Inspiring Student Purpose

Spring Hill College Pathways to Purpose Annual Report 2018-2019

Program Goal

Create a culture of vocational discernment at Spring Hill College where students have opportunities to:

Student Learning Outcome 1:
Ask and explore fundamental questions of vocation

Student Learning Outcome 2:
Integrate and make sense of those moments during their college experience when they felt called, purposeful, or inspired

Student Learning Outcome 3:
Demonstrate an understanding that vocational discernment is an ongoing process

Engagement

Annual Growth

Based on the evaluation of student essays, all student learning outcomes increase for each year of the program. This data suggests that exposure to the program has positively impacted student learning outcomes.
View the learning outcome rubric here.
SLO1SLO2SLO3
16172.922.672.48
17183.002.712.48
18193.072.942.65

Campus-Wide Engagement
71
Faculty/Staff Engaged

555
Students Engaged
Participation in Pathways Activities Effect on Student Learning Outcome Ratings

Students who participated in more Pathways to Purpose activities over the course of three years had higher rating averages on their AY1819 essays. Events may include Guidebook Activities, Sophomore Dinner, Courses, Retreats, Vocation Lunches, or other outreach activities.

Guidebook

654

Guidebook Submissions
76

Online Submissions
39

Physical Submissions
539

Events/Activities

The Pathways to Purpose Guidebook outlines four years of developmental vocational discernment and purpose exploration for students based upon best practices shared by students, staff, and faculty. All first year students are given a physical version of the Guidebook to use throughout their time at SHC, additionally an online Guidebook is available through Schoology, the college's Learning Management System.

The Guidebook provides an outline of the ways to get involved in Pathways to Purpose. Many of the in-person sign-ins of the Guidebook are also reflected in other Pathways to Purpose activities, such as the student retreats and the Sophomore Dinner.

Erianna Roy '19 was the first student to earn a graduation stole for her completion of the Guidebook. Erianna also served as a Pathways to Purpose student ambassador during the 2018-2019 academic year.

Sophomore Dinner

61
Student Attendees
31
Fac/Staff Attendees

The Sophomore Dinner is an opportunity for students to enjoy a formal dinner with the faculty and staff who made a positive impact on their first year at Spring Hill College. Students are re-introduced to vocation and are encouraged to continue their purpose exploration through their Sophomore Year.

Student Learning Outcomes

Following attendance at the Sophomore Dinner, students were asked to what extent the event gave them the opportunity to engage in the Student Learning Outcomes.

Curriculum

Vocational Discernment (VOC DSCRN) Courses are offered across disciplines and are taught by any faculty member who wishes to include questions or activities about vocation with their content area courses.

Vocational Discernment Classes Across Divisions

All divisions offered at least one VOC DSCRN course during the 18-19 academic year. Course offerings are dependent on the faculty who teach the VOC DSCRN courses.

20
VOC DSRCN Courses
363
Students Enrolled
Impact of Vocational Discernment Courses on Rubric Ratings

The more VOC DSCRN courses a student completed at some point during the last 3 years, the higher their rubric ratings.

Retreats

25

Student Attendees

Sophomore and Junior students take part in an overnight retreat on the beach to dive deeply into conversations about self-identity, values, and their place in the world. Retreat attendees have the opportunity to discuss questions of meaning and purpose with volunteer faculty and staff members at this intimate event.


"Thank you for hosting this and having this be a part of Spring Hill! It's so captivating and meaningful to learn different things about others and myself."

--Spring 2019 Participant


Student Learning Outcomes

Students who attended the retreat (n=9) at some point during their time at Spring Hill College had higher rubric ratings than those students who never attend at Pathways to Purpose retreat (n=147).



Outreach

Vocation Lunch

51

Student Attendees

18

Faculty/Staff Attendees



Course Visits

15

Courses Visited

161

Students Reached



Other Outreach

57

Student Leaders Trained


17

REACH Workshop Participants

FACULTY & STAFF ENGAGEMENT

Professional Development

Cohesive Undergraduate Experience

Professional Development for LEAP Faculty
A gathering of LEAP faculty to workshop the introduction of vocational topics into the first year experience

Professional Development for CLIMB Faculty
A gathering of current, past, and future CLIMB faculty and staff to highlight the importance of vocational discernment throughout experential learning opportunities on campus

Partnerships

Foley Center Community Engagement Inservice
A gathering of faculty and staff to discuss the role of communtiy engagement in learning experiences and the importance of reflection throughout experiences to deepen vocational exploration

Faculty Development Faculty Writing Retreat
A gathering of faculty for three days of intensive writing time to promote and encourage scholarship across disciplines

Faculty & Staff Retreat

7

Faculty Attendees

7

Staff Attendees

The Faculty/Staff Retreat is an opportuntiy for faculty and staff from across campus to come together to discuss vocation, discernment, and meaning-making. Attendees are asked to dive into their own vocational discernment and discuss the numerous facets of what makes a meaningful life. At the end of the retreat, faculty and staff consider how their experience at the retreat might be shared when they return to campus, both with colleagues and with students.

"This was a great retreat and I have so many ideas to use in my daily life now."
--Spring 2019 Participant

Course Development Stipends

Six faculty were awarded with course development stipends in fall 2018 to attend a workshop to develop a new course, or rework an existing course, that would focus, at least partially, on vocational discernment. These courses would have a content area related to the faculty's expertise, but also insert at least 2 activities that would help students as they discern their ideas about vocation.

EDU131

Lori Aultman
Gateway major course for Education majors to explore how they may see themselves as teachers.

PHL395c

Chris Dodsworth
Core curriculum course with a focus on how students may help others think about and explore their vocations.

MTH220

Jonathan Dunbar
Core curriculum course with a focus on computer programming. Students go out into a local high school to help teach students coding, a valuable career skill.
 

PSY330

Jamie Franco-Zamudio
Major course for Psychology students with a vocational focus on personality testing and its role in organizations, especially related to careers.

ENG285c

Jeff Stoyanoff
Core curriculum course focused on the central role food plays on our lives in terms of meaning-making and ethical decision making.

ENG241

Leigh Ann Litwiller
Core curriculum course the uses fiction to explore many facets of vocation and vocational discernment.

NEWS & UPDATES

News & Updates

NetVUE Professional Development Grant. Pathways to Purpose has been awarded a NetVUE Professional Development Grant of $8,500 for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Huntingdon College Visit. In February 2019 Stephanie visited Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL to share insights and information about the Pathways to Purpose program. Huntington College is in the process of submitting a QEP on vocation and was looking to Spring Hill College's program as a model.

SAS 320: Leading a Purposeful Life. For the first time Pathways to Purpose taught a 1-credit course aimed at seniors. The course focused on vocational discussions and preparation for life after college. The course, which is offered in the spring, will continue to be offered and taught by Stephanie.

NetVUE Conference. In March 2019 both directors traveled to Louisville, KY to attend the National NetVUE Conference. Stephanie, along with three other colleagues from other institutions, presented a session on Interactive Vocational Discernment. Dr. Bosko-Dunbar took part in a faculty panel presentation.