Introduction

A twenty-first-century college education is dynamic, multi-faceted, and global. It begins in the classroom but does not end there. Today’s students test their knowledge in internships, broaden their perspectives through study abroad, serve their communities through volunteer service, extend their leadership skills through student organizations, build a sense of belonging at events, launch their own start-up companies, and more. Captured in the term student engagement, experiential learning like this accelerates students’ development, increases a sense of belonging, builds leadership skills, and enhances their preparation for life after graduation.

The Summit event is designed to outline the Student Engagement Network guidelines for student engagement at Penn State, including definitions and a new protocol for Engaged Learning, including strategies for tracking accomplishments, assessment, and recognition for engaged students.

Student Engagement

At Penn State, student engagement includes both curricular and co-curricular activities that contribute to students’ intellectual, personal, and social development, foster integration into university life, add distinction and value to a Penn State undergraduate experience, and contribute to the continued success of Penn State graduates as citizens and leaders across the state, the nation, and the world.

Engaged Learning

Engaged Learning is a measurable change or transformation in any of the following goals: Personal Growth, Professional Readiness, and Community Impact. Engaged Learning is based on a student’s participation in and/or completion of an engagement opportunity (or collection of experiences) connected to any of the Student Engagement Growth Areas (see below): Social Justice Activism, Ethical Leadership, Systems Thinking, Civic Responsibility, and Professional Skill Development (e.g., teamwork, communication, organization, etc.).

Engaged learning can be assessed by course instructors, supervisors, mentors, engagement coaches, advisors, and even peers using reflections, assignments, activities, surveys, discussions, and/or focus group data that determine a change in perspective or impact was made.  Example artifacts of learning include, but are not limited to: posters, presentations, publications, performances, personal websites, policy change, and engagement portfolios.

Student Engagement Growth Areas

As engaged learners students will demonstrate a foundational understanding and application in the five growth categories listed below (see Appendix B). Specifically, students will address how their engagement experiences connect to and foster growth in these 5 areas (see Appendix A).

Social Justice Activism – The knowledge and cognitive skills that support effective and appropriate interaction in a multitude of cultural context and fluency, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Civic Responsibility – A perceived duty to make a difference in the civic life of our communities, and to develop the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference through community, political, governmental, and/or civic action or involvement.

Ethical Leadership – Reasoning about right and wrong human conduct. It requires students to be able to assess their own ethical values and the social context of problems, recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings, think about how different ethical perspectives might be applied to ethical dilemmas and consider the ramifications of alternative actions. Students’ ethical self-identity evolves as they practice ethical decisions-making skills and learn how to describe and analyze positions on ethical issues.

Systems Thinking – The cognitive process to understand how a system’s constituent parts influence each other, and how the system behaves over time and within the context of larger systems. One with systems thinking is able to “recognize, describe, and model complex aspects of reality as systems, as well as identify important elements of the system and the interdependency between the elements”.

Professional Skill Development – The ability to understand, clarify, and pursue career goals while demonstrating the skills necessary to meet professional expectations.

Engagement Opportunity Types

Engagement Opportunity Types include events and/or experiences that connect either directly or tangentially to personal growth, professional readiness, and/or community impact through any or all of the growth areas. While there are differences in what some campuses and academic units count as student engagement, the SEN provides the following categories for guidance:

• Creative accomplishments
• Courses with out-of-class component
• Self-directed
• Peer mentoring
• Study Abroad/Study Away
• Community-based learning
• Organizational/Club experiences
• Volunteerism
• Employment-related experiences
• Research
• Internships/Professional experiences
• Attendance at Events

Engagement Coaches

Engagement Coaches are faculty, staff, and sometimes students who support students in goal-setting, personal growth, and behavior modification. Coaches help students achieve their goals by encouraging different actions necessary to take control of future engaged learning plans. During the Student Engagement Network grant program, for example, coaches will utilize the FIND YOUR WHY, START YOUR JOURNEY, and GROWTH AREA activities to support student learning and prepare them for post-graduation success. Engagement Coaches use the Student Engagement Network Canvas Course to guide students through a pre-determined engagement experience.

Engagement Officers

Engagement Officers are advocates for engagement who serve as a resource for both colleagues and students within their college or campus. They are actively doing the work of leading and developing co-curricular engagement programs and may also oversee other individuals or groups who are themselves leading engagement programs. Engagement Officers are the recognizable point people for student engagement initiatives, including University-wide programs offered by the Student Engagement Network.