Cocurricular Learning Goals

To ensure a unified approach to the cocurricular learning experience at UIC, the following 5 learning goals are used to guide offices’ understanding of how their services facilitate purposeful, meaningful student learning across campus. This framework was originally developed by the division of Student Affairs.

Cocurricular Learning Goals

1. Self-Awareness
2. Transformational Leadership
3. Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
4. Skills to be Real World Ready
5. Belonging

Self-Awareness
Students will deepen and expand their self-awareness and increase its application to their lives.

Self-awareness includes a student understanding who they are, where they came from, and where they hope to go. It is inclusive of communicating with others, identifying their own needs, and advocating for those needs to others. Self-awareness involves the ability a student has to recognize and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A student’s sense of self-awareness extends into how they navigate inter-personal relationships, how they approach conflict, and how they respond to challenging situations utilizing strengths and developing skills to overcome barriers. Self-awareness includes an understanding of how others perceive you and how a student’s actions impact others. Being self-aware is not a final destination but is a life-long process of growth and discovery.

Transformational Leadership
Students will engage with the many aspects of transformational leadership and will learn how to apply them in various settings.

Transformational Leadership is an approach to leadership centered on creating positive change within the student’s environment. Transformational leadership moves the student from being a learner to a doer and engages collaboration amongst students through their groups, teams, organizations, classes, jobs, and pre-professional experiences within Chicagoland and beyond. Students will use transformational leadership in a socially responsible way to identify problems, use creativity and innovation to explore solutions, and ultimately engage in action. Transformational leaders will learn to inspire others, influence outcomes, be courageous, and utilize good judgement in decision making. To be a transformational leader, the student will lead with integrity and learn to use their platform to advocate for others. A transformational leader will find opportunities to utilize their leadership to develop other leaders during their journey at UIC.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Students will learn tools to help them advance J.E.D.I. in their organizations and communities.

J.E.D.I. plays a foundational role in our students' relationships with one another and the broader world. Understanding the multiple and intersecting identities they and others inhabit is an essential part of learning to productively engage in diverse groups. Building an inclusive learning environment requires that all members of the campus community use knowledge about discrimination and bias prevention to address structural inequity and work towards social change. Our community is at its strongest when J.E.D.I. is at our foundation.

Skills to be "Real World Ready"
Students will acquire skills to prepare them to be successful in life during and after college.

Skills to be “real world ready” applies to a broad scope of skills that students will be exposed to, learn, practice, and acquire during their UIC experience that will prepare them for success during and after college. Students will be able to articulate when they have developed these skills and recognize when to apply the relevant skills in the appropriate environment and situations. These skills are developed within multiple spheres of a student’s life including wellness (self-care, help-seeking, resilience, stress management, balance), professional development (academic preparation, career preparation, time management, financial literacy, recognizing transferable skills), problem solving (critical thinking, adaptability, intellectual flexibility, recognizing and utilizing resources), communication (interpersonal communication, presentation, business communication) and emotional intelligence (emotion regulation, conflict management, behavior management). A student who is progressing in the development of these skills will demonstrate an ability to re-frame challenges, changes, and barriers to succeed and will increase their capacity to solve problems on their own.

Belonging:
Students will develop a sense of belonging and create meaningful connections during their time at UIC.

Belonging is the feeling of security and support within a student’s community. Belonging incorporates a student’s sense of connection to UIC, the community, their majors, their groups, and their environment. Belonging is realized when the student has acquired the knowledge that they are accepted amongst their peers for who they are, when they have shared their true authentic self and that they are cared for by others within the UIC community. The foundation for belonging is formed by the development of healthy relationships with others, understanding that the student matters, and knowing that the student is meant to be at UIC.