In what ways do you see co-design as aligning with and complementing the essential characteristics of HIPs? In what ways do you see co-design as distinctly different than HIPs?

 

In regard to the component of integration, constructive feedback and the importance of faculty mentorship, I believe that co-design only makes sense in developing successful and powerful HIPs. In order for students to be able to find purpose and meaning in the projects they are set to embark on, there must be some aspect of agency on their part with their faculty mentor. The first HIPs that come to mind in utilizing co-design are in areas that are not always explicitly outlined in the curriculum such as learning communities (specifically LLCs) and others that I can’t think of at the moment. There are some circumstances where co-design may not be the best use of time when implementing a HIP, but as long as there is a sense of intentionality when it comes to assessment of learning outcomes and student reflection on their performance and what they gained out of the experience, then there is value. I think that co-design implies that collaboration between the student and faculty should be on the front end and does not include feedback and evaluation for future programming on the back end. 

 

Should co-design be considered an official HIP?

No. It can be a key feature in addition to a HIP but not a HIP in and of itself. 

What are the core characteristics of effective active learning? In other words, what specifically makes active learning work?

 

I think that active learning must include all participating parties making a conscious effort to dedicate themselves to achieving learning outcomes. A student cannot go in with zero idea of what is to be expected of them in an environment that claims to foster active learning or else it cannot be considered as such. Whoever is facilitating learning must be able to explicitly explain expectations and what they hope the student will gain so that both the student and facilitator can work together to help the student grow in whatever way is appropriate. The student also needs to be interested in whatever it is that they are to learn because if they are not invested in the topic then there is a great chance that they will not benefit from the advantages of active learning.

What should be listed as a HIP that currently isn’t?

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On-campus employment. I know that not every student works on campus, but not all students present undergraduate research either. I found that my experience as a campus tour guide at Western was a formative part of my undergraduate career and played a large role in my decision to pursue a Masters in Higher Education. Granted, my experience may not be the same as others, but I feel as though there are several key features of HIPs that can also apply to on-campus jobs such as orientation leaders, tour guides, athletic managers, etc. We talk a lot about the importance of integration, engagement, intentionality, constructive feedback and mentorship as necessary components of HIPs, and with some work they all could be found in on-campus employment. The evaluation portion of an employee’s performance with a supervisor that genuinely cares about the success of the student can really be beneficial in helping a student become well-versed in their strengths and weaknesses and be able to effectively articulate them to a future employer. One area that institutions could improve in is intentionality. Oftentimes, students simply apply for a job just to make extra money with no intention on trying to learn anything from it. It would take departments that are hiring students as well as the department that approves student employment (usually the career services center) to make sure that students are guaranteed to learn from their experience, even if it is only something as simple as learning to be on time for their shift, working in a team and providing excellent customer service. If one of the primary goals of the undergraduate experience is to be in a job upon graduation (#firstdestination), on-campus employment is a HUGE opportunity to receive buy-in(after our meeting with Ashley Finley, I’ve come to the conclusion that this language is not the most effective) from the institution.

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Continued...

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In our team, we are working with FIU to integrate global learning into other elements of the student experience and work-study is one of those areas. I really liked Ashley’s suggestion to think less of making components of student learning a requirement and more of an unavoidable path. Since students who are completing work-study are already required to do so to help pay for college and FIU has a specific focus on ensuring that all students engage in some form of global learning by graduation, it makes sense to try and tie the two together. I think of a lunch and learn I went to a couple of weeks ago where supervisors to student employees discussed ways that we could incorporate NACE (National Association for Colleges and Employers) competencies into on-campus employment in job descriptions and performance evaluations so that students are able to understand that the job they are doing is transferable to the workplace, regardless of where they decide to work after college. One of the competencies that employers look for in candidates is global/intercultural fluency, which would be a great avenue for work-study and other on-campus employment to incorporate that component into the work they are delegating to their students.