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 →
The Iterative and Reciprocal Process of Developing Rubrics
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Why the Frequency of Residence Hall Programs Matters More Than the Overall Number of Them
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 →
Five Tips for Designing Your Residential Curriculum Assessment Plans
Assessment and accountability are important features of modern student affairs work. We have always known our work was important, but we are being asked to show how what we do impacts our students in tangible ways. The topic of assessment can make people nervous. What if the programs and services we offer aren’t as effective... Continue Reading →
How To Develop Student Learning Rubrics For Student Affairs Curriculum
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 →
Download the Residential Curriculum Standards Self-Assessment Tool
At Roompact, we're committed to helping advance knowledge and research for the betterment of professional practice. To that end, we've developed a departmental self-assessment document that that is intended to be a helpful guide for schools utilizing a curricular approach to their educational efforts. The Residential Curriculum Standards Self-Assessment tool provides staff and review committees with suggested... Continue Reading →
How to Track and Assess 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 multi-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 multi-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 multi-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 multi-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 multi-part series examining and providing suggestions for residence life and education departments that utilize Intentional Conversations... Continue Reading →