In this paper, a faculty member and an educational developer discuss their own attempts to be more mindful in the academy with attention to mindfulness practices in the classroom as a way to foster community and deepen learning. The authors also share their experiences creating a community of practice focused on mindfulness - a new initiative at their institution for faculty and staff.
The study discussed in this article investigated university student beliefs and behaviours with respect to co-curricular activities among incoming (n=983), mid-degree (n=173), and graduating (n=1006) students. When asked about their most significant learning experiences during their time at university, graduating students were more likely to report on co-curricular activities than those related to coursework. However, participation in co-curricular activities was not related to graduating students' feelings of preparedness to undertake a job search or apply for postgraduate education. Incoming students reported clear intentions to participate in some types of co-curricular activities (e.g., volunteering, intramural sports, clubs) but were more uncertain about others (e.g., events or activities related to global awareness, or diversity and inclusion). Parallel findings were observed with respect to actual co-curricular involvement among mid-degree and graduating students. This research is discussed in the context of university efforts to promote co-curricular activities to students in order to develop career ready transferrable skills, and the relevance of particular patterns of involvement to the current job market. KEYWORDS co-curricular, undergraduates, experiential, career preparation, transferrable skills CO-CURRICULAR INVOLVEMENT Research concerning the postsecondary experience has provided considerable evidence to support the importance of student engagement while completing an undergraduate diploma or degree (Bonet & Walters, 2016; Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie, & Gonyea, 2008). While much of this literature is focused on engagement within the formal curriculum (i.e., in the context of for-credit courses), more recently researchers have also noted that student engagement in activities outside of courses may also be important or potentially more important than what is studied within courses or programs (Bass, 2012). Some institutions have dedicated resources to developing these out of the classroom experiences in a more formalized integrated way, referring to them as a co-curriculum. Elias (2014, p. viii) has defined the co-curriculum as consisting of
Educational researchers developed an online repository of effective practices contributing to or enhancing the teaching culture at multiple higher education institutions as part of a larger project exploring institutional teaching culture. The repository was designed to be a companion document to the Institutional Teaching Culture Perception Surveys (ITCPS), a resource for administrators, educational developers, and Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTL) striving to cultivate institutional cultures that support the development of teaching and learning. This paper outlines the methods for developing this repository, summarizes findings, identifies some of the practices included and highlights areas for future development.
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