51视频

09/04/2024
By Ed Brennen

Criminal justice major Hannah Purcell didn鈥檛 realize just how much she鈥檇 accomplished in her first two years at 51视频 until she started building her Mosaic.听

鈥淚 played an intramural sport for one semester that I kind of forgot about, and then I realized, 鈥榃ow, I actually did do that,鈥欌�� says Purcell, a senior from Ashby, Massachusetts.

So Purcell made 鈥淛oin an Intramural Sport鈥� one of her 20 experiences (and counting) on Mosaic, 51视频鈥檚 new web application that helps students discover experiences and resources outside of the classroom. Students can then use Mosaic as a digital r茅sum茅 to showcase their achievements for future employers or grad schools.

鈥淚t's a great way for students to see what they could do and what they've already done,鈥� says Purcell, who has become captain of the women鈥檚 club soccer team, a resident advisor and member of A.C.E. (the Association for Campus Events) since transferring to UML from Western New England University before her sophomore year.

Students can build their own Mosaic on their myUML dashboard.

With the Mosaic Builder, students can browse 85 experiences in four categories: academic opportunities; career-connected and experiential learning; engagement and involvement; and university supports.

Image by Henry Marte

They can select an experience, such as 鈥淓xplore Research Activities鈥� or 鈥淏ecome a Peer Tutor,鈥� to learn more about it, see related experiences and set it as a goal. Once they鈥檝e accomplished the goal, they can check it off as completed and the icon is added to their Mosaic achievements.

At Convocation, Student Government Association President Casey McCauley told students that Mosaic can help them create a personal brand 鈥渦nique to you and your interests.鈥�

鈥淭hink of it like a professional Pinterest board,鈥� said McCauley, a senior criminal justice major from Melrose, Massachusetts. 鈥淲hen it鈥檚 time to job hunt, Mosaic will help show off your college journey. It will translate experiences into a r茅sum茅. Employers will have a complete picture of who you are and what you鈥檝e done in your time here.鈥�

As an early adopter of Mosaic, Purcell introduced first-year students to the platform during summer orientation. She says it鈥檚 a valuable way for students to learn about resources on campus such as UMatter2 and Disability Services.

Image by Henry Marte

鈥淧eople might not know about them or might be too scared to ask, so it鈥檚 another window into these supports,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he achievements touch upon every department that we have here, which is vital because you can click into it and learn more about it.鈥�

Students can also search Mosaic experiences by eight associated skills: community, creative, entrepreneurship, global, innovation, leadership, research and work. This is handy, Purcell says, for when a student is working on their r茅sum茅 and wants to highlight a relevant skill.

鈥淗aving this all in one place is helpful. You can quickly tap into those keywords,鈥� she says.

Under the leadership of the Provost鈥檚 Office, the Mosaic Builder was created by the Web Development and Experience team in the Office of Brand, Communications & Creative Strategy. It is part of UML鈥檚 larger Mosaic project, led by the Division of Academic and Student Affairs in collaboration with Information Technology鈥檚 Salesforce Team and other campus partners.

According to Provost Joe Hartman, there is a direct relationship between student engagement on campus and retention, graduation and success as UML alumni. The Mosaic project, he says, aims to increase all of those things.

鈥淭he university will be able to use data obtained through Mosaic to help students get more engaged and find success,鈥� Hartman says.

As Purcell begins her senior year, one of the experiences she hopes to add to her Mosaic is 鈥淎cademic Internship.鈥� She plans to continue at 51视频 for a master鈥檚 degree in education, and she knows that a robust Mosaic will complement her academic transcript.

鈥淚t's great to look back after the four years and show how much you've grown overall,鈥� she says.