Co-curricular Experiences
Co-curricular experiences are all the on-campus volunteer opportunities you can participate in to complement your Laurier academic journey. Many departments across campus offer co-curricular experiences as a way to gain meaningful learning opportunities and to support transformational experiences.
These include experiences such as volunteering with your faculty/department, Residence, clubs, athletics, Students' Union, etc.
If you're running an activity and would like students to get recognized for their participation, learn more about the Co-curricular Database and determine if your activity is eligible to be included.
Explore Co-Curricular Experiences
Experience Catalogue
As you plan what activities to get involved in next year, check out the Experience Catalogue, which:
- Includes a full list of co-curricular experiences that are currently offered across campus.
- Provides a description and contact information for each activity to help you find the perfect outlet for your passions or supporting your future career path.
Experience Guides
Check off all the elements on your experience checklist! Each year the Career Centre publishes Experience Guides to:
- Outline possible experiential pathways designed around your program.
- Help to highlight co-curricular experiences that will enrich your academic learning.
- Provide a year-to-year progression of volunteer opportunities.
Add and Track Your Co-Curricular Experience
Follow these steps or watch this video to see how to add a position to your LER.
1. Log into Navigator and click Co-Curricular Experiences.
2. Select Manage Your Co-Curricular Positions.
3. Select Add a Position.
4. Search for the activity.
- Type the position title or activity in the search box (e.g. EcoHawks General Member) and select the position as it populates.
- Or use the search filters to search for positions.
- If you can't find an activity, email experiencerecord@wlu.ca.
5. Select Add Position.
6. Select the blue Complete Reflection Questionnaire button and complete the reflection questions - Save.
7. Under Time Tracking, click the grey Log Time box - indicate the total number of hours you completed. Select Update.
8. Using the dropdown box, select Developed for up to five learning competencies - Save Changes.
Adding Positions from Previous Years
Adding co-curricular experiences is not retroactive so you must add activities during the same academic year in which you were involved. This encourages you to think critically and reflect on your involvement each year and ensures a timely and accurate validation process.
If you missed adding an experience, you can complete the Retroactive Co-Curricular Position Request Form or email experiencerecord@wlu.ca and we will help you as best we can.
Activities from the current year can be added to your Laurier Experience Record anytime before the yearly deadline of March 31.
If you have missed the deadline to add co-curricular positions, or to add a position to a previous year, you can complete the Retroactive Co-Curricular Position Request Form.
Experiences will be approved after the March 31 deadline. The checkmark on the experience will be green once validated.
Only approved positions with reflection, learning competencies selected and time commitment indicated will appear on your published LER. Pending or incomplete positions will not appear on your published LER.
Troubleshooting
Approved Co-curricualr positions will not show on your Published LER until you complete the reflection questions, indicate time commitment and select learning competencies for each position.
Steps to add your reflection elements:
- Log into Navigator and click Co-Curricular Experiences
- Select Manage Your Co-Curricular Positions
- Scroll down to find your position that is missing reflection.
- Select the title of the position (example: Executive member).
- A menu will appear on the right. Select View This Position On My Record.
- Select the blue Complete Reflection Questionnaire button and complete the reflection questions - Save.
- Under Time Tracking - click grey Log Time box - - indicate the total number of hours you completed. Select Update.
- Using the dropdown boxes, select Developed for up to five competencies - Save Changes.
Approved positions will then display on your Published LER.
Pending positions with the reflection element complete will appear on your LER once they are approved by the Validator.
Activities may not appear in the Co-Curricular Experiences database for several reasons:
- Certificates and/or workshop series are tracked in the Certificate Programs module.
- The activity did not meet the inclusion criteria.
- The minimum 3 hour time commitment was not met.
- The validator did not submit the activity to the database.
Validation is completed by the host department by sending a membership list or logging in to approve/decline requests. Here are a few reasons why your position might be declined:
- Did you add the wrong position by accident? Were you a Note-taker but accidentally added Note-taker Coordinator to your record?
- Club presidents are responsible for submitting full membership lists to the Students' Union NEST. If this list is not tracked, all club members are declined.
- Did you meet all the requirements for the position?
Contact experiencerecord@wlu.ca to inquire about declined positions.
Need More Information?
If you are interested in learning more about co-curricular experiences, email Bailey Gross at experiencerecord@wlu.ca.