OWU Residential Curriculum Rubric

Learning Goal 4: Intercultural Community

Students will demonstrate an ever-deepening understanding and respect for themselves, individuals, and cultures and will learn from one another and grow together.

Cultivate a curiosity for understanding themselves, individuals, and cultures in the context of power and privilege.

Explore your personal identity and begin to learn about identities beyond your own.

Explore how power and privilege can impact your life and the lives of those around you.

Have a foundation of knowledge that allows for continued learning and exploring of yourself, individuals, and cultures in the context of power and privilege.

Describe their personal responsibility to our community and intervene when someone’s actions do not match our institutional values.

Learn about Bystander intervention, DEI/ Bias, physical campus, and student well-being.

Apply bystander intervention strategies beyond your social network on campus.

Have an understanding of the values OWU holds.

Exhibit standards and values of the university.

Explore personal values and demonstrate self-awareness.

Explore personal values.

Demonstrate selfawareness.

Recognize when your values and actions do not align.

Align your values and actions.

Strategies

owUChats – owUChats are conversations between Resident Assistants/Moderators and residents about important issues. The topics of these conversations will vary, but will take place at least once each semester. Not only do residents learn valuable information, but these chats also provide an opportunity for residents and Residential Life student leaders to personally connect with one another and talk about any topic of concern or interest to the resident.

Floor Programs – Floor programs are hosted by Resident Assistants/Moderators with the intention of creating community and a sense of belonging amongst the floor/area. They occur at least once per month and are organized by the Resident Assistant/ Moderator. Resident Assistants/Moderators love to hear from residents if you have ideas for these events.

Signature Events – Signature events are large events designed and hosted by Residential Life professional staff or student Programming Coordinators with strategic collaboration with campus and community partners.

Roommate Agreements – Roommate agreements serve as an opportunity for new roommates to discuss how they will live together successfully. You will discuss what personal belongings you will and will not share, when you can have guests over, how you’ll share cleaning responsibilities, etc.

Community Meetings – Community meetings are a great place for you to meet everyone on your floor. They are typically held at the start of a semester but also at other key points in the academic year. You will learn important information that every student will need to know.

Student-Led Programs – Students are able to get involved in the Residential Experience through opportunities like SLU house projects and Hall Council.

Leadership Development

Initiatives – There are a number of ways students can engage in leadership development in the residential communities. Hall Council, serving in a Residential Life student staff role, and living in our leadership theme community are just a few examples.

Informal Opportunities – You might see someone handing out information near Smith Dining or have an opportunity to talk with a Resident Assistant or Moderator at the Smith Hall Late Night Desk. These are quick, informal opportunities for you to learn something new or get information you need.

Passive Initiatives – You will see bulletin boards on your floor/in your area with information on them. There may be posters for you to read. These are called ‘passive initiatives’ because you can learn information as you walk by them.

Living Learning Community

Engagement – Students who live in our theme communities and living learning communities will have opportunities to engage in events and activities related to your community’s theme or academic focus.

Roles

Leadership Team

The role of the leadership team is to broadly guide the implementation of The Residential Experience. This includes ensuring initiatives are aligned with the goals and outcomes of the curriculum, planned in intentional ways, administratively supported, and add value to the student experience. Additionally, members of the leadership team serve as experts on the curriculum and, as such, continuously align The Residential Experience using assessment data, current research, and university priorities. The leadership team includes the Residential Life professional staff and OWU staff and faculty.

• Guide and provide leadership and expertise to the Residential Experience

• Ensure initiatives align with the learning goals and outcomes

• Use assessment tools to improve the curriculum

Residential Life Professional Staff

The role of the Residential Life professional team is to serve as experts in how The Residential Experience is used as a framework for learning and community development. The professional staff team guides the development and implementation of initiatives, creates facilitation guides to ensure intentionality, and uses assessment data to ensure the success of each initiative and the overall success of The Residential Experience. The professional staff team does not serve as educational experts in all outcomes of the curriculum, but instead works with campus and community experts to develop and deliver quality content to students. The professional team directly implements events and initiatives, and provides leadership to our student staff in their work with The Residential Experience initiatives.

• Plan and implement large Residential Experience initiatives

• Participate in curriculum development and strategic planning

• Support student staff initiated curriculum efforts

Roles

Programming Assistants

Programming Assistants help in planning, implementing, and assessing Residential Experience events and initiatives. As student leaders, Programming Assistants provide expert information on the types of events students would engage with, appreciate, and enjoy. At times, Programming Assistants will use facilitation guides to host events and initiatives on their own; at other times, they will work alongside the professional staff team.

• Plan and implement large Residential Experience initiatives in collaboration with professional staff

• Provide student perspective in Residential Experience planning and implementation

Resident Assistants/Moderators

Resident Assistants and Moderators (RAs/Mods) play a critical role in The Residential Experience as they engage directly with students in their daily lives while living together in a residential community. RAs/Mods host owUChats, roommate agreement meetings, and community meetings, and offer a variety of other opportunities for students to engage directly with their RA/Mod and other members of the community in an effort to create a sense of community and belonging on the floor. The work RAs/Mods do to help students learn how to navigate conflict, develop healthy relationships, and cultivate a caring community is core to The Residential Experience. RAs/Mods host community events on the floor/in the area to help students get to know one another, develop new friendships, and have fun together. RAs/Mods also provide support to some of the larger Residential Experience initiatives.

• Focus on creating a sense of community and belonging on their floor

• Assist residents with the development of conflict management skills

• Provide support for at least one large Residential Experience initiative

Campus and Community Partners

The role our campus and community partners play in developing and implementing Residential Experience is critical to the overall success of the curriculum. Campus and community partners serve as experts in the development of content for Residential Experience initiatives. At times, partners may deliver content directly to students and at other times the professional staff, programming coordinators, and RAs/Mods may deliver the content provided by partners. The collaborative nature of The Residential Experience supports student learning in that we are ensuring the quality of the information being provided to students and cultivating their connections with members of the campus and local community. Partners include staff and faculty from across the university, support services and offices, and organizations and individuals from the local community.

Facilitator Guides

Facilitator Guides are documents for Resident Assistants, Moderators, Programming Assistants, and professional staff to use in the implementation and facilitation of a Residential Experience initiative. They provide staff with the information they’ll need to host the event without having to create the content themselves. These guides are created by content experts so we can be sure the information is accurate.

Assessment

Regular feedback from students helps us to understand what students have learned through and what they enjoy about Residential Experience

3-2-1 Assessment

Share 3 things you learned or gained from the event, 2 things you want to learn more about after attending the event, and 1 suggestion for future improvement. The assessment occurs after every signature event.

initiatives. Assessment allows us to make data-driven decisions to continuously enhance the experiences students have in the residential communities.

Annual Survey

We ask students every spring semester to share their experiences in our residential communities.

Floor Program Survey

Let us know how you feel about the floor program your Resident Assistant or Moderator hosted. This assessment occurs monthly during the academic year.

Analysis of institutional data

This is an ongoing process and occurs throughout the year.

ACPA Curriculum Self-Assessment Instrument

This assessment is conducted by the department using tools developed by ACPA, a leading professional development organization in higher education.

References

The following set of articles, documents, and research was used to inform and guide the development of The Residential Experience.

Five practices of exemplary leadership – student leadership challenge – Building your legacy

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2011). The five practices of exemplary leadership. Pfeiffer.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom, B. S. (1956). “Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain.” New York: David McKay Co Inc.

SAMSHA Creating a Healthier Life

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA. (2016). Creating a Healthier Life: A Step-By-Step Guide to Wellness. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma16-4958.pdf.

Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma16-4958.pdf

Shifting to Curriculum Approaches to Learning Beyond the Classroom

Kerr, K. G., Tweedy, J., Edwards, K. E., & Kimmel, D. (2017). Shifting to curricular approaches to learning beyond the classroom. About Campus: Enriching the Student Learning Experience, 22(1), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1002/abc.21279

The Time Has Come to Create Meaning-Making Centers on College Campuses

Nash, R. J., & Jang, J. J. (2013). The time has come to create meaning–making centers on college campuses. About Campus: Enriching the Student Learning Experience, 18(4), 2–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/abc.21124

College Students’ Sense of Belonging

Strayhorn, T. L. (2018). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Schlossberg’s Transition Theory

Schlossberg, N. K. (1984). Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory. Springer Pub. Co.

Developing a Co-Curricular Learning Model

Brown, P.G. (2022). Developing a co-curricular learning model: A compendium on residential curriculum and curricular approaches in student affairs work. (4th ed.). Roompact.

OWU Strategic Plan

OWU Community Standards

OWU Graduate Capabilities