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 →
Restorative Practices in ResLife: The Role of Fair Process in Curricular Development
This post is one in a series about integrating Restorative Practices into a model for residential learning. Start with the introduction as a primer and explore posts on other strategies you can utilize with a restorative lens.| Introduction | Roommate Agreements | Floor Meetings & Circles | Fair Process My first exposure to the Curricular... Continue Reading →
3 Res Life Quick Tips for Starting a Residential Curriculum
Roompact's "Res Life Quick Tips" series highlights ideas and suggestions you can utilize in your residence life and education practice. Take a look through our past quick tips. Many schools are transitioning to a residential curriculum or curricular approach to their work. For those starting on this journey, however, it can usually be difficult to... Continue Reading →
Curricular Approach Q&A: How do upperclass students fit into a curriculum?
A curricular approach is sequenced and scaffolded to follow a student's learning journey through the institution over time. Just as you need to take a 101 course before moving on to a more advanced 201 or 301 course, a co-curriculum follows this same progression. Many institutions that begin developing a curriculum focus on their first... Continue Reading →
5 “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for Student Staff Training Around Intentional Conversations
Though Intentional Conversations are meant to be casual conversations between student staff and their residents, these chats still require some degree of training and preparation. While professional staff members work to create a lesson plan or Intentional Conversation guide that models the goals and desires of their residential curriculum, significant thought should also be put... Continue Reading →
Curricular Approach Q&A: What’s the Difference Between a Facilitation Guide and Lesson Plan?
The short answer is: none. Facilitation guides and lesson plans are two terms used for the same thing. They are the detailed guides that an educator can use to implement a specific strategy. So, for example, if I were going a study skills workshop, the lesson plan or facilitation guide would list the specific outcomes... Continue Reading →
ResEdChat Ep 2: Dr. Hilary Lichterman on Residential Curriculum During and Post COVID-19
In this episode of ResEdChat, we spend some time with Dr. Hilary Lichterman, previously from the University of South Carolina, and soon to be the Director of Housing and Residence Life at Seattle University. In this episode, we discuss our mutual love of cheese, our experience at ACUHO-I's National Housing Training Institute (NHTI), and do a deeper dive into how the COVID pandemic impacted residential curriculum in the moment as well as what it means for the future.
3 Res Life Quick Tips for Intentional Conversation Assessment
Roompact's "Res Life Quick Tips" series highlights ideas and suggestions you can utilize in your residence life and education practice. Take a look through our past quick tips. Many departments utilize intentional conversations as an educational strategy. Intentional conversations are, as their name suggests, touch points between a resident and a peer leader that are... 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 →