Led by Michigan State University’s Hub for Innovation in Learning & Technology, the development of MSU’s Spartan Experience Record was a well researched and methodical endeavor that explored the academic rationale for a co-curricular record at the University and how to define and track those co-curricular experiences for their 40,000+ students. Over 200 MSU faculty, staff, and students participated in brainstorming sessions to pioneer a new path in their delivery of experiential learning and the empowerment of students through said learning. Three years ago, our team at Orbis began working with the University to deliver on the data and interconnection critical to shaping their quest to develop an innovative student experience record. MSU used Outcome to create the Spartan Experience Record, a trailblazing example of experiential learning delivery, tracking, and student engagement and empowerment.
Today, the Spartan Experience Record is Michigan State University’s (MSU’s) official record of student learning in co-curricular activities and benefits students alongside the student academic transcript. The record lists student participation in officially approved MSU experiences. Innovative icons and categories within the Spartan Experience Record streamline student use of and benefit from the record. These icons are Advocacy, Community Engagement, Creativity, Education, Intercultural, Internship, Involvement, Leadership, Research, and Wellness. The Spartan Experience Record, alongside each student’s unique academic transcript, tells the story (My Spartan Story) that their students need to clearly define and articulate in order to put their education to work within careers relevant to their fields of study and individual learning pathways.
My Spartan Story and the Spartan Experience Record launched this Fall 2020, led by Sarah Schultz, Director and Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, and her team. It is an official unit within the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education. With ongoing student engagement and faculty commitment, Michigan State University is poised to further define and support informed learning pathways that contribute to a holistic experiential learning delivery ecosystem—one that empowers generations of graduates to come.
Congratulations to the team at Michigan State University on your work, the launch of My Spartan Story, and the Spartan Experience Record.
