10/03/2022
By Jim Whitaker

Throughout the pandemic, the Office of Residence Life has been critically examining how they engage with students who choose to live on campus – analyzing the question: Is what we offered pre-COVID what students need/want now? Following national best practices based on comprehensive research, UMass Lowell’s Residence Life team has embarked on a curricular approach to student engagement.

Based on an American College Personal Association's (ACAPA) publication, "The Student Learning Imperative: Implications for Student Affairs," this curricular approach to student engagement notes that: unlike a student’s college experience, their post-college life’s learning experiences are not segregated in academic or student life - as their job performance, family life, and community engagement are all highly dependent on their cognitive and affective skills. Unlike some programming models many of us experienced during college, a curricular approach to student engagement is differentiated by these 10 essential elements:

  1. Directly connected to institutional mission
  2. Learning goals and outcomes are derived from a defined educational priority
  3. Based on research and developmental theory
  4. Departmental learning outcomes drive development of educational strategies
  5. Traditional programs may be one type of strategy—but not the only one
  6. Student leaders and staff members play key roles in implementation but are not expected to be educational experts
  7. Represents developmentally sequenced learning
  8. Campus partners are identified and integrated into plans
  9. Plan is developed through a review process
  10. Cycle of assessment for student learning and educational strategies

Using a curricular approach to student engagement also means that, unlike some programming models that can remain stagnant, we can continue to review and evolve using data to meet the changing needs and priorities of our institution and our students. 

To learn more about Residence Life’s curricular approach to student engagement, please contact Jim Whitaker, Ed.D., Director of Residential Education.