Glossary

The Spartan Experience Record captures student learning experiences in MSU out-of-class activities including but not limited to leadership programs, student employment, undergraduate research positions, internships and civic engagement opportunities. Any experience within the platform must be 1) MSU sponsored, 2) not bear academic credit and 3) meet the definition of a co-curricular experience.

An approved student role within a specific program, organization, or place of employment, which is officially added to the Spartan Experience Record. 

  • Experiences must 1) be MSU-sponsored, 2) not bear academic credit and 3) meet the definition of a co-curricular experience.
    • Ex. Leadership programs, on-campus student employment, undergraduate research positions, internships and service-learning, and civic engagement opportunities. 
  • Organizations with listed experiences must be MSU-sponsored, with defined and articulated learning outcomes and assessments that align with MSU’s Undergraduate Learning Goals.

The broader MSU department or office that oversees an experience.

An MSU faculty or staff member offering a co-curricular opportunity that aligns with institutional learning outcomes. This person is responsible for submitting an experience to be added to the Spartan Experience Record. 

  • Ex. A dining hall lead manager, Formula Racing Team faculty advisor

The process by which a submitted experience is formally peer reviewed to ensure alignment to record guidelines and expectations.

Formal grouping for all experiences in the Record that encompass their overall focus. Each experience falls under one of 10 categories: Community Engagement, Education, Diversity & Global Learning, Internship & Employment, Leadership, and Research & Creativity.

Types of experiences that don’t bear academic credit, but also contribute to a student’s academic learning outcomes.  

  • Co-curricular experiences differ from extra-curricular experiences (which are not explicitly tied to learning goals) and curricular experiences (which would appear on a student’s academic transcript). 

The generic term for a document used to provide comprehensive evidence of students’ learning and engagement outside of formal coursework and academic programs.

Concise, action-oriented statements that describe the knowledge or skills students should acquire by the end of a particular role. There are 28 total statements available, and each student role requires 1-5 learning outcomes. 

A student’s title at each experience. Each experience can include 1 or more unique roles. 

  • Ex. Participant, Peer Mentor, President, Member
  • MSU’s co-curricular platform that showcases student learning beyond coursework through experiences, including the collection of all experiences that have been added to the Record
  • The specific MSU-verified document a student receives listing all co-curricular experiences. These are requested through the Registrar’s Office.

The process by which faculty and staff confirm that a student completed the out-of-class learning experience and achieved its learning outcomes.