Co-Curricular Course Building for New Student Organizations

Program Type: General Interest Session

Professional Competencies: Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Leadership

Target Groups: Mid-level Student Affairs Professionals, New Professionals

Institution Types: Large Universities, Mid-Size Colleges & Universities

Certification Domains: Student Learning, Development, and Success, Assessment and Evaluation

Abstract

Student organizations are some of the primary learning laboratories for student leaders in higher education, and starting a new student organization can be a particularly meaningful leadership experience. For many institutions, this process is hosted just a few times per year and is centered on communicating about compliance topics, rather than fostering critical thinking and leadership development.

Driven by this possibility, Texas A&M’s Student Organization Leadership & Development (SOLAD) office converted an in-person new student organization recognition process to a cohort-based asynchronous, online six-week course beginning in Fall 2021. Staff designed the course using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a conceptual framework and utilized the Thinkific learning management system (LMS) platform to deliver the content. Through the last three years of implementation, students have reported greater levels of satisfaction and learning, as well as improved critical thinking skills.

Presenters

• Lauren Brown
  Student Organization Recognition Coordinator
  Texas A & M University-College Station
• Dawn Tonkinson
  Education and Outreach Specialist (SDS III), Texas A & M University
• Lizzy Rice
  Graduate Student, Texas A & M University-College Station