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 →
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 →
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 →
Because curricula are educational plans, they should be subject to the same peer-review processes as their course-credit-bearing equivalents. The idea of peer-review is borrowed from scholarly circles, whereby communities of scholars engage in self governance and ensure quality and standards are adhered to. The same holds true of a residential curriculum review process. With a... Continue Reading →
Learning does not take place in a vacuum. It takes place in time and space. A well-designed curriculum recognizes that learning is most often a cumulative process. Individuals learn and grow over time. Sometimes they regress and sometimes they make large leaps forward, but the broad arc of learning is progressive over time. To this... Continue Reading →
In residence life and education, student staff members are some of our most important partners in the educational process. They are our front-line on-the-ground staff and are integral to promoting student learning. As peers, student staff members are often best positioned to help their fellow students in ways that professional staff members can't. There are also some roles,... Continue Reading →
We're all familiar with the premise that food is a necessary component of any educational endeavor in the residence halls. Attract residents with pizza and then ambush them with educational content. Although there is nothing wrong with incentivizing participation in an educational activity, the premises behind this mindset are problematic. This approach assumes that the problem with an educational program... Continue Reading →
A well known approach to education in the residence halls is the programming model. Typically, a programming model will involve a menu of different categories that structure and guide programmatic efforts. These categories may be based on a wellness wheel, or they may include broader categories such as "social," "multicultural," or "educational" programming. To fulfill a programming model's requirements, a student staff member... Continue Reading →
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