Hiram Connect, effective fall 2015, is a critical thinking and constructive doing program which asks students to integrate classroom learning with high impact out of class experiences.
At four deliberate junctures in the Urgent Challenges Curriculum students reflect on how their Hiram experiences connect to their life and career, examining questions of curriculum, career, calling, character, and community (the 5Cs). These junctures include during the First-Year Enduring Seminar, at major declaration, during their experiential learning activity (internship, study-away trip, or guided research project); and as they complete their senior capstone project in the major.
On these occasions and others depending on the students’ program of student, they will develop critical reflection skills that will enhance their ability to analyze Hiram Connect experiences and their lives beyond college. Experiences such as study abroad or study away, research, and/or internships will require students to analyze key concepts from their coursework to refine or challenge previously held assumptions and expectations, articulate their personal growth in relation to future goals, and consider their relationships to their communities and the world.
The electronic portfolio or Connections ePortfolio will serve as a digital space for students to communicate their learning and the development of the learning outcomes of Hiram College (written communication, oral communication, critical thinking, and information literacy). Students will have access to their ePortfolio through their College-issued iPad.
Detailed information to better understand the Four Steps/Components of Connect can be found at http://www.hiram.edu/connect/
Hiram Connect: Policy for Transfer Students to Receive Credit for Prior Experiential Learning
Students transferring into Hiram College with junior-level status (i.e., students entering Hiram College with at least 56 transfer credits accepted) can earn up to 60 Connect “clock hours” of experiential learning credit through reflection on experiential learning completed prior to matriculating with Hiram College. Examples of prior experiential learning could include, but are not limited to, work experience, professional development training, internship, and research.
In this written reflection, students would be expected to indicate how the prior experiential learning contributed to their growth in skills or leadership, and should demonstrate how the learning exemplifies at least two of the 5 C’s: career, calling, curriculum, community, and character. Students must be specific in their learning outcomes and articulate the importance of this prior experience as it connects to their goals as a Hiram College student. Students should contact the Hiram College Career Development Office for detailed instructions on the essay and submission process.
This reflection will be reviewed and approved by criteria set by the Connect Board.