Residence life and education, residential curriculum and curricular approaches, student housing, and technology.
One of my most beloved autumnal traditions is re-reading the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book series. For those who aren’t aware, this is a children’s book series containing urban legends, folklore, songs, and ghost stories. The trilogy of books are perhaps best known for the macabre hand drawn illustrations that accompany the... Continue Reading →
We're thrilled to kick off our yearly tradition of uplifting our latest cohort of amazing bloggers, starting off with Andrew Skelley from University of Pittsburgh. He chats with Dustin about what brought him to the writing team, and how he has brought his authentic self to his work by using music and other interests to forge unique bonds with the students he serves. Stay tuned until the end of the episode where Andrew shares a funny ghost story from his years in the halls.
Residence life professionals have long emphasized the importance of the first-year experience, but what about our second-year students? The sophomore year presents unique challenges that, if left unaddressed, can impact academic success, sense of belonging, and retention. Institutions continue to rife their approaches on how to intentionally support these students during a pivotal time in... Continue Reading →
“Wait, you actually know what ‘Army of Darkness’ is?” my student asked. “What a silly question, of course I know the 1992 Sam Raimi directed classic, it was a huge part of personality in college,” I thought to myself. I had made a fleeting reference to the film ‘Army of Darkness’ in a meeting I... Continue Reading →
Are you ready for your “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” question of the day? Here it is: What is an ecosystem? Khan Academy defines an ecosystem as “a community of organisms together with their physical environment.” Brittanica says something similar: An ecosystem is the “complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all... Continue Reading →
We're pleased to welcome Crys to the show this week as they discuss with Dustin their email newsletter campaign initiative at their institution that seeks to provide relevant resources to students consistently. Crys also details the tools they use to develop the emails and the various strategies they use as collaborates with their colleagues to develop the content of each newsletter.
In last month’s post, we explored some examples of programming ideas that are both fun and educational. However, programming is only one of the many strategies that make up a residential curriculum. For those that are newer to the world of curriculum, a strategy can be thought of as any intentional effort to interact with... Continue Reading →
As Higher Ed professionals, we are positioned at the intersection of students' personal, academic, and social lives. To take it one step further, it often feels like when we are trying to help students, we can only pick two of those three priorities (insert a woozy face emoji here.) During a high-pressure political season, emotions... Continue Reading →
The other day there was a hint of Fall in the air when I stepped outside to do my morning walk. It brought a much needed level of excitement and joy! Excitement and joy because it’s September and we made it here (goodbye August!) also because yay for cooler weather… especially here in the South. ... Continue Reading →
“We are not here to lecture our students after they’ve been in class all day.” “I think we need to remember how to just have fun.” As someone who has worked with residential curriculum across several different universities, one of my greatest frustrations is hearing phrases like these. On one hand, I totally agree with... Continue Reading →
This week we're digging in with LaFarin and DeAndre about what to expect from the upcoming Institute on the Curricular Approach (ICA) happening this October in Chicago. As the co-chair's of this year's event, we explore each of our guests' background with ICA, what they're planning for this year, and how folks can get involved.
Have you made your way to Wonka or Mean Girls in the past few weeks? Were you then shocked to find out they were in fact….MUSICALS?!? As a past theater kid who had a few Broadway songs in my top ten from Spotify’s 2023 Wrapped, my reaction was far from an eye-roll since I am... Continue Reading →
One of the unique features of Roompact's software is the ability to send residents "Microsurveys." Microsurveys are short, one-question polls of your residents. These surveys can be sent via email or text message. They can be sent to the entire resident population or to specific buildings. And they can include a question that is open-ended,... Continue Reading →
We're kicking off the new year with a fascinating episode exploring masculinity and how institutions need to engage and retain men on campus. Charlie speaks with Dustin about his recent ACUHO-I magazine article that included research he recently completed on this topic.
This is part of a multi-part series on utilizing principles and techniques from arts-based research practices and applying them to the residents life setting. Explore more parts in the series:Introduction and Strategies | Community Building | Residential Curriculum The residential curriculum is on the rise. There's a chance that such an initiative has yet to... Continue Reading →
This is part of a multi-part series on utilizing principles and techniques from arts-based research practices and applying them to the residents life setting. Explore more parts in the series:Introduction and Strategies | Community Building In the previous segment of this series, Arts-Based Research (ABR) was demystified. Definitions, readings, and examples were provided to help... Continue Reading →
Bulletin boards have been a fixture of most residence life departments for decades. Creating fun, engaging, and educational bulletin boards is a common requirement for resident assistants and student staff. But since the advent of the internet, smart phones, and all of the other ways we can now engage residents, do bulletin boards still have... Continue Reading →
This is part of a multi-part series on utilizing principles and techniques from arts-based research practices and applying them to the residents life setting. Explore more parts in the series:Introduction and Strategies | Community Building | Residential Curriculum The history of residential life on college campuses spans far back into the 1600's. One of the... Continue Reading →
