The university experience is fundamental in the formative process of a young person. With the goal of creating intentional experiences that enhance the academic process of its students, Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana, USA) created the Purdue College of Agriculture Transformational Experiences, also known as CATE.
These include co-curricular activities or high-impact educational practices based on Dr. Corey Seemiller’s research: Communication; Intrapersonal Awareness & Development; Interpersonal Skills & Intercultural Knowledge; Ways of Thinking, and the result aims to students capable of determining their place in the environment, making the most of their potential, with humanitarian capacities and intelligent and sensitive enough to solve conflicts. These characteristics align perfectly with the five elements of success of Transforming Higher Education.
All undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture are expected to engage in at least one meaningful transformational experience during their academic career, and it encompasses 15 defined categories of Transformational Experiences such as Study Abroad & International Engagement, Leadership & Professional Development Initiative, Undergraduate Research, among others.
However, Purdue’s work doesn’t stop there, and developed an online CATE Tracking Database which allows them to verify and track the Transformational Experiences of undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture individually, by graduating cohort, by category of transformational experiences, and by department, among others, ensuring the traceability of the program.
Learn more about CATE in the knowledge exchange section of www.transforminghigher.education or at www.ag.purdue.edu/oap/cate.
