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 Institute on the Curricular Approach, ICA, (formerly the Residential Curriculum Institute, RCI) goes through step-by-step detail into how to enact these principles in your work. Our staff member, Paul Gordon Brown, also offers workshops and other consultative services related to a residential curriculum. Roompact is a proud sponsor of the Institute on the Curricular Approach and is its official software partner.
If you’re looking to connect with others around curriculum, consider joining the Residential Curriculum Facebook Group or follow the #ACPARCI hashtag on Twitter and other platforms. There are a number of ways to connect with colleagues around this topic.
In addition to the resources below, you can also download our eBook that provides an overview of the approach and our Curriculum Self-Assessment Instrument to learn more about the curricular approach.
Posts About the 10 Essential Elements of a Residential Curriculum:
- Element #5: Educational Strategies Go Beyond Programmed Events
- 5 Signs Your Residential Curriculum is Actually a Programming Model with Learning Outcomes
- 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
- Presentation: Implementing Intentional Conversations into Your Residence Life and Curriculum Work
Further Blog Posts on Developing a Residential Curriculum or Curricular Approach:
- The Challenge of Designing Apps for Programming Models and Residential Curriculum
- 27 Quick Questions to Assess Student Learning
- The Opportunities and Challenges of a Social Media Residential Curriculum
- Incentivizing the Residential Curriculum by Matt Kwiatkowski
- Curricular Approaches by Keith Edwards
- Identify, Partner, and Develop to Create Campus Well-Being by Grant Anderson
- Transformative Residential Curricula: Lessons Learned Over 10 Years by Hilary Lichterman, Kathleen Kerr, and Keith Edwards
Further Reading on Developing a Residential Curriculum or Curricular Approach:
About Curricular Approaches:
- Kerr, K. G., & Tweedy, J. (2006). Beyond seat time and student satisfaction: A curricular approach to residential education. About Campus, 11(5), 9-15. doi:10.1002/abc.181
- Kerr, K. G., Tweedy, J., Edwards, K. E., & Kimmel, D. (2017, March-April). Shifting to curricular approaches to learning beyond the classroom. About Campus, 22(1), 22-31. doi:10.1002/abc.21279
Reference Curricular Approaches:
- Cardone, T., Stoll Turton, E., Olson, G., & Baxter Magolda, M. (2013, November-December). Learning partnerships in practice: Orientation, leadership, and residence life. About Campus, 18(5), 2-9. doi: 10.1002/abc.21131
Contain Sub-Sections on Curricular Approaches:
- Blimling, G. S. (2015). Student learning in college residence halls: What works, what doesn’t, and why. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
- Dunkel, N. & Baumann, J. (Eds.), (2013). Campus housing management: Residence life and education. Columbus, OH: Association of College and University Housing Officers-International.
Research on the Curricular Approach:
Abstract: How does a college or university housing department adopt and adapt to a new curricular approach? This qualitative descriptive case study describes how one, mid-size, co-educational residence life department in the Midwestern region of the United States adopted the residential curriculum approach based on “The 10 Essential Elements of a Residential Curriculum” (The 10EERC) that are a foundational aspect of the content discussed at the ACPA – College Student Educators International’s annual Residential Curriculum Institute (RCI). Research questions for the study address changes that occurred in the residence life unit when adopting the residential curriculum approach, participants’ perceptions of positives and challenges in the transition to the approach, and how residence life staff characterize their experience of adopting the approach.
Videos About The Curricular Approach:
PechaKucha – Claiming Our Roles As Educators: Residential Curriculum and Curricular Approaches
In this PechaKucha, the presenter will reflect on how participation in ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach (formerly the Residential Curriculum Institute, RCI) has changed the way he views the creation of intentional learning environments. By drawing from principles found in classroom curriculum construction, professionals can re-envision their roles as educators and learners with their students. Find out what we’re doing wrong, what we can do right, and how we can truly transform our organizations into learning-centered, student-centered environments.
A Celebration of Residential Curricula: 10 Years Strong!
This video is intended to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of ACPA’s Residential Curriculum Institute and the exemplary efforts with curricular work done in residence halls on various campuses throughout the world. Various colleagues captured their insights regarding benefits to students, biggest departmental and institutional successes, and major lessons learned from adopting the curricular approach to residential education. Originally presented at the 2016 Residential Curriculum Institute in Tampa, Florida. Source: ACPA Video on Demand
Reflecting on the Curricular Approach to Learning Beyond the Classroom
The landscape of student affairs has changed dramatically over its lifetime, and the introduction of the curricular approach is helping campuses to realize some of their biggest aspirations for student learning. This video provides an overview of some of the benefits realized as a result of shifting to a curricular approach and what the experts have learned about its power to transform campus cultures. These shifts are increasingly important as student issues and expectations have changed over time. Source: ACPA Video on Demand
Using Rubrics to Assess Learning
Rubrics are tools that are used by educators to help evaluate the learning and performance of students. They are written documents, often presented in a chart format, that help define progress and achievement levels towards various goals and performance indicators. Coco Du, Director of Residential Life, Macalester College, joins Eric Pernotto, Associate Director for Residential Learning, Clemson University, to discuss rubrics and their role in learning assessment in this session from the 2016 Residential Curriculum Institute. Source: ACPA Video on Demand
Building Assessment into Your Residential Curriculum
Assessment is a critical part of building a successful residential curriculum. In this video, we show you some best practices for incorporating assessment into your residential education strategy. Furthermore it provides suggestions for integrating residential curriculum assessment strategies into your overall campus assessment plan. Being able to “tell your story” is critical for campus departments and divisions and the curricular approach can help you better define your outcomes as well as your success in achieving those outcomes. Source: ACPA Video on Demand
Educational Plans and Lesson Plans: Putting It All Together
Once learning goals and outcomes are defined, scaffolded, and sequenced, the development of lesson plans (facilitation guides) prescribes how these objectives should be put into practice. Steve Herndon, Assistant Dean of Students & Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life, University of Dayton, and David Shorey, Associate Director of Residence Education, Wilfrid Laurier University, share their experiences with educational plans and lesson plans in this session from the 2016 Residential Curriculum Institute. Source: ACPA Video on Demand
Developing a Residential Curriculum Review Process
Residential curricula need to be reviewed regularly to ensure they stay current and relevant. A review process entails a top-to-bottom assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your overall educational plan and implementation. These reviews can involve departmental staff as well as internal and external stakeholders. Watch this video for tips on how to begin to structure your review process including strategies you can do to ensure your curriculum is best set up for success. Source: ACPA Video on Demand
Additional videos:
- Central Michigan University: The Impact of our Residential Curriculum
- University of South Florida: Residential Curriculum
Institute on the Curricular Approach / Residential Curriculum Institute:
- What Is and Why Attend the Institute on the Curricular Approach (Residential Curriculum Institute)?
- ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach (Resdiential Curriculum Institute)
- Residential Curriculum Institute Canada
2017
- Recapping Day 1 of the 2017 Residential Curriculum Institute
- Recapping Day 2 of the 2017 Residential Curriculum Institute
- Recapping Day 3 of the 2017 Residential Curriculum Institute
- #ACPARCI 2017 by Erin Simpson (PDF)
2016
- 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
2014
- #ACPARCI 2014 Day 1 Twitter Recap (PDF)
- #ACPARCI 2014 Day 2 Twitter Recap (PDF)
- #ACPARCI 2014 Day 3 Twitter Recap (PDF)
- Reflections on the 2014 Residential Curriculum Institute by Nicolas Babarskis
2013
- #ACPARCI 2013 Twitter Recap by ebeeler (PDF)
Schools Referencing 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 that have references to curricular frameworks and/or planning documents (including learning goals and outcomes, strategies, lesson plans, etc.) online. Note that these are of varying quality, and although an institution may list or reference a curricular-type frame work, they may not implement a true approach in practice.
Most useful links:
- Clemson University (additional info: link)
- Georgia Southern University (additional info: Handbook)
- Loyola University Chicago (additional info: Handbook)
- Miami University
- Salem State University (Handbook)
- Stevenson University
- SUNY Geneseo (Handbook)
- University at Buffalo (additional info: link)
- University of Kansas
- University of North Carolina Pembroke (additional info: link)
Additional institutions:
- Carleton University
- Carnegie Melon University
- The College of New Jersey
- College of Saint Benedict
- East Stroudsburg University
- East Tennessee State University
- Florida Atlantic University
- Georgetown College
- High Point University
- Indiana State University
- Indiana University Bloomington
- Lehigh University (additional info: link)
- Marshall University
- Milikin University
- Mississippi State University
- Montclair State University
- North Dakota State University
- Purchase College
- Radford University
- San Jose State University
- St. John’s University
- St. Louis University (additional info: link)
- Texas A&M – Galveston
- Texas State University
- Tulane University
- University of Alabama
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University of California at Berkeley
- Univesity of Central Florida
- University of Illinois
- University of Iowa
- University of Kentucky
- University of Mary Washington
- University of Massachusetts at Amherst
- University of Massachusetts at Lowell
- University of Mississippi
- University of New Hampshire
- University of North Carolina Charlotte
- University of San Francisco
- University of South Carolina
- University of South Florida
- University of Tampa
- University of Texas San Antonio
- University of Washington Bothell
- Virginia Tech (additional info: link)
Presentations on Residential Curriculum and Curricular Approaches:
The following are presentations on residential curriculum that are publicly available online. The most useful links are in bold.
- Utilizing Standards to Assess the Effectiveness of a Residential Education Curriculum by Hilary Lichterman, Ryan Lloyd, and Paul Gordon Brown
- Building a Residential Curriculum – University of California at Berkeley
- Residential Curriculum and Assessment: A Blueprint for Student Success – University of California Santa Barbara
- Learning Outside the Classroom – University at Buffalo
- Partnering for Success within the Residential Curriculum – University of Dayton
- 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
- Residential Curriculum – by Kyle Smith
- Residential Curriculum for the First Year Experience – California College of the Arts
- Residential Curriculum – University of South Florida
- Residential Curriculum in Action – Northwestern Univesity
