recognizes the need for innovative problem-solving strategies.
- Predicts that alternative consequences and setbacks may occur.
- Describes the value of examining similar problems that have occurred and how they were solved.
- Defines creative ideas and outside-the-box thinking.
What are some specific ways this competency might be demonstrated?
- Asks if there are composting bins on campus and where they are.
- Emails the student association to propose looking for a solution to the lack for composting on campus.
- Talks to a friend about whether budget and convenience might be barriers.
- Asks when and how the recycling bins on campus were implemented.
- Calls a meeting to discuss brainstorming.
Engaged-level Competency
Students can perform or demonstrate the indicator or criteria; that is, they can do it.
Competency indicators
How might someone demonstrate this competency?
- Summarizes the known information in a situation.
- Analyzes problem-solving strategies for viability, feasibility and desirability.
- Recognizes that setbacks require resilience and can lead to growth.
- Investigate what has and has not worked with similar problems in the past.
- Explains how to generate creative ideas to solve problems individually or through collaboration.
What are some specific ways this competency might be demonstrated?
- Collects information about composting and campus services.
- Creates an online discussion to evaluate the pros and cons of various options.
- Tells the group that even though some ideas may not work, they may lead to better solutions.
- Investigates composting programs at other post-secondary institutions.
- Tells the group how to use whiteboards to collect their thoughts and ideas.
Leading-level Competency
Students are innovating, extending, transforming, showing initiative, integrating, or collaborating.
Competency indicators
How might someone demonstrate this competency?
- Explains available information and represents it in alternative ways.
- Implements the most viable problem-solving strategy after analyzing alternative options.
- Responds to setbacks by creating original solutions.
- Hypothesizes a solution based on what has worked with similar challenges.
- Generates creative ideas to solve problems individually and through collaboration.
What are some specific ways this competency might be demonstrated?
- Uses collected data to create an infographic or other representation to explain the issue.
- Forms a task team to implement an action plan for a pilot program.
- Organizes a fundraiser when there is no budget for a composting program.
- Creates a comparison of ideas in Excel and chooses which attributes to apply to the current project or idea.
- Uses a combination of online surveys and whiteboard sessions to create ideas.