Learn about the curriculum behind the Henderson Scholar Program experience.
A Curricular Approach is a paradigm shift from traditional educational approaches to an intentional, developmentally sequenced one, defined by institutional mission and purpose. As defined by American College Professionals Association (ACPA) — College Student Educators International, one of the leading professional organizations in American higher education, this model requires that staff first identify clear learning goals and outcomes grounded in the history, culture, and purpose of each institution, then design student engagement strategies specifically to achieve those outcomes. Pedagogy is rooted in scholarship, goals are sequenced, and assessment is used to drive continuous improvement.
Shifting to a Curricular Approach is not superficial, nor is it simply attaching learning outcomes to existing programs. It requires a fundamental rethinking of why every activity exists and what students are meant to gain from it. ACPA identifies ten essential elements of a rigorous Curricular Approach, including direct connection to institutional mission, developmentally sequenced learning, scholar-of-teaching-and-learning pedagogy, integrated campus partnerships, and a continuous cycle of assessment.
HSP adopted this model in 2020. Every element of the program — cohort meetings, peer mentoring, small group leadership, the Impact Team — exists because it produces a specific, documented learning outcome connected to HSP’s three learning aims: Scholar Development, Scholar Well-Being, and Community Care. Nothing is on the calendar because it fills a slot. Everything is there because research and assessment show it works.
Most scholarship programs tell students where to show up. HSP is different. We use a curricular approach — a nationally recognized model used by leading student affairs programs that puts student learning, not programming attendance, at the center of everything we do. Every meeting, mentoring relationship, small group conversation, and leadership role is intentionally designed to help scholars grow in three areas:
Understanding who you are: your identity, your values, your strengths, and how you relate to the people around you. Scholars who develop in this area can articulate who they are, lead with empathy, and describe how they intend to make a difference.
Building a holistic, sustainable relationship with your own wellness — physical, emotional, and social — so you can show up fully in college and in life. Scholars who develop in this area can define what well-being means for them personally, access resources when they need them, and create conditions of well-being for others.
Developing the awareness, skills, and motivation to take meaningful action in the communities you belong to. Scholars who develop in this area can identify issues facing their communities, collaborate effectively across difference, and advocate for positive, sustainable change.
These three areas build on each other across four years. What you learn in Year One as a mentee becomes the foundation for what you practice in Year Two as a mentor, and so on. Nothing is accidental.
