IGNITE Curriculum

The IGNITE curriculum is intentionally designed to facilitate community-building among first year students with specific student learning outcomes and instructional scaffolding to meet those outcomes (see table below). This will be achieved through self-reflective journal prompts, personal assessments, videos and other multimedia, “think, pair, share” activities, small group work, and inviting students to integrate what they have learned into their day-to-day life. 

 

IGNITE Fall Semester Curriculum Outline

Session ThemeOverview
Session 1:  Finding Your Spark Students identify 1-2 interest/passion areas they would like to explore during their time at UNC Asheville and discuss their individual hopes and fears for their college experience.
Session 2:  Identity – Who Am I? Students express feelings around pivotal life experiences and create personal Wandering Maps that visually represent their understanding of self.
Session 3:  Values Exploration Students articulate their personal values and describe how those values align with their daily actions and behaviors.
Session 4:  Inclusion and Belonging  Students explore key concepts related to diversity, equity, and belonging and reflect on how they can cultivate a culture of belongingness at UNC Asheville. 
Session 5:  Building Authentic Relationships Students reflect on what characteristics define authentic relationships and what they want out of relationships during their time at UNC Asheville.
Session 6:  Effective Communication Students articulate effective communication as a process of understanding and shared meaning and apply effective communication skills through group scenarios. 
Session 7:  Learning from Failure Students understand the difference between a fixed and growth mindset and start to remove the stigma from failure and mistakes. 
Session 8:  Skills and Interests Students identify skills they want to gain and strengthen through opportunities during their time at UNC Asheville. 
Session 9:  Becoming a Change Agent Students reflect on what they want their UNCA legacy to be and identify examples of campus resources to support them in the future.