My Spartan Story is defined by two key elements: 1) the online platform, and 2) the record.
My Spartan Story is the new interactive platform that 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 our definition of a co-curricular experience.
Once your experience is in the My Spartan Story platform, it can then be validated and displayed on your Spartan Experience Record (SER). The Spartan Experience Record is your MSU-validated document displaying your learning in out-of-class experiences which can be accessed through the Registrar’s Office. SERs can be officially requested from the MSU RO as of September 2020.
For an experience to be included on your SER, it must first be reviewed and approved in the My Spartan Story platform (i.e. if your experience isn’t in the platform, it cannot display on your SER).
Activity
An MSU sponsored non-credit bearing experience with defined and articulated learning outcomes, assessments, and alignment to MSU’s Undergraduate Learning Goals.
Activity Provider/Owner
An MSU faculty or staff member offering a co-curricular opportunity aligning with institutional learning outcomes who serves as the submitter of an experience to My Spartan Story platform.
Advisory Committee
A committee that meets monthly to review and approve co-curricular submissions while supporting and guiding MSU’s capacity for the use of the Spartan Experience Record.
Approval
A process by which existing programs and learning activities are vetted for inclusion in the Spartan Experience Record by the Advisory Committee to ensure each activity has articulated learning outcomes or competencies, evidence of learning, reasonable plan for delivery, and aligns with MSU’s mission.
Co-Curricular Activity
An intentional learning activity not bearing academic credit requiring student participation that contributes to a student’s achievement of undergraduate learning goals and competencies and/or academic learning outcomes which are assessed.
Co-Curricular Record
The generic term for a document used to provide comprehensive evidence of students’ learning and engagement outside of formal coursework and academic programs.
Curricular Activity
Credit-bearing activities and/or requirements for an academic program or certificate listed on a transcript.
Extra-Curricular Activity
Activities outside of normal classroom time not explicitly tied to learning goals or a course curriculum.
Learning Outcome
For My Spartan Story, learning outcomes are simple, concise, statements that describe the knowledge or skills students should acquire by the end of a particular position.
My Spartan Story
The interactive platform that captures student learning experiences in MSU co-curricular activities including but not limited to leadership programs, student employment, undergraduate research positions, internships and service-learning and civic engagement opportunities.
Spartan Experience Record
MSU’s customizable co-curricular record that showcases student learning in co-curricular experiences that can be requested through the Registrar’s Office.
Validation
A process by which faculty and staff verify that a student completed the out-of-class learning experience and that the student successfully accomplished learning as defined by the chosen learning outcomes.
