Curricular Approach Update
In the December Student Affairs Connection Newsletter, I announced that the members of the Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT) were convening for a half-day retreat in January to identify the educational priority for Student Affairs. As a result of a very engaging and dynamic retreat, the Student Affairs leadership identified the following educational priority for our division. This statement is the core of what we believe students will learn by their participation in the curriculum.
Educational Priority for Student Affairs
At the conclusion of the Carolina experience, students will be engaged community members who are resilient and contribute to an equitable, inclusive community through the process of ongoing exploration and commitment to a personal set of values and beliefs.
The Educational Priority identifies three areas of focus within the curricular approach: resilience, diversity and inclusion, and values development. These three bucket areas will serve as the core learning goals at the division level. Departments will contribute to these learning goals using a variety of strategies that are not limited to traditional programs. Strategies can include intentional conversations, group dialogues and discussions, shared experiences, and other forms of engagement, (Brown, 2020). The Curricular Approach expands upon how each department contributes to student learning.
Since the SALT Retreat, the Curricular Approach Steering Committee continues to support the foundational work for the Curricular Approach. As practitioners in Student Affairs, our work is often guided by theory, research, and best practices in how we provide services and programs to students as it relates to content and pedagogy. The steering committee went through a robust review and selection process to identify a theoretical framework to support the learning goals identified in the Educational Priority. At the March 10th professional development town hall, the members of the steering committee will share the selected theoretical frameworks, along with the steps for how we intend to move forward with the development of learning goals, narratives, outcomes, strategies, and rubrics. This work will be accomplished by three working groups. For those not serving on a working group, there will be opportunities to pull in staff who have expertise with a particular strategy. Details on our progress to date, along with next steps for the spring and summer will be provided at the March 10th Town Hall. We hope to see you there.
Bettina Shuford, Ph.D
Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Engagement