Residential Curriculum Content

These resources are a part of our ongoing efforts to share research and insights into developing a residential curriculum. While these materials may help in providing a broad understanding what a curriculum entails, the ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute goes through step-by-step detail into how to enact these principles in your work. Roompact is a proud sponsor of the Residential Curriculum Institute. Our staff member, Paul Gordon Brown, also offers workshops and other consultative services related to a residential curriculum.

Our eBook on Residential Curriculum [DOWNLOAD]

Posts About the 10 Essential Elements of a Residential Curriculum:

• What is a Residential Curriculum? Curricular Approach? Residential Learning Model?
  • Which of the Residential Curriculum Elements are the Hardest to Achieve? And Why?

• Element #1: Directly Connects to the Institutional Mission

• Element #2: Learning Goals and Outcomes Developed and Based in a Defined Educational Priority
  • 21 Examples of Learning Priority Statements for a Residential Curriculum
  • 7 Learning Goal Themes Commonly Found in a Residential Curriculum
  • Why Words Matter in a Residential Curriculum
  • Does Your Residential Curriculum Cascade?

• Element #3: Basis in Developmental Theory and Research
  • 4 Documents that Place “Student Learning” at the Core of Residential Education

• Element #4: Educational Strategies are Developed to Advance Learning Outcomes
  • 10 Different Strategies for Promoting Residential Student Learning

• Element #5: Educational Strategies Go Beyond Programmed Events
  • What are Intentional Conversations and Why Should You Use Them in Residential Education?
  • How to Structure Intentional Conversations in a Residential Curriculum
  • Developing an Intentional Conversation Curriculum Guide for Student Staff
  • 100 Questions You Can Use for Intentional Conversations in the Residence Halls
  • Don’t Be Creepy: Training Student Staff For Genuine Intentional Conversations
  • How to Track and Assesses Intentional Conversations for a Residential Curriculum

• Element #6: Student Staff Are Utilized in Roles Appropriate To Their Skill Development
  • RAs are NOT Educational Experts!
  • Hiring Professional Residence Life Staff for a Residential Curriculum

• Element #7: Learning is Scaffolded and Sequenced To Follow Time-Based Development
  • Building Off of Bloom: Writing Progressive Learning Objectives

• Element #8: Key Stakeholders are Identified and Involved

• Element #9: Peer-Review is Accomplished Through an Intentional Process

• Element #10: Assessment Occurs at All Levels: From Educational Priority to Learning Goals and Outcomes

• The Missing 11th Element of a Residential Curriculum: Customized Student Learning

Further Reading on Developing a Residential Curriculum:

• The Challenge of Designing Apps for Programming Models and Residential Curriculum
• Resource List of Residential Curriculum Presentations from the Web
• The Opportunities and Challenges of a Social Media Residential Curriculum
• Incentivizing the Residential Curriculum by Matt Kwiatkowski

Residential Curriculum Institute:

• What Is and Why Attend the Residential Curriculum Institute?

• Recapping Day 1 of the 2016 Residential Curriculum Institute
• Recapping Day 2 of the 2016 Residential Curriculum Institute
• Recapping Day 3 of the 2016 Residential Curriculum Institute

• #ACPARCI 2014 Day 1 Twitter Recap
• #ACPARCI 2014 Day 2 Twitter Recap
• #ACPARCI 2014 Day 3 Twitter Recap
• Reflections on the 2014 Residential Curriculum Institute by Nicolas Babarskis

• #ACPARCI 2013 Twitter Recap by ebeeler

Schools Implementing A Curriculum:

Although there are many schools implementing curricular approaches to residential and student life, detailed information on these approaches can be difficult to find online. The following is a list of schools who provide their curricular frameworks and/or planning documents (including learning goals and outcomes, strategies, lesson plans, etc.) online. The most useful links are in bold.

• Carleton University
• The College or New Jersey
• College of Saint Benedict
• Clemson University (additional info: link)
• East Stroudsburg University
• East Tennessee State University
• Georgetown College
• Georgia Southern University (additional info: link)
• High Point University
• Indiana State University
• Indiana University Bloomington
• Lehigh University (additional info: link)
• Marshall University
• Miami University
• Milikin University
• North Dakota State University
• San Jose State University
• San Francisco State University
• St. John’s University
• St. Louis University (additional info: link)
• Texas State University
• Tulane University
• University of Alabama
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• University at Buffalo (additional info: link)
• University of California at Berkeley
• University of Iowa
• University of Kansas
• University of Kentucky
• University of Mary Washington
• University of Massachusetts at Amherst
• University of New Hampshire
• University of North Carolina Charlotte
• University of North Carolina Pembroke
• University of San Francisco
• University of Texas San Antonio
• University of Washington Bothell

Presentations on Residential Curriculum

The following are presentations on residential curriculum that are publicly avaialbe online. The most useful links are in bold.

• Achieving the Immersive Residential Experience – University of Massachusetts at Amherst
• Building a Residential Curriculum – University of California at Berkeley
• Learning Outside the Classroom – University at Buffalo
• Residential Curriculum – Lehigh University
• Residential Curriculum – University of South Florida
• Residential Curriculum for Leadership and Social Change – San Francisco State University
• Residential Curriculum – RA Learning Modules – Texas State University