Through the Lens of an iPhone: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
An (Over?) Simplified Explanation of The Curricular Approach/Residential Curriculum Process
As a facilitator of residential curriculum and curricular approach workshops, one of the challenges I have is how to explain the process in a way that makes sense to attendees. One of the reasons this is challenging, is that curricular approaches introduce a number of new terms and use those terms in very specific ways.... Continue Reading →
NEW FREE Fourth Edition of the “Developing a Co-Curricular Learning Model” Book on Residential Curriculum and Curricular Approaches:
I'm excited to release the new fourth edition of my eBook on residential curriculum and curricular approaches, sponsored by Roompact. The content is expanded from the third edition and now includes more visuals and worksheets. It is also now designed in an 8.5 x 11 format. This should make it easier to print, if you... Continue Reading →
Curricular Approach Q&A: Where Can I Find Peer Institutions To Collaborate With And Benchmark?
Whether you're just starting your journey towards a curricular approach or whether you're looking to improve your current practice, connecting with peer institutions for idea generation, collaboration, and benchmarking can be incredible useful and there are a number of different avenues available to you. One of the easiest places to begin connecting is by attending... Continue Reading →
Now Open for 2020! Why You Should Consider Applying to be an ICA Showcase School
One of the key features of ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach (formerly the Residential Curriculum Institute) is the “Showcase” sessions. Showcases are presentations from individual schools that have adopted the curricular approach. Functioning similar to case studies, these showcases dive into one institution’s work with the model and the challenges and successes they’ve had along... Continue Reading →
Things to Remember When Embarking on Your Journey to a Residential Curriculum or Curricular Approach
As you embark on developing a curricular approach for your division or your department there are a few key concepts that you should keep in mind. Think of these as a set of reminders and guiding principles. They represent the core of the philosophy behind the curricular approach. Curricular approaches are focused on learning. One... Continue Reading →
Residential Curriculum Q&A: Where does Residence Life Community Building Fit Into a Curriculum?
Residential curricula are focused on student learning. Ultimately, curricular approaches primarily concern themselves with what we hope students will know and be able to do once their time with us comes to an end. Community building falls outside the learning-focus of the curriculum but it is critically important for its effectiveness. A switch to a... Continue Reading →
Curricular Approach Q&A: Can a Curricular Approach Work on a Campus with a Large Commuter Population?
Yes. A curricular approach to student affairs work utilizes the processes and methods of teachers in the classroom and adapts it to the out-of-class setting. Setting learning objectives and planning strategies and engagements with students works regardless of whether they live on campus or not. You may need to think about your curriculum differently, however.... Continue Reading →
Curricular Approach Q&A: Where Can I Find Examples of Facilitation Guides?
Facilitation guides function as the “lesson plans” for delivering educational strategies in a residential curriculum or curricular approach. Facilitation guides are detailed plans that provide all of the information necessary so that anyone with the appropriate level of training and skills could execute the planned strategy. A department or division that has a fully realized a curriculum... Continue Reading →
Residential Curriculum Q&A: Where do RHA’s and Hall Councils Fit into a Curricular Approach?
Residence Hall Associations (RHAs) and Hall Councils are student organizations commonly found in residence halls across the United States. Typical functions for these organizations include student-lead programming, community building efforts, and representation and advocacy around issues of concern to students. When developing a curricular approach, a number of institutions have questioned what role these types... Continue Reading →
You Don’t Need to Have a Residential Curriculum to Benefit From its Concepts
Developing a residential curriculum or a divisional curricular approach is hard work. It takes time. It can take years to develop a curriculum that you feel is on solid footing and functioning well. The move to a curricular model is not just about identifying objectives, writing facilitation guides, and completing tasks. There is a lot... Continue Reading →
2019: A Look Back On My Travels This Year
2019 was another record-breaking year for my travels in a number of ways. I had the most flights I've ever had, squeaking across the finish line at 119 flights (one more than my previous record of 118 in 2017). I traveled further in distance flown than I ever have (thanks in large part to my... Continue Reading →
ResLife Myth #3: Community Happens… Magically
Believing that community building happens naturally and doesn't require intervention is a myth. This "myth" is often not one that is widely believed by most professionals that work in residence life, but rather those that work outside of it. What many individuals do not realize is the amount of work and intentionality that goes into... Continue Reading →
Harmonizing Divisional and Departmental Curricula
Student affairs divisional curricula often evolve either from "division-to-department" or "department-to-division." In the "division-to-department" approach, a division takes the lead in developing a collective educational priority and set of learning objectives that guide curriculum development at the departmental level. In a "department-to-division" approach, it is often one constituent department that may take the lead and... Continue Reading →
RA Training for Residential Curriculum: Throughout the Year
The following is part of a series of blog posts addressing a number of areas related to developing a training program for RAs and student staff members working within a residential curriculum model. Posts included in this series are: An Overview Tone Setting and Basics Involving RAs and Generating Buy-In Sequencing and Planning Resources and... Continue Reading →
RA Training for Residential Curriculum: Assessment Data and Exercises
The following is part of a series of blog posts addressing a number of areas related to developing a training program for RAs and student staff members working within a residential curriculum model. Posts included in this series are: An Overview Tone Setting and Basics Involving RAs and Generating Buy-In Sequencing and Planning Resources and... Continue Reading →
RA Training for Residential Curriculum: Resources and Examples
The following is part of a series of blog posts addressing a number of areas related to developing a training program for RAs and student staff members working within a residential curriculum model. Posts included in this series are: An Overview Tone Setting and Basics Involving RAs and Generating Buy-In Sequencing and Planning Resources and... Continue Reading →
RA Training for Residential Curriculum: Sequencing and Planning
The following is part of a series of blog posts addressing a number of areas related to developing a training program for RAs and student staff members working within a residential curriculum model. Posts included in this series are: An Overview Tone Setting and Basics Involving RAs and Generating Buy-In Sequencing and Planning Resources and... Continue Reading →
RA Training for Residential Curriculum: Involving RAs and Generating Buy-In
The following is part of a series of blog posts addressing a number of areas related to developing a training program for RAs and student staff members working within a residential curriculum model. Posts included in this series are: An Overview Tone Setting and Basics Involving RAs and Generating Buy-In Sequencing and Planning Resources and... Continue Reading →
RA Training for Residential Curriculum: Tone Setting and Basics
The following is part of a series of blog posts addressing a number of areas related to developing a training program for RAs and student staff members working within a residential curriculum model. Posts included in this series are: An Overview Tone Setting and Basics Involving RAs and Generating Buy-In Sequencing and Planning Resources and... Continue Reading →
RA Training for Residential Curriculum: An Overview
The following is part of a series of blog posts addressing a number of areas related to developing a training program for RAs and student staff members working within a residential curriculum model. Posts included in this series are: An Overview Tone Setting and Basics Involving RAs and Generating Buy-In Sequencing and Planning Resources and... Continue Reading →
Utilizing Existing Campus-Wide Assessments and Measures in Your Curricular Approach
As one of the essential elements of a curricular approach, assessment should occur at all levels of your curriculum. This includes on-the-ground assessment of individual learning activities, but also broader based assessment of overall curriculum effectiveness. One way of achieving this broader-based assessment is to utilize data collection instruments you may already be using and... Continue Reading →
Are You Organizationally Ready To Take On a Curricular Approach?
Because a curricular approach is revolutionary as opposed to evolutionary, it is necessary that you think about organizational culture and organizational change processes before undertaking this journey. For many, this shift in approach requires the development of a learning-centric organization. An organization that moves beyond “exposure” through program attendance, and towards “learning” (Kerr & Tweedy,... Continue Reading →
4 Tips for Developing Buy-In for Curriculum from RAs, Student Staff Members, and Student Leaders
Transitioning to a curricular approach represents a cultural shift. A department can have well-articulated goals, outcomes, and educational plans, but a residential curriculum will never be successful without the necessary cultural and organizational change that comes along with it. For residence life departments, in particular, this means preparing your student staff members for this shift,... Continue Reading →
Utilizing National Competencies and Standards to Develop Your Curricular Learning Goals
Although each residential curriculum or curricular approach to student life should be contextualized to an institution, there are a number of non-profits and standards bodies within higher education and student affairs that can be useful in the development of learning goals and outcomes. Many of these associations provide sample statements, rubrics and other materials that... Continue Reading →
On-The-Ground Assessment of Student Learning Out of the Classroom
Moving to a curricular approach calls upon us to become better at assessing student learning. Although it may be common on a campus to have students respond to short surveys providing feedback about a program or service, it is often less common to assess student acquisition of knowledge and skills as a result of an... Continue Reading →
Onboarding New Professional Staff to a Student Affairs or Residential Curriculum
Student Affairs offices, particularly those within residence life and education, typically see a steady turn over of professionals year-to-year. When building and maintaining a curriculum, it can sometimes be a challenge to onboard new staff members who (1) may not be familiar with the model at all or (2) are not familiar with your institution’s... Continue Reading →
How To Developmentally Sequence and Map Student Co-Curricular Learning
One of the hallmarks of curricular approaches to student learning outside the classroom is that learning is scaffolded and sequenced to follow a student’s journey through their time in college. After educators identify their learning objectives (cascading from Educational Priority, to Learning Goals, Narratives, Rubrics, and Outcomes), the next step in the process is to... Continue Reading →
Who, Where, and How to Engage Partners and Stakeholders in a Residential Curriculum
Educational and curricular efforts exist in context. Furthermore, residence life and education departments do not exist on an island. When developing a campus or residential curriculum, it is important to identify partners and stakeholders early on and include them in the curriculum design process. This inclusion can include stages from planning to implementation, and throughout... Continue Reading →
Developing A Culture of Assessment in Your Residence Life and Education Program
Because developing a residential curriculum entails refocusing your departmental efforts towards student learning, it necessarily follows that you must develop a culture of assessment. A culture of assessment is one in which decisions are data-driven and tested through the design, implementation, and review of assessment measures. As Lakos and Phipps (2004) describe it, a culture of... Continue Reading →
Why I go to the Institute on the Curricular Approach… And keep coming back every year
Perspective I attended my first Institute on the Curricular Approach (then the Residential Curriculum Institute) in 2010. Since that point I have attended 8 of the 12 total Institutes and served on faculty and planning committees for 6 of them. With the most recent Institute wrapping up this past week in Chicago, I left the... Continue Reading →
Breaking Down Curricular Learning Goals into Learning Outcomes
Continuing down the cascade of your curriculum, one becomes more specific in the learning objectives one hopes residents will achieve. In this way, the cascade functions as nested structure includes successively more specific statements as one moves towards the level of practice. One’s educational priority is the broadest statement of learning one hopes students will... Continue Reading →
A Glossary of Terms for Residential Curriculum and Curricular Approaches Outside of the Classroom
When getting started in developing a curricular approach to student learning outside the classroom, there are a number of different terms and concepts that are used with which one should become familiar. Many of the terms used have been systematized over time, particularly by the faculty of ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach. However, some of... Continue Reading →
Developing a Timeline for a Divisional or Residential Curriculum Implementation on Your Campus
Curricular development is a complex process that involves planning and organizational change. It is a process that takes year, not months. Each institution, or within each division or department, there may be unique contextual factors that may influence the development timeline of a curricular implementation. Although it is difficult to develop a timeline that is... Continue Reading →
What are the Benefits of Moving to a Curricular Approach to Residence Life?
When encountering the curricular approach for the first time, many staff may wonder why the approach has gained such currency within student affairs and residence life and what research and data backs up and supports its use. When asking these questions, it is important to understand that the curricular approach is a model of how... Continue Reading →
Developing Your Educational Plan(s) and Putting Your Residential Curriculum Into Practice
Once a department or division articulates the goals, outcomes, and objectives it hopes to achieve, and they’ve undergone the work to rubric, map, and sequence these objectives, the final step in the process is the development of an overall educational plan. Educational plans function much like blueprints. As plans, they outline time-based progression through the... Continue Reading →
The Iterative and Reciprocal Process of Developing Rubrics (With Training Video)
An important element of developing residential curriculum involves scaffolding and sequencing learning. Rubrics, or tools developed for the purposes of scoring and rating development along a scale, can be useful in this scaffolding and sequencing process. As discussed earlier, residential curriculum rubrics break down learning outcomes into successive stages of development and mastery. Although coming... Continue Reading →
Creating Effective Curriculum Facilitation Guides and Lesson Plans for Staff
Once you have decided on your educational priority, learning goals, narratives, and learning outcomes, and developed rubrics, it is time to begin putting these educational objectives into action through strategies. Strategies are the vehicles for educational delivery. They can include activities such as programs and events, newsletters, and guided community or individual conversations. Facilitation guides... Continue Reading →
Six Videos To Use During Residence Life Professional Staff Training (With Bonus Curriculum Videos!)
I provide a number of training and consulting services for professionals in college housing and residence life. In the course of developing materials for these services, we've identified a number of high quality videos that address topics related to higher education and student learning. The following are some of our favorites that make excellent conversation starters for... Continue Reading →
Implications for Staff Member Duties, Selection, Training, and Development When Transitioning to a Curricular Approach
Transitioning to a residential curriculum is as much about educational plan development as it is about organizational change. The reason for this is that curricular approaches are often paradigmatic change--change predicated on an entirely new set of premises. In other words, rather than just rearranging the furniture in the room, you're changing the entire room... Continue Reading →
What’s On Your Residential Education and Curriculum Summer Reading List?
In a recent post to the Residential Curriculum Facebook page, a number of folks started sharing what’s on their reading list related to residential student learning, education, and curriculum. Since summer time is typically a great occasion to catch up on reading and other work, we curated this list of “summer readings” from their suggestions.... Continue Reading →
Video: PechaKucha – Claiming Our Roles As Educators: Residential Curriculum and Curricular Approaches
At the most recent Convention of ACPA - College Student Educators International, I had the opportunity to present a PechaKucha-stylepresentation on residential curriculum and curricular approaches to student affairs work. In this video I discuss why we need a curricular approach, how the movement started, what curricular approaches entail, and how we can move this... Continue Reading →
Transcript of the 2017 Commencement Speech for Western Nebraska Community College: It Only Takes A Tweet
The following is a transcript of the speech I gave as the 2017 commencement speaker at Western Nebraska Community College. It was an honor to be asked to speak with these graduates and their friends and family and a memory I won't soon forget. Many thanks to President Holcomb for inviting me and to Nina Grant... Continue Reading →
27 Quick Questions to Assess Student Learning
One of the most important aspects of developing residence hall curriculum is the establishment of assessment practices that measure student learning. The use of Bloom’s Taxonomy and its related verbs can help in this regard by ensuring that the outcomes we seek to achieve are specific and measurable. But how do we actually do the... Continue Reading →
What are Residential Curriculum Goals and Narratives and How to Write Them
Goals and narratives are perhaps the least appreciated, understood, and often confused components of a residential curriculum. In reviewing the cascade of learning objectives in a curriculum, one starts with an educational priority. An educational priority is a broad summary statement of what students will learn as a result of their participation in the curriculum.... Continue Reading →
5 Signs Your Residential Curriculum is Actually a Programming Model with Learning Outcomes
Curricular approaches are more than just writing and defining learning priorities, goals, outcomes. In many ways, implementing a curricular approach is as much about organizational change as it is about defining a structure. This is one of the reasons why Kerr, Tweedy, Edwards, and Kimmel (2017) call it a "paradigm shift." The word "paradigm" is most... Continue Reading →
Have We Reached The Tipping Point For Residential Curriculum Model Adoption?
My vantage point at a technology company gives me unique insights into the industry. Given the large number of schools we work with and interact with, we're often able to begin to see trends before others in the field. One thing we have discussed is the increasing use of curricular models by departments of residence... Continue Reading →
Presentation: Implementing Intentional Conversations into Your Residence Life and Curriculum Work
Intentional conversations, or structured interactions between residents and peer leaders, are increasingly being used as integral components of educational efforts in the residence halls. At the most recent International Convention of ACPA - College Student Educators International in Houston, Texas, I had the pleasure of presenting with Hilary Lichterman on some high impact practices associated... Continue Reading →
Presentation: Utilizing Standards to Assess the Effectiveness of a Residential Education Curriculum
Given that the curricular approach is relatively new in student affairs circles, there is a need for tools and resources that can help campuses and departments assess the effectiveness of their efforts. I, along with Ryan Lloyd, recently had the pleasure of presenting on two such resources at the 2018 International Convention of NASPA -... Continue Reading →
Utilizing Peer and External Review Processes for Continuous Curricular Improvement
Developing a culture of continuous improvement within your housing and residence life department requires one to put structures in place to gather assessment data and utilize that data to make change. Furthermore, it requires the identification and standards against which a department can compare their progress and determine and prioritize goals. Within the area of... Continue Reading →
How to Conduct an Archeological Dig for a Curricular Approach to Student Affairs
Before embarking on a curricular approach, it is important to conduct an audit, or archeological dig, to surface important characteristics and concepts that should be present and accounted for in your curriculum. As Siri Espy states, “Much like an archeological dig, your mission is to start with a set of bones and construct a skin... Continue Reading →
The Difference Between a “Mission Statement” and an “Educational Priority” in a Curriculum
In developing a residential curriculum, one of the first tasks a residence life department undertakes is the establishment of an educational priority. An educational priority is summative statement of what students will learn by their participation in a curriculum. An educational priority is broad, informed by research and theory, and contextualized to an individual campus and student population.... Continue Reading →
Four Ways Residence Life Education Can Go Wrong
There are a number of practices in residential life and education that have become commonplace, but that don't always advance our roles as educators and student affairs professionals. Over my many years in residence life, I've seen the following four ideas surface again and again. They are concepts that seem to be ingrained in our collective... Continue Reading →
The Realities of Competing For Student Time in the 21st Century
Now, more than ever, residence life professionals are competing for students' time. Technological change has brought about a revolution of choice for self directing one's learning and a multitude options for one's use of free time. This is not a new phenomenon, but the competition has changed. Residence life and student activities have always had... Continue Reading →
Dear RAs… I want you to STOP PROGRAMMING!
It's time for an intervention. PUT DOWN the glitter. STEP AWAY from the construction paper. DO NOT OPEN the pizza boxes. I WANT YOU TO STOP PROGRAMMING! I don't really want you to stop programming, but I do want to stop putting on programs that are not developed with a strong set of learning outcomes and... Continue Reading →
Why the Frequency of Residence Hall Programs Matter More Than the Overall Number
Many traditional programs models within residence life are designed such that staff members must complete x number of events or programs a semester. Relying on an overall number of programs, however, ignores an important variable in the educational equation: frequency. Rather than focus on the total number of programs to be completed, it is perhaps even... Continue Reading →
How To Develop Student Learning Rubrics For Student Affairs Practice
Rubrics are tools that are used by educators to help evaluate the learning and performance of students. They are written documents, often presented in a chart format, that help define progress and achievement levels towards various goals and performance indicators. When developing learning goals and their constituent outcomes in a residential curriculum, rubrics can help. Rubrics ensure that... Continue Reading →
Feedback Versus Assessment: Questions to Ask
When evaluating programs and other educational interventions with students, it is important to make a distinction between two concepts: feedback and assessment. Although the types of questions you may ask in each of these categories may differ, the overall goal is how to design and execute effective experiences for students that are engaging and achieve educational... Continue Reading →
ResLife Myth #4: RA Training Needs To Be Two Weeks To Be Effective
A number of departments and institutions have recognized that as the roles of residential education staff have evolved and technology has advanced, many of the assumptions upon which training programs were previously built no longer hold true. For example, resident assistant and student staff training programs typically occur in August, before residence halls open for the... Continue Reading →
For the Fourth Year in a Row I Received an Honorable Mention in the iPhone Photography Awards (2017)
How to Track and Assesses Intentional Conversations for a Residential Curriculum
Intentional Conversations are one-on-one meetings between student staff and their residents guided by a suggested set of questions and prompts that are developmentally appropriate and situated within the context of a resident’s experience. This post is one of a mutli-part series examining and providing suggestions for residence life and education departments that utilize Intentional Conversations... Continue Reading →
Don’t Be Creepy: Training Student Staff For Genuine Intentional Conversations
Intentional Conversations are one-on-one meetings between student staff and their residents guided by a suggested set of questions and prompts that are developmentally appropriate and situated within the context of a resident’s experience. This post is one of a mutli-part series examining and providing suggestions for residence life and education departments that utilize Intentional Conversations... Continue Reading →
100 Questions You Can Use for “Intentional Conversations” in the Residence Halls
Intentional Conversations are one-on-one meetings between student staff and their residents guided by a suggested set of questions and prompts that are developmentally appropriate and situated within the context of a resident’s experience. This post is one of a mutli-part series examining and providing suggestions for residence life and education departments that utilize Intentional Conversations... Continue Reading →
Developing an Intentional Conversation Curriculum Guide for Student Staff
Intentional Conversations are one-on-one meetings between student staff and their residents guided by a suggested set of questions and prompts that are developmentally appropriate and situated within the context of a resident’s experience. This post is one of a mutli-part series examining and providing suggestions for residence life and education departments that utilize Intentional Conversations... Continue Reading →
How to Structure Intentional Conversations in a Residential Curriculum
Intentional Conversations are one-on-one meetings between student staff and their residents guided by a suggested set of questions and prompts that are developmentally appropriate and situated within the context of a resident’s experience. This post is one of a mutli-part series examining and providing suggestions for residence life and education departments that utilize Intentional Conversations... Continue Reading →
What are Intentional Conversations and Why Should You Use Them in Residential Education?
Intentional Conversations are one-on-one meetings between student staff and their residents guided by a suggested set of questions and prompts that are developmentally appropriate and situated within the context of a resident’s experience. This post is one of a mutli-part series examining and providing suggestions for residence life and education departments that utilize Intentional Conversations... Continue Reading →
4 Documents that Place “Student Learning” at the Core of Residential Education
One of the primary roles of residence life professionals is to advance student learning. But given the myriad of hats and tasks that housing and residence life professionals take on, it can sometimes become lost in the mix. It requires professionals to remain vigilant. When developing educational plans, writing position descriptions, and training staff, these processes should be constantly... Continue Reading →
10 Different Strategies for Promoting Residential Student Learning
The ultimate mission of student affairs work is to advance student learning. Although this occurs across campus, the professionals that work in residence life are uniquely situated in this process given the relatively high level of contact they have with students. Unlike most faculty members, however, the educational environment created by student affairs and residence life educators... Continue Reading →
ResLife Myth #3: Community Happens… Magically
Believing that community building happens naturally and doesn't require intervention is a myth. This "myth" is often not one that is widely believed by most professionals that work in residence life, but rather those that work outside of it. What many individuals do not realize is the amount of work and intentionality that goes into... Continue Reading →
PRESENTATION VIDEO: Not Working 9-5: Models for Success in Innovative Work Arrangements
At the recent 2017 NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Convention in San Antonio, I had the pleasure of working with a panel of colleagues to discuss "innovative work arrangements." We defined these work arrangements as anything that deviates from the typical defined work hours/defined work location norm. In the following panel, you can find out... Continue Reading →
Closing Time… Reflection and Closure Activities for Residence Life
As May approaches at colleges and universities across the United States, the end of the academic year brings a number of rites of passage and end-of-the-year celebrations--from banquets to award ceremonies to graduations. Students are preparing for finals, saying goodbye to friends, planning for summer work and internships, and, for some, leaving the university for the... Continue Reading →
The Importance of “Tags” in Using Digital Data for Assessment
One of the most common and important features of modern software is the "tag." A tag is a short keyword or phrase that a user assigns to a piece of information that describes it in some way. You might also be familiar with hashtags, a form of tag used in social media (#thisisahashtag). Tags... Continue Reading →
Does Your Residential Curriculum Cascade?
An important concept in developing intentional learning experiences for students is the idea of the "cascade." Much like the successive steps of a waterfall, as water flows from one plateau to another, learning goals and outcomes in a residential curriculum should flow from more general statements of educational priority down to more specific and measurable... Continue Reading →
The Missing Eleventh Element of a Residential Curriculum: Customized Student Learning
The Residential Curriculum Institute outlines 10 "Essential Elements" that make up a curriculum and yet little to no research has been conducted specifically on these Elements. While that is not to say that the Elements are unsupported by research, they borrow from proven concepts and sound principles of instructional design, but there is currently no body of... Continue Reading →
New Webinar: Staying Relevant: The Relationship between Student Affairs and Mobile Technology (w/Guidebook)
I recently had the opportunity to join the higher ed tech company, Guidebook, on a webinar discussing how apps and technology are changing the student experience and student expectations for higher education. Chris Trudell of Guidebook served as the moderator. If you're interested, it's free and available online. Staying Relevant: The Relationship between Student Affairs... Continue Reading →
JUST PUBLISHED: “Remixing Leadership Practices with Emerging Technologies” in “Going Digital in Student Leadership”
I'm excited to share that I have a new chapter out in the most recent volume of New Directions in Student Leadership entitled, Going Digital in Student Leadership. The chapter I co-authored with Dr. Ed Cabellon, titled "Remixing Leadership Practices with Emerging Technologies," presents an overview of the historical trends in and the current state of technology in... Continue Reading →
Building Off of Bloom: Writing Progressive Learning Objectives
One of the bedrock concepts of designing residential curricula and learning plans is the ability to write effective learning objectives. Writing effective and measurable learning objectives, however, is often more difficult than it may seem. The deeper one delves into learning theory and curricular design, the more nuanced one realizes these concepts are. One of... Continue Reading →
ResLife Myth #2: Overworking Means You Are Effective At Your Job
Student affairs practitioners, and particularly those in residence life, often have a problem with overworking. It's not hard to understand why. Many of us enter this field because we were superstar over-involved undergraduate student leaders. We are also a profession of "helpers." We do this work "for the students" and that sometimes means that we have to... Continue Reading →
2017: The Year of College Student Activism and Social Media Organizing
The 2016 U.S. presidential election was one of the most divisive in recent history. In a recent poll by CNN, 85% of Americans reported believing that the country is more divided than in previous years. As we head into 2017, this division is likely to remain steady and perhaps increase. As a result, college campuses in... Continue Reading →
Named as a “Top Voice” in Education on LinkedIn for 2016
I'm beyond excited to share that I've been named a "Top Voice" on LinkedIn. I've been blogging for a number of years now, both on this website as well as on the LinkedIn platform, and I've found the process to be an incredibly rewarding one. The LinkedIn platform, in particular, provides an excellent low-barrier-to-entry opportunity for... Continue Reading →
Presenting at Boston University Today…
I'm pleased to be presenting my research at Boston University today. This session provides a more detailed look at some of my research related to college student development in digital/social spaces. Videos from the presentation: More about my research VIDEO: Can We Auto-Correct Humanity by Prince EA VIDEO: Social Media and Ambient Intimacy on Shots of Awe VIDEO: What’s... Continue Reading →
ResLife Myth #1: Food is Necessary for Program Attendance
We've all heard it before: Residents won't attend a program, particularly an educational program, unless there is food. While I'm not naive to the fact that food is a great draw, I do believe that we rely on food too much and that it often gets in the way of educating residents. Don't get me wrong. I love... Continue Reading →
Presenting at #GLACUHO 2016 Today…
I'm excited to be back in the region in which I got my start. During my graduate student days I was the intern for Alma Sealine when she was GLACUHO President. Fast forward 15 years later and I'm back in the region and presenting three times. Below are the slides from the presentations I will... Continue Reading →
Consider Donating On My Behalf, As a Diamond Honoree of ACPA!
I am super humbled and honored to be recognized by ACPA-College Student Educators International as a 2017 Diamond Honoree! The Diamond Honoree program is both a recognition program and a fundraising campaign that recognizes individuals for their contributions to higher education. Two of my colleagues and mentors, Dr. Sue Sanders and Dr. Bob Bonfiglio,... Continue Reading →
Social Media Engagement in Residence Life Takes Courage. Do You Have It?
Higher education and student affairs professionals generally prefer the predictable. And yet, when it comes to engagement with students online, social media is the antithesis of control. For this reason, developing an effective digital engagement strategy in residence life, and in student affairs and higher education in general, requires a great degree of trust and a... Continue Reading →
Presenting at #AIMHO 2016 Today…
I'm pleased to be presenting at the AIMHO 2016 conference alongside my esteemed colleague, Rachel Aho from the University of Utah. In this session we'll be discussing aspects of research and practice that relate to the developmental challenges and opportunities college students face online. The theoretical underpinnings of this session are drawn from my qualitative study... Continue Reading →
Presenting at LEAD365 2016 Today…
For the second year, I'm pleased to be a member of the faculty for the Lead365 Conference. Lead365is an organization that promotes student leadership development and offers a yearly conference for students and staff alike to learn the latest leadership research and best practices. I am presenting three times at this year's conference. Once for professional staff,... Continue Reading →
Which of the Residential Curriculum Elements are the Hardest to Achieve? And Why?
The Residential Curriculum Institute defines a curriculum as having 10 "Essential Elements." These are the features and principles that a residence life department's educational program should adhere to if it is to be considered a "true" residential curriculum. In 2013, while in my PhD program, I conducted some research on schools implementing this curricular approach. I wanted to find out... Continue Reading →
Why you should register and attend ACPA’s ICA – Institute on the Curricular Approach (RCI – Residential Curriculum Institute)
The Institute on the Curricular Approach (formerly the Residential Curriculum Institute) is a professional development opportunity offered by ACPA-College Student Educators International and co-sponsored by its Commission for Housing and Residential Life and the Commission for Assessment and Evaluation. The Institute provides an overview and training on how to start and grow a residential curriculum and,... Continue Reading →
Keynoting ACUI Region IV Conference Today…
I am pleased to be one of the Keynote speakers at this week's ACUI Region IV Conference. This session finds me discussing student like online and how it can impact their civic and campus engagement. Many thanks to my scholar-colleague Adam Gismondi who is letting me use some of the concepts he developed in his... Continue Reading →
#ACUHOI BizOps 2016 Presentation: Building a Departmental Culture for Digital Professional Engagement
I'm presenting the following educational session on leveraging social and digital tools for departmental professional development at the ACUHO-I Business Operations Conference. The following includes the slide sI am using as well as a link to additional helpful resources. Abstract Social and digital technologies have expanded the opportunities for staff development and professional engagement. By... Continue Reading →
#ACUHOI BizOps 2016 Presentation: Design Basics For Do-It-Yourself Print and Digital Publications
It's been a while since I last presented on graphic design and related principles to a student affairs audience. Although I am not formally trained in the area, I do have enough working knowledge to translate some of my own successes into practical and actionable tips for practitioners. Above you'll find the slides from my ACUHO-I... Continue Reading →
#ACUHOI BizOps 2016 Presentation: 7 Questions To Ask Before You Jump Into Social Media Marketing
I'm happy to be presenting multiple educational sessions at this year's ACUHO-I Business Operations Conference. This session is focused on using social media for student engagement and marketing--a topic I'm frequently asked to speak about. The following page includes the slides as well as further resources that may be helpful. Enjoy! Abstract: The following session will... Continue Reading →
7 Learning Goal Themes Commonly Found in a Residential Curriculum
Cascading from an educational priority are the broad goals of a curriculum. The goals of a curriculum are the main categories and statements of the educational components of the learning program. A typical residential curriculum includes 3-6 goals which are accompanied by narratives providing further detail. These goals, in turn, guide the development of learning outcomes and... Continue Reading →
21 Examples of Learning Priority Statements for a Residential Curriculum
One of the first steps in implementing a curricular approach in the residence halls is to articulate an educational priority. Educational priorities are written statements, typically 1-3 sentences, that describe the overall mission or objective of a curriculum. These priorities should be grounded in research and scholarship as well as the institutional context of the... Continue Reading →
Residential Curriculum Element #10: Assessment Occurs at All Levels: From Educational Priority to Learning Goals and Outcomes
In order to be successful, a curriculum must be supported by a robust plan for assessment. This includes assessment at all levels of the curriculum--from educational priority to learning goals and outcomes. When beginning a curriculum, institutions may have a number of broad assessment measures already in place. These could include summative assessments, accomplished through national... Continue Reading →
Just Published: “College Student Development in Digital Spaces” in “Engaging the Digital Generation”
I'm pleased to share that the new volume of New Directions for Student Services that I've been collaborating on for the past year is finally available online! Engaging the Digital Generation, edited by Josie Ahlquist and Ed Cabellon, focuses on issues confronting college students and higher education professionals related to technology. The chapters in this volume... Continue Reading →
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