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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Residential Curriculum Element #9: Peer-Review is Accomplished Through an Intentional Process
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 →
Residential Curriculum Element #8: Key Stakeholders are Identified and Involved
Part of developing a curriculum is the realization that educational opportunities need not originate within a residence life program in order to be valuable for residents. If there are experts in a given area on campus, and they already provide educational opportunities and services, why not figure out a way to package, market, and provide... Continue Reading →
Residential Curriculum Element #7: Learning is Scaffolded and Sequenced To Follow Time-Based Development
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 →
Residential Curriculum Element #6: Student Staff Are Utilized in Roles Appropriate To Their Skill Development
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 →
Residential Curriculum Element #5: Educational Strategies Go Beyond Programmed Events
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 →
Residential Curriculum Element #1: Directly Connects to the Institutional Mission
Curriculums do not exist in a vacuum. They exist on college campuses which have unique histories, traditions, contexts, cultures, and demographics. To this end, a well developed residential curriculum should be built not only off of peer-reviewed research and national and international standards, but also on the unique aspects of an institution. Many institutions starting a... Continue Reading →