Complementary Learning
About Comp Learning
Complementary Learning gives honors students the opportunity to grow through out-of-class experiences in leadership, service, communication, and critical thinking. By participating in activities within the larger community, students will develop the kind of integrated knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and leadership skills that will aid them in their future careers. More importantly, these experiences will teach civic responsibility and citizenship. Service projects, leadership roles and cultural trips will complement and enrich the academic program of every honors student. Although these opportunities are powerful in their own right, they also present a unique opportunity for self-assessment. To achieve this goal, honors students write reflective pieces analyzing their complementary learning experience.
For a quick summary of complementary learning and the submission process, please take a look at the PDF, Comp Learning in a Nutshell.
For a quick summary of complementary learning and the submission process, please take a look at the PDF, Comp Learning in a Nutshell.
Satisfying your Complementary Learning Requirement
Service Learning · Leadership · Community
In their first year, honors students are introduced to opportunities for service, volunteerism and leadership in the RIT and Rochester community. In later years, these projects should develop into meaningful community and/or professional relationships. As a pilot this fall, half of the first year students are enrolled in an academic class that provides an understanding of learning through service. This class will teach students the necessary skills to effectively tackle service projects.
All honors students are encouraged to work with the Complementary Learning Advisor to develop a project that suits individual interests. This advisor will be an especially useful resource for first year students as they try to understand the unique challenges of service in the Rochester area. Students may form groups to better tackle more complicated projects.
Substantial leadership roles also satisfy a student’s yearly requirement for complementary learning. Examples of these leadership roles include: Officer in an organization, committee chair, student manager, TA, RA or OA; Participation in college programming and leadership activities; Substantial participation in an Honors Committee; Leadership position in a varsity sport; RIT Leadership Institute Certificate; Study abroad or co-op abroad; Major research project.
Professional service and career-focused leadership activities are usually guided by an advocate or faculty member. This type of complementary learning varies greatly from department to department and is highly specific to individual student interests
In the end, all students submit a reflective essay detailing their experiences and personal growth. Submissions will be primarily judged on their reflective components and not on the success or failure of the actual project.
Please note: All activities are subject to approval by the Honors Student Council
In their first year, honors students are introduced to opportunities for service, volunteerism and leadership in the RIT and Rochester community. In later years, these projects should develop into meaningful community and/or professional relationships. As a pilot this fall, half of the first year students are enrolled in an academic class that provides an understanding of learning through service. This class will teach students the necessary skills to effectively tackle service projects.
All honors students are encouraged to work with the Complementary Learning Advisor to develop a project that suits individual interests. This advisor will be an especially useful resource for first year students as they try to understand the unique challenges of service in the Rochester area. Students may form groups to better tackle more complicated projects.
Substantial leadership roles also satisfy a student’s yearly requirement for complementary learning. Examples of these leadership roles include: Officer in an organization, committee chair, student manager, TA, RA or OA; Participation in college programming and leadership activities; Substantial participation in an Honors Committee; Leadership position in a varsity sport; RIT Leadership Institute Certificate; Study abroad or co-op abroad; Major research project.
Professional service and career-focused leadership activities are usually guided by an advocate or faculty member. This type of complementary learning varies greatly from department to department and is highly specific to individual student interests
In the end, all students submit a reflective essay detailing their experiences and personal growth. Submissions will be primarily judged on their reflective components and not on the success or failure of the actual project.
Please note: All activities are subject to approval by the Honors Student Council
Comp Learning Examples
Housing Committee Web Application
Date: Winter '06-07
Throughout the winter of 2006-07 I worked with both the Honors IT Committee and the Honors Housing Committee to develop a web application that would greatly simplify the process of arranging honors students into rooms in Baker for the following year.
I learned a great deal in doing this project, as it was the first time that I had written any kind of software (aside from schoolwork) that was designed to meet someone else's specifications. It was more difficult than I thought to take someone's plain English project requirements and turn them into code at my own discretion. Because of this, however, I learned a great deal about the software development process that I will be working with as a substantial part of my future career.
This project has made me a better leader because it required that I take all of the initiative to complete it. There was no specific project timeline and no one had set up appointments for me to meet with those who would give me the requirements. As a result, I had to plan carefully to complete the project at a reasonable pace to have it done by Phase II Housing Registration. I also had to take on the task of contacting and setting up appointments with the Honors Housing Committee to get specifications, ask questions, display my progress, and so forth.
The event could have been more meaningful if there were greater consequences for not having finished the project on time or for not meeting specifications exactly. This would have made it a more realistic career experience, as a paid position would not have anywhere near the leniency that was permitted by the Housing Committee.
My motivation for pursuing this project was simply that I enjoy programming in PHP and working with MySQL. Thus, it was a natural choice when the opportunity arose to help out two of the Honors committees in making a relatively simple, but very important, web application.
Most of what I learned from this experience was to be expected. One thing that I did not expect, however, was that I would join the Honors Housing Committee in the process. During this project, I discovered that there were very few people on the Housing Committee who lived in Baker. Consequently, I decided that I would like to try to better represent those who actually live in Baker by participating in Housing Committee meetings.
This project has enriched my experience with teamwork, leadership, communication, and critical thinking. Because I was working between two separate committees, teamwork and communication were top priority. I had to continuously meet with members of both committees to effectively learn what was required of me (from the Housing Committee) and the resources available to me (from the IT Committee) to implement the solution. The leadership experience came in the aforementioned form of setting my own timeline and responsibilities for the vast majority of the project. Lastly, critical thinking was required to efficiently program the application.
Women's Bible Study Co-Leader
Date: Dec. '06 - Present
I have been involved with the BCM Women's Bible study since the spring term of last year. Over the last few weeks of the study in the fall, Heather deLancey asked me to co-lead with her during the winter. I decided to take Heather up on this offer because the study, and the girls in the study, has been such wonderful support and company through the months we have been together.
I was really nervous when I first started co-leading because I had never been an official group leader before, but since I started I've learned a lot and become comfortable.
When I wasn't a study leader, I didn't have to put much effort into each week's meeting. I would read the chapter and show up to study, but that was pretty much it. As a leader, I need to put more time and effort into the study. Heather and I are using a study guide, but we meet every week to go over what we learned before bringing it to the group. Although we do our best to encourage discussion, I've learned that it is important for us, as the leaders, to be prepared. Even if Heather and I don't talk about everything we discussed in our one-on-one meeting, it is important for us to have thought about the topic beforehand in order for the group to run smoothly. When Heather and I have our pre-group meeting meetings we know what will take more time and what will take less.
One of the most important things I've noticed is that the most successful and interesting meetings are those in which Heather and I do minimal talking. From this I've learned that for a group to be successful the leaders don't need to have total control or micromanage, they need only guide the group. The weeks in which Heather and I take too much control or speak too much are the less interesting weeks.
Helping lead this group has helped me in more ways than leadership. My personal faith is continually encouraged through not only our group meetings, but also my meetings with Heather and my personal preparations and devotions. I've been able to create deep relationships with girls I would otherwise never know.
Being a Bible study leader was not something I pictured myself doing even during fall quarter, but I am so glad that Heather asked me to. I've become closer to God and closer to the girls in my study than I ever did when I was only a member of the group. The experience has taught me about being a leader as well as a group member. I know more about how to lead a group without being dominating than I ever did before.
Date: Winter '06-07
Throughout the winter of 2006-07 I worked with both the Honors IT Committee and the Honors Housing Committee to develop a web application that would greatly simplify the process of arranging honors students into rooms in Baker for the following year.
I learned a great deal in doing this project, as it was the first time that I had written any kind of software (aside from schoolwork) that was designed to meet someone else's specifications. It was more difficult than I thought to take someone's plain English project requirements and turn them into code at my own discretion. Because of this, however, I learned a great deal about the software development process that I will be working with as a substantial part of my future career.
This project has made me a better leader because it required that I take all of the initiative to complete it. There was no specific project timeline and no one had set up appointments for me to meet with those who would give me the requirements. As a result, I had to plan carefully to complete the project at a reasonable pace to have it done by Phase II Housing Registration. I also had to take on the task of contacting and setting up appointments with the Honors Housing Committee to get specifications, ask questions, display my progress, and so forth.
The event could have been more meaningful if there were greater consequences for not having finished the project on time or for not meeting specifications exactly. This would have made it a more realistic career experience, as a paid position would not have anywhere near the leniency that was permitted by the Housing Committee.
My motivation for pursuing this project was simply that I enjoy programming in PHP and working with MySQL. Thus, it was a natural choice when the opportunity arose to help out two of the Honors committees in making a relatively simple, but very important, web application.
Most of what I learned from this experience was to be expected. One thing that I did not expect, however, was that I would join the Honors Housing Committee in the process. During this project, I discovered that there were very few people on the Housing Committee who lived in Baker. Consequently, I decided that I would like to try to better represent those who actually live in Baker by participating in Housing Committee meetings.
This project has enriched my experience with teamwork, leadership, communication, and critical thinking. Because I was working between two separate committees, teamwork and communication were top priority. I had to continuously meet with members of both committees to effectively learn what was required of me (from the Housing Committee) and the resources available to me (from the IT Committee) to implement the solution. The leadership experience came in the aforementioned form of setting my own timeline and responsibilities for the vast majority of the project. Lastly, critical thinking was required to efficiently program the application.
Women's Bible Study Co-Leader
Date: Dec. '06 - Present
I have been involved with the BCM Women's Bible study since the spring term of last year. Over the last few weeks of the study in the fall, Heather deLancey asked me to co-lead with her during the winter. I decided to take Heather up on this offer because the study, and the girls in the study, has been such wonderful support and company through the months we have been together.
I was really nervous when I first started co-leading because I had never been an official group leader before, but since I started I've learned a lot and become comfortable.
When I wasn't a study leader, I didn't have to put much effort into each week's meeting. I would read the chapter and show up to study, but that was pretty much it. As a leader, I need to put more time and effort into the study. Heather and I are using a study guide, but we meet every week to go over what we learned before bringing it to the group. Although we do our best to encourage discussion, I've learned that it is important for us, as the leaders, to be prepared. Even if Heather and I don't talk about everything we discussed in our one-on-one meeting, it is important for us to have thought about the topic beforehand in order for the group to run smoothly. When Heather and I have our pre-group meeting meetings we know what will take more time and what will take less.
One of the most important things I've noticed is that the most successful and interesting meetings are those in which Heather and I do minimal talking. From this I've learned that for a group to be successful the leaders don't need to have total control or micromanage, they need only guide the group. The weeks in which Heather and I take too much control or speak too much are the less interesting weeks.
Helping lead this group has helped me in more ways than leadership. My personal faith is continually encouraged through not only our group meetings, but also my meetings with Heather and my personal preparations and devotions. I've been able to create deep relationships with girls I would otherwise never know.
Being a Bible study leader was not something I pictured myself doing even during fall quarter, but I am so glad that Heather asked me to. I've become closer to God and closer to the girls in my study than I ever did when I was only a member of the group. The experience has taught me about being a leader as well as a group member. I know more about how to lead a group without being dominating than I ever did before.
Comp Learning Questions?
Send any questions about complementary learning to complearning@honors.rit.edu.