Residential Experience

Residential Curriculum

The Residence Experience is a Curricular approach that is focused on student learning and all educational interventions and activities are designed to promote cumulative and successive learning towards a defined set of learning objectives.

Learning Goals

Belonging: Students will develop a sense of belonging in their community by embracing diverse perspectives and learning about the experiences of others through the development of meaningful connections and significant relationships.

Wellbeing: Students will develop the self-awareness, habits, and support systems necessary to thrive, align their actions with their values, and sustain personal growth throughout their residential experience.

Community Engagement: Students will recognize their shared responsibility within a community and actively contribute to creating an environment where all members can connect, participate, and flourish.

Self Determination

With the spirit and history of self-determination, our on-campus communities engage with the learning strategies listed below to exercise and develop a unique sense of self and have clarity of beliefs, identity and social relationships within the context of community.

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History In March of 1972, self-determination was introduced at William & Mary. Before this time, students were not permitted to receive or visit persons of the opposite sex in residential rooms except during stated hours at approved open houses. Open houses could be scheduled from noon to 1am on Friday nights, noon to 2am on Saturday nights, and noon to midnight on Sundays. Open houses could not be scheduled during reading or examination periods. Students under the age of 21 had to have a written parental consent form on file before they were allowed to participate in the open houses. Students could not entertain guests of the opposite sex if a roommate objected, and the restroom facilities were off limits, except those specifically reserved and identified. In addition, female students had to abide by stated curfew hours and regulations regarding absences from the residence halls. The policy of self-determination originally applied to an individual student's freedom of movement in and out of the residence halls, to the hours of such movement, and permitted students within each residence hall the opportunity to establish policies and procedures regarding visitation for their hall. Since then, self-determination has evolved on campus to meet the needs of current students and their learning in the residence halls.
Theory Self-determination theory asserts that every person has three underlying, basic needs: Autonomy, to integrate our experiences with our sense of self freely; Relatedness, to feel a sense of belonging with others; and Competency, to have some control over our environment or the information necessary to make a meaningful decision (Deci & Ryan, 2000). These needs must be satisfied for a person to be enabled to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior and thus become intrinsically motivated. Deci and Ryan (2000) identify the process of internalized motivation as "an active, natural process in which individuals attempt to transform socially sanctioned mores or requests into personally endorsed values and self-regulations. It is the means through which individuals assimilate and reconstitute formerly external regulations so that individuals can be self-determined while enacting them. When the internalization process functions optimally, people will identify with the importance of social regulations, assimilate them into their integrated sense of self, and thus fully accept them as their own (pg 235-236). By moving through the process of external regulation to integration, one ultimately can fully accept regulations "by bringing them into harmony or coherence with other aspects of their values and identity… what was initially external regulation will have been fully transformed into self-regulation, and the result is self-determined extrinsic motivation (236)."
Guidelines Self-determination rests on two fundamental beliefs: Within civil and university regulations, you should be able to determine your environment cooperatively. You are mature and capable of managing this opportunity's responsibilities, including confronting someone violating your rights, being accountable for your behavior, and recognizing the compromises inherent in living with others.

Learning Strategies

Residence Life's learning strategies include a range of engagements, programs and intentional conversations with students that provide opportunities for learning and community development.

These strategies work together on an ongoing basis to ultimately lead students to determine what it means to be in a community with others and their responsibility in its development and evolution as empowered leaders.

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Community Council Community Councils are established at the start of the academic year in every community through elections. Each RA floor/hall within the community will have a representative at the larger area community meetings. Anyone living in that area can be a member of Community Council! Councils act as a governing board for the areas to create connections and provide opportunities for the students’ voice. Typical functions include setting a budget for hall funds, purchasing equipment for the hall, determining rules and guidelines governing common areas both for residents and for outside group requesting to use residence hall space, discussing and offering solutions to problems occurring within the halls, and planning & implementing hall events.
Community Meetings Gatherings facilitated by Staff to share updates, procedures and policies. Aligned with our Learning Goals and Outcomes Community Meetings allows residents to use their voice and make informed decisions.
Shared Living Expectations The Shared Living Expectations Form is the foundation for roommates to develop shared expectations of their room space and negotiate areas of concern on a small scale. Residents who engage in these conversations can mitigate difficulties by discussing potential concerns and negotiating space expectations before they develop into conflicts.
Active Programs Gatherings facilitated by staff to instill a sense of belonging and community amongst residents. RAs plan activities or group conversation in fulfillment of our learning goals and outcomes. Active Programs don't only allow you to connect with your RA but also allow for students to connect with one another.
Passive Engagement Passive Engagement are designed to spark reflection, provide support, and reinforce connections.
Individual Check-Ins Individual Check-ins are ongoing conversations facilitated by the Resident Assistant (RA) with each member of their community. These conversations are organic in nature and build upon the relationships established throughout the academic year. Topics may include general well-being check-ins, discussions connected to residential learning outcomes, goal setting, resource sharing, and problem-solving support as needed. These check-ins goes beyond small talk!
Apartment Check -Ins Apartment Check-Ins are ongoing group-based conversations facilitated by the Resident Assistant (RA) with residents within an apartment or suite community. These conversations are designed to strengthen community connections, support resident wellbeing, and encourage shared responsibility within the living environment. Topics may include apartment living dynamics, communication and roommate relationships, shared-space expectations, community concerns, connections to residential learning outcomes, resource sharing, and collaborative problem-solving as needed. These check-ins go beyond small talk!

Learning Outcomes

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Belonging means feeling part of a community—being connected to others in ways that go beyond a simple wave or smile—regardless of differences. “Who comes here belongs here” must be more than a statement; it should be reflected in what we feel, see, and experience every day. Through intentional engagement students play an role in creating their own sense of belonging by participating in events, engaging in meaningful conversations, and sharing experiences with others. Through these interactions, students help cultivate an inclusive living environment where connection, support, and belonging can grow.

1.1 Identify the people, spaces, and experiences that contribute to their personal sense of belonging within their residence halls.

1.2 Demonstrate inclusive behaviors that support a welcoming and respectful community.

1.3 Develop a deeper understanding of how their actions contribute to creating inclusive communities and how their behaviors can positively impact the broader global community.

Wellbeing is the foundation of Authentic Excellence. Authentic Excellence recognizes that achievement and success are most meaningful and sustainable when they are aligned with personal values, purpose, and wellbeing. Rather than pursuing success out of fear, pressure, or external expectations, residents learn to care for themselves in ways that allow them to flourish and contribute positively to their communities.

2.1 - Identify their values, actions and habits and how they influence their wellbeing and daily decisions.

2.2 - Recognize the relationship between wellbeing, personal growth, and the pursuit of authentic excellence.

Community engagement occurs when individuals recognize their shared responsibility to contribute to the spaces they are part of and work collaboratively to create environments where everyone can flourish. Grounded in Self-Determination and restorative practice, this learning goal emphasizes connection, accountability, and active participation in civic life. Through structured learning strategies, residents are encouraged to build relationships and contribute to a community where all members can thrive.

3.1 Participate in community experiences that help their community flourish.

3.2 Use their voice and make informed decisions that impact their community

Residential Curriculum

Learning Goals

Self Determination

History

Theory

Guidelines

Learning Strategies

Community Council

Community Meetings

Shared Living Expectations

Active Programs

Passive Engagement

Individual Check-Ins

Apartment Check -Ins

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Belonging

Wellbeing

Community Engagement