This fall, the first official Learning Community focused on the five opportunity areas of student success launched at MSU. This initiative offers educators and staff a dedicated time and space to refine the commitment and metrics for each opportunity area of success as outlined in the Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy Guide, in community with one another. Through monthly hybrid meetings, participants have the chance to collaborate, reflect, and contribute to shaping the Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy Guide.
We kicked off in September with an informational session to introduce the learning community’s purpose, objectives, and guidelines for engagement. Attendees had the opportunity to meet members of the Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy team and share their motivations for actively participating in the learning community.
Our October session took place in the Generator Room of the STEM Building, where we delved into Developing Self-Discovery of Purpose. In November, we continued the dialogue in the Main Library, focusing on Educational Success. At both gatherings, participants from various roles and units across campus engaged in thought-provoking conversations about how each of these areas of student success manifests in their work and how it aligns with the commitments and metrics outlined in the Strategy Guide. Both in-person and virtual attendees contributed to a rich discussion about how we define and measure self-discovery of purpose and educational success within our campus community. Feedback from these sessions and the continued work of this learning community for the remainder of the academic year will be invaluable in refining the Strategy Guide and informing our ongoing efforts.
Looking ahead, we are excited to host a comprehensive workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2-5 p.m., where we will explore all five opportunity areas of student success. This gathering will provide a collaborative space to further explore and refine our commitments and metrics for the five areas of student success at MSU.
As a new member of the MSU community, I have found my experiences with this learning community to be enriching. Each session has deepened my understanding of how we can better coordinate our efforts to support students and highlighted the incredible dedication of our campus colleagues.
If you’re interested in learning more or joining a future session, please visit the Undergrad Ed Five Opportunity Areas Learning Community webpage. You are welcome to attend any session that fits your schedule. We also ask you to encourage campus experts in these areas to reach out to us and engage in the learning community to provide additional insights about current research. Additionally, we invite you to join our Teams channel, where we continue the conversation, share resources, and collaborate between meetings.
We look forward to welcoming new faces as we work together to advance undergraduate student success at MSU!
