We Educate: Co-Curricular Assessment Within Student Affairs

In the spring 2024, the Student Affairs Division launched the We Educate initiative, a curricular approach to student learning outside of the classroom. We Educate re-imagines the student experience within Student Affairs’ offerings, emphasizing the intentional integration of co-curricular programming, activities, and services to foster students' overall learning, development, and success at Aims and beyond. It aims to create a structured and purposeful environment that complements classroom learning and addresses students' diverse needs.

Educational Priority

As a result of the student experience, Aims students emerge as confident, balanced individuals, who thrive personally and professionally and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

Learning Goals

Self-Awareness: We define self-awareness as the ongoing process of exploring and reflecting on multiple dimensions of identity while recognizing their impact on lived experiences. It entails actively seeking diverse perspectives to foster inclusivity and respect within personal and community contexts. Moreover, self-awareness involves understanding the role of values in shaping identity and behavior, articulating them with depth and aligning actions accordingly. Individuals with self-awareness recognize their personal strengths and areas for growth, actively seeking feedback and engaging in constructive self-improvement efforts. They demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning, setting and pursuing challenging goals while adapting behaviors based on reflective insights, thus embodying a dynamic journey of introspection and growth.

Connections: We define connections as intentional and empathetic engagement with others across diverse perspectives, emotions, and backgrounds. It involves actively seeking out different viewpoints, responding sensitively to others' emotions, and consistently displaying empathy coupled with compassion. Individuals adept at forming connections demonstrate advanced listening skills, prioritizing understanding before being understood, and validating others' experiences to foster open communication and support.They demonstrate profound respect for diverse viewpoints, bridging cultural, social, and ideological divides to foster inclusive environments and enhance understanding among different groups. They cultivate healthy relationships founded on trust, respect, and mutual understanding, managing conflicts constructively, and employing communication, de-escalation, and negotiation techniques. They take responsibility for their actions, seeking to understand the root causes of conflicts and facilitating productive dialogue to find mutually acceptable resolutions.

Resilience: We define resilience as the ability to adapt and cope with adversity or setbacks, maintaining a balanced life that supports physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Resilient individuals nurture meaningful relationships, foster a sense of fulfillment and purpose, and set and maintain healthy boundaries. Resilience encompasses understanding complex systems, advocating for rights and needs, and helping others navigate systems effectively. Resilient individuals demonstrate critical thinking skills in decision-making, and consistently consider both short-term and long-term implications of decisions. They successfully access and utilize resources to achieve desired outcomes and serve as role models to inspire others to utilize resources creatively and productively. Moreover, resilience involves evaluating resources for their potential impact and leveraging them effectively in navigating challenges.

Impact: We define impact as the tangible outcomes and lasting effects generated by proactive engagement with diverse communities (e.g. family, religious institutions, educational and work settings, and organizations dedicated to social change). It involves actively participating in and creating collaborative community engagement opportunities while advocating for marginalized groups and addressing systemic disparities. Impact is demonstrated through efforts to promote equity and inclusion, dismantle systemic barriers, and drive positive change within communities. Individuals committed to impact display dedication to ongoing learning and action toward identifying community needs and collaborating effectively with others to maximize community outcomes. They understand systemic issues and root causes of social problems, and often lead or significantly contribute to impactful community initiatives, thereby driving meaningful and lasting social change.