Queen’s University administration is still deciding whether they will introduce a co-curricular record (CCR) at the school.
There was mixed feedback from the faculty and students regarding the final decision for the co-curricular record at Queen’s, the Queen’s Journal reported. Kieran Slobodin, vice-president (university affairs) of the Alma Mater Society, told the Journal that Queen’s had no plans to continue with the project.
A co-curricular record is a document universities keep on file of all their students’ involvement outside of class. This information can prove students’ involvement when applying for jobs or graduate schools. It’s separate from any academic transcripts.
However, Kristyn Wallace, a spokesperson for Queen’s, said a final decision hasn’t been made and “all options are still being considered.”
These records have become common in Ontario universities, including Wilfrid Laurier University, York University, the University of Guelph, Trent University, the University of Windsor, and Carleton.
Carleton first introduced the CCR back in 2009, according Jeremy Brzozowski, student experience and first-year experience co-ordinator
“It’s been around in the U.S. for a while now and it was working well,” Brzozowski said. “[Carleton] was looking for a nice way to summarize [the students’] out-of-classroom experience.”
“Learning will often occur outside the classroom. That’s why when a student completes an activity for their CCR, they are asked what they learned . . . a lot of experiences on campus offer a lot of development for students in real life situations.”
Harrison Boyd, a first-year journalism student at Carleton, said he doesn’t see the need for the CCR.
“I think it’s a lazy replacement for a resumé,” Boyd said. “I feel if the administration decides to revisit the decision or leave it really isn’t a big deal.”
Riley Evans, also a first-year journalism student, disagrees.
“I think Queen’s [would be] doing their students a disservice in the future by not helping them record and verify all their work and volunteer experience for future job applications,” Evans said.
“It’s putting them at a disadvantage against people graduating from schools who do collect this information, because they have it prepared and verified for a resumé.”
Tatenda Masama, a first-year Queen’s student, said she wasn’t even aware of the issue until it was brought to her attention.
Masama said she thinks co-curricular records would be “beneficial to the student body.”
“It would show potential employers and grad schools a well-rounded figure who was not only capable of attaining academic achievements in class but also showed acquired experiences and skills outside of lectures.”
Carleton, one of the first Canadian universities to introduce the CCR, has seen “tremendous” success with the program, Brzozowski said.
“I think we’re one of the best with the CCR,” Brzozowski said. “I think one of the reasons we have such success is because of involvement opportunities available on campus.”
Brzozowski said he “highly encourages” other universities to look into the CCR.
“Some of the most powerful learning happens after the experience.”
