What Is and Why Attend ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach (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. The Institute provides an overview and training on how to start and grow a residential curriculum and, since its inception, has drawn thousands of participants from across the United States and around the world. The Institute is the only event 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 #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 #4: Educational Strategies are Developed to Advance Learning Outcomes

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 →

Residential Curriculum Element #2: Learning Goals and Outcomes Developed and Based in a Defined Educational Priority

One of the important first steps in developing a curriculum is setting and defining an overall educational priority. An educational priority is the basis upon which all other goals and outcomes are derived. Based in the mission, context, and values of your institution, a priority should provide a broad statement about what learning will be occurring within... Continue Reading →

What is a Residential Curriculum? Curricular Approach? Residential Learning Model?

The terms “residential curriculum” or “curricular approach” are used to describe an intentional specifically-structured way of promoting learning in college and university student affairs programs. Borrowing from techniques utilized by classroom-based teachers, the curricular approach to student affairs designs a series of successive learning and engagement opportunities for students that are measurable against defined objectives.... Continue Reading →

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