Residence Life Curriculum

Learning Outcomes for Residential Students

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

(a) Diversity and Pluralism: Students will work effectively in a pluralistic society, recognizing and respecting diverse identities, beliefs, backgrounds, and life choices; will practice effective communication and collaboration across diverse communities and organizations; will critically reflect on the reasoning and impact of one's personal beliefs and actions.

(b) Civic Engagement: Students will work to make a difference in the civic life of the Geneseo community and develop the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes." (Excerpted from Civic Responsibility and Higher Education, edited by Thomas Ehrlich, published by Oryx Press, 2000, Preface, page vi.) Students will participate in activities of personal and public concern that are both individually life enriching and socially beneficial to the community.

Well Being

(a) Creativity and Creative Thinking: Students will produce scholarly or artistic work, independently or collaboratively, that makes inventive connections among existing forms and ideas; will engage divergent or contradictory perspectives; will transform existing ideas or solutions into new forms; will practice techniques for presenting and performing creative work.

(b) Leadership and Collaboration: Students will engage others in developing collaborative solutions; will experiment, take risks, and learn from mistakes; will enable, encourage, and recognize contributions to collaborative efforts by all group members; will manage and share work fairly and respectfully; will envision, promote, consider, and respond to diverse viewpoints.

Engagement

(a) Integrative Inquiry: Students will ask meaningful questions connecting personal experiences to academic study and co-curricular life; will synthesize multiple bodies of knowledge to address real-world problems and issues.

(b) Application and Transfer: Students will adapt and apply skills, theories, and methods gained in one or more domains to new situations.

(c) Reflection: Students will reflect upon changes in learning and outlook over time; to make personal, professional, and civic plans based on that self-reflection.

Strategies

(1) Student Engagement Experiences (SEEs) - SEEs are events happening in the halls or on campus that our Resident Assistants meaningfully design to meet learning outcomes.

(2) Home Improvements (HIs) - HIs are anything and everything that help students feel connected and gain a sense of belonging within a room, suite, floor, or hall.

(3) Intentional Conversations (ICs) - ICs are check-ins twice a semester between the Resident Assistants and residential students.

(4) Community Dialogues (CDs) - CDs are large (all-floor or all-hall) meetings in the residence halls to either proactively or reactively address community challenges or celebrate the community.

(5) Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) - LLCs are built upon three pillars: co-curricular (utilizing the above 4 strategies), curricular (offering for-credit learning opportunities), and community-facing (collaboration outside the hall to explore the theme) that work together to create a unique living and learning environment.

Strategy Learning Outcomes and Rubrics

Student Engagement Experiences

By participating in Student Engagement Experiences, students will: 1) Engage with people who are different than themselves (DP, CE); 2) Consider new ideas and take risks in problem solving (CT, LC); 3) Make connections between their work in the classroom and their activities out of the classroom. (AT, RE)

Dimension	Mastery	Intermediate Proficiency	Basic Proficiency
Engage with people different from themselves	Advocates for identities they do not have or makes decisions considerate of identities they do not have	Has open conversations with people who identify differently or think differently about key national issues	Rooms with or attends events with people who identify differently.
Taking risks	Learns from failure by adapting a strategy and/or identifying alternative approaches or resources	Puts self outside of their comfort zone in order to learn, create, or solve problems	Recognizes that taking risks and failing is a key part of learning
Making connections	Can identify members of the campus community that form a solid support system for the student in all three areas: academically, socially, emotionally.	Can identify members of the campus community that form a solid support system for the student in two of the three areas: academically, socially, emotionally.	Can identify at least one student, faculty, or staff member on campus that is a support to the student.
Reflection	Actively applies learning from inside and outside the classroom to the other arena	Can identify a time when learning outside the classroom led to understanding in a class	Can identify a time when classroom learning led to understanding in life

 

Home Improvements

By participating in Home Improvements, students will: 1) Feel like an included member of their residential community (CE); 2) Engage in their residential community (CE, LC).

Dimension	Mastery	Intermediate Proficiency	Basic Proficiency
Feel like an included member	Psychological and/or Self-Fulfillment Needs are met by the college community (Maslow - prestige, feeling of accomplishment, achieving one’s full potential, including creative activities)	Some psychological Needs are met by the residential community (Maslow - intimate relationships, friends)	Basic Needs are met by the residential community (Maslow - food, water, warmth, rest, security, safety)
Engage in the residential community	Students participate in 2+ SEEs/HIs/CDs/ Hall Council events each semester OR take on leadership roles in the residence hall	Students use the common areas and resources and hang out with or study with friends in the residence hall AND Students participate in participate in 1 SEE/HI/CD/Hall Council event each semester	Students use the common areas and resources and hang out with or study with friends in the residence hall

 

Community Dialogues

By participating in Community Dialogues, students will: 1) Discuss how to live with different people (GL, DP); 2) Build skills in conflict management (CE, DP); 3) Positively contribute to the residential community (CE).

Dimension	Mastery	Intermediate Proficiency	Basic Proficiency
Living with different people	Advocates for identities they do not have or makes decisions considerate of identities they do not have	Has open conversations with people who identify differently	Rooms with or attends events with people who identify differently.
Conflict Management	Collaborates - works with others to come to mutually beneficial solutions	Compromises - belief that each side has to give something up in order to solve conflict	Avoids conflict or accommodates others
Positively contribute to residential community	Stands up for and advocates for the community (physical and social space)	Treats other residents and staff members and the the hall facilities with respect	Treats most residents and staff members with respect; doesn’t always keep facilities clean

 

Intentional Conversations

By participating in Intentional Conversations, students will: 1) Identify and use academic and other college resources available to them (CCT); 2) Build positive relationships with Residence Life staff members (LC); 3) Reflect on their collegiate experience (RE).

Dimension	Mastery	Intermediate Proficiency	Basic Proficiency
College Resources	Is able to problem solve independently or with staff members to research resources and find those applicable.	Can name 3+ on campus and has used at least 1; reaches out to staff for support and information about where to go.	Can name 1-2 resources for academic or collegiate support, but has not used them.
Positive Relationships	Can identify by name or photo their RA, ARD, and AC/RD AND has interacted with these staff members 3-4 times each semester	Can identify by name or photo their RA, ARD, and AC/RD OR has interacted with these staff members 3-4 times each semester	Can identify their RA by name or photo
Reflection	Change their behavior or thinking based on reflection of their experiences	Think about the importance/value of their experiences	Think about their experiences in college
Reflection	Description → Feelings → Evaluation → Analysis → Conclusions → Action Plan (Gibbs)	What? So What? Now What? (Kolb)	Reports facts (who/what/where/when/how)

 

Living-Learning Communities

By participating in Living-Learning Communities, students will: 1) Ask collaborative questions connecting learning across classroom and personal experiences (II); 2) Apply knowledge and skills by addressing real-world problems (AT); 3) Reflect on the value and intention of curricular and co-curricular experiences for lifelong learning (RE).

Dimension	Mastery	Intermediate Proficiency	Basic Proficiency
Ask collaborative questions	Questions draw on knowledge from multiple arenas; Discuss overlap between courses AND co-curricular activities	Questions begin to cross institutional silos; Discuss overlap between courses OR co-curricular activities and real-world problems	Engage in dialogue, asking questions for clarification
Apply knowledge and skills	Enact a plan to make change in the residence halls or on campus	Develop a plan to address a real-world challenge	Identify real-world challenges students can impact in halls or on campus
Reflection	Identifies the value or intention of curricular AND co-curricular experiences	Identifies the value or intention of curricular OR co-curricular experiences	Think about different curricular and co-curricular experiences they’ve had

 

Educational Plans