Learning Community Lexicon
Academic Director: An Academic Director is the live-in faculty member who coordinates the curricular & co-curricular activities, teaches classes in the program, facilitates conversations and events with their associated academic college/s, supervises the student associates, and establishes the theme and academic direction of the Residential College. They serve as a faculty exemplar. This title replaced Resident Master in fall 2019.
#BeCuriousUCA: This is @ResCollegesUCA Twitter challenge to encourage curiosity throughout the UCA community. Each week a new clue is given and discussion is encouraged using the hashtag #BeCuriousUCA. For more information see uca.edu/residential/be-curious-uca/.
Biz@Bear: The Business Residential College (Biz@Bear) is located in Bear Hall. This program is associated with the College of Business and students must be declared business majors.
Co-Curricular: Co-curricular activities are an extension of the formal learning experiences provided by a course or academic program. These activities are intentionally designed to extend the learning beyond the classroom, thus enriching the educational experience.
Co-Curricular Record: Many universities provide students with co-curricular transcripts (sometimes called badging) that formally records the activities performed outside the classroom, i.e. service-learning, performances, public lectures, with the goal of illustrating non-course related educational experiences.
Commuter College: Located on the 2nd floor of Old Main Hall, the Minton Commuter College reaches out to commuters, non-traditional students, student veterans, and other groups not defined as living “on campus.” The program provides resources to help off-campus students find community & resources. Also, free coffee.
Curriculum: The lessons and academic content associated directly with classes, including specific learning outcomes, assignments & materials. The curricula, drawn from the UCA Core, serve as the loci for the Residential College programs.
Extra-Curricular: Activities offered or connected to a university or college program, i.e. athletics, non-academic clubs, but not explicitly connected to academic learning.
Faculty Associate: Faculty Associates are the college professors who teach classes associated with the Residential College program. The Faculty Associates are at the core of every successful learning community.
Finis Origine Pendet: Motto of UCA’s Residential Colleges meaning “the end depends on the beginning.” This Latin phrase emphasizes why providing first-year students a meaningful educational structure grounded in the UCA Core is critical to student success.
High-Impact Educational Practices (HIPs): According to the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U), HIPs are “teaching and learning practices [that] have been widely tested and have been shown to be beneficial for college students from many backgrounds. Learning communities, such as UCA’s Residential Colleges, are identified as a high-impact practice. For more information visit aacu.org/leap/hips.
HPaW@Baridon: HPaW is an acronym for Health Promotion & Wellness and is associated with the College of Health & Behavioral Sciences. Students with declared majors in CHBS and those with a demonstrated interest in health & wellness issues are accepted. HPaW Residential College is located in Baridon Hall (HPaW@Baridon)
Learning Communities: A variety of approaches that link or cluster classes during a given term, often around an interdisciplinary theme, that enroll a common cohort of students. This represents an intentional restructuring of students’ time, credit, and/or learning experience to build community and to foster more explicit connections among students, among students and their professors, and among the disciplines. Not all living & learning communities are Residential Colleges, but all Residential Colleges are living & learning communities.
Living & Learning Communities: Residence education comes in a variety of models, but most involve housing students with others who share a common interest or program affiliation. Many have a curricular component; others promote a theme or interest. All Residential Colleges are living & learning communities, but not all living & learning communities are Residential Colleges.
Matching Day: Matching Day is typically in late February/early March. This day is when all entering first-year students who have applied to either the Residential Colleges, the Schedler Honors College, or University Scholars find out program acceptance & placement.
Muse@Arkansas: The Muse Residential College (Muse@Arkansas) is located in Arkansas Hall. This program is associated with the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and students with majors in this academic college, as well as those who have a demonstrated interest in creative endeavors, are accepted.
Momentum Year: The first year of university sets the foundation for retention, graduation, and life-long learning. Learning Communities are central to UCA’s commitment to student success.
Peer Coach: A PC is an undergraduate student who provides success coaching sessions to both individuals and groups living in their assigned Residential College. Their aim is to assist students in achieving their academic goals.
Resident Assistant: An RA is an undergraduate student who lives in their assigned Residential College and serves as a role model for students in their building (in general) and on their floor (in particular). RA programming is typically extra-curricular in nature.
Resident Master: This title was replaced with Academic Director in 2019. Between 1997-2019, the Resident Master was a faculty member who lived in the Residential College and served as a faculty exemplar. The RM coordinated the curricular & co-curricular activities, taught classes in the program, facilitated conversations and events with their associated academic college/s, supervised the student associates, and established the theme and academic direction of the Residential College.
Residential College: The difference between classical residential colleges and other residence education is the level and quality of faculty involvement. Faculty and students live & learn in shared facilities and the curricular & co-curricular programming is supported by designated faculty associates. Residential Colleges are academic programs. For more information, please go to uca.edu/residential/
Residential College Coordinator: The RC is a graduate student in the College Student Personnel Services & Administration (CSPA) program. In addition to being a full-time graduate student, the RC supervises the student staff, approves extra-curricular activities, cares for student well-being, and maintains the building.
Residential College Rector: Residential College Rectors are faculty members who facilitate information sharing between the Academic Colleges and the Residential Colleges. The Rector serves her/his Academic College through the affiliation of an Academic College with a particular Residential College, e.g. CNSM & STEM@Hughes. As a faculty member associated with a living & learning community of like-minded students, the Rector furthers the mission and goals of her/his Academic College by guiding the curricular and co-curricular activities of the Residential College.
Residence Hall: A residence hall (a.k.a. dorm) is the building where students live on-campus. All Residential College programs reside in a residence hall, but not all residence halls are Residential Colleges.
STEM@Hughes: STEM Residential College (STEM@Hughes) is located in Hughes Hall and is affiliated with the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics. Students with declared CNSM majors and those who simply love exploring science, technology, engineering, or mathematics are accepted.
Student Associate: A SA is an undergraduate student who lives in their assigned Residential College and assists the RM and faculty associates directly with curricular and co-curricular matters.
SYE L&LC: SYE L&LC is an acronym for Second-Year Experience Living and Learning Community. This program is designed specifically for Sophomore students, located on the 2nd and 3rd floor of Bear Hall.