Assessing the Co-Curriculum by Mapping Student Organization Involvement to Curricular Outcomes Using Mixed Methods

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Curriculum Development
• Student Affairs

Background:

• Co-curricular involvement is integral to pharmacy student development.
• Mapping co-curricular activities to institutional outcomes is crucial for comprehensive education.
• Existing frameworks often lack specific connections between student organizations and learning objectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To align co-curricular skill development with institutional curricular outcomes in pharmacy.
• To assess the extent to which student organizations contribute to achieving defined learning objectives.
• To provide a framework for evaluating the impact of extracurricular involvement on pharmacy students' competency.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a modified Extracurricular Involvement Inventory to gauge student engagement intensity.
• Administered the Co-Curriculum Outcomes Assessment Mapping Survey (COAMS) to identify skills developed through student organizations.
• Triangulated data from surveys and organizational activities to map skill development to curricular outcomes.

Main Results:

• COAMS confirmed that all curricular outcomes can be developed through co-curricular involvement.
• Communication emerged as the most frequently identified skill.
• Professionalism, ethical behavior, collaboration, and in-depth knowledge were also commonly reported skills.

Conclusions:

• Evaluating co-curricular activities against curricular outcomes provides a holistic view of educational synergy.
• Co-curricular mapping offers valuable insights into student skill development for students, faculty, and leadership.
• This adaptable process can be applied across diverse programs and institutions to assess specific experiences and outcomes.