Bear Experience
What is Bear Experience?
The Bear Experience is a campus-wide initiative to promote experiential learning beyond the classroom and offers students the opportunity to thoughtfully plan their college experiences by integrating them with their academic curriculum, personal values and future goals. Students participate in selected programs, events and activities that develop skills in one or more of the pathways. Students participation will be documented on their Bear Experience Co-curricular Transcript. This is an official university document that formally records a student’s out-of-classroom learning experiences.
What are the goals of the Bear Experience?
- Foster an environment that encourages civic responsibility and engagement.
- Provide a path for students to record their out-of-classroom learning experiences.
- Demonstrate the university’s commitment to the holistic development of our students.
- Develop skills that will increase a student’s employability and enhance their applications for graduate school and scholarship opportunities.
Co-Curricular Transcript
Bear Experience Co-curricular Transcript is an official document that verifies a student’s out-of-classroom involvement and important skills. It is imprinted with the UCA seal and signed by the Vice President of Student Affairs. It will look similar to the academic transcript. Students can present or submit their co-curricular transcript along with a resume and academic transcript when applying for scholarships, internships, graduate school, and employment opportunities
We anticipate that students may start requesting an official copy of their Bear Experience Co-curricular Transcript from the Registrar’s Office at the end of the Fall 2024 semester. Students can print an unofficial copy by going into Paths in CubConnect and selecting ‘Print View’ which is located above the ‘Overall Progress’ bar.
The Co-Curricular Transcript Committee and the Division of Information Technology are currently developing the final design for the Bear Experience Co-curricular Transcript.
Graduating seniors who have completed a BearX Pathway can receive a graduation cord representing their completed pathway and a certificate of completion. Students can receive a cord for each pathway they complete.
The Bear Experience Paths
Each BearX event is connected to a skill that were considered “necessary for success” for employers, by staff, faculty, and students in a 2019 UCA survey. These skills have been grouped together to form the four paths that serve as the pillars of The Bear Experience.
Levels of Involvement
Students receive credit at different levels based on their involvement in a program or event. Below is a description of each level and how students can receive credit for their participation,
