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The Pitt Honors Experience: Using a Competency Based Framework to Scaffold Student Engagement & Improve Outcomes

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Description

The Frederick Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh has evolved significantly since the introduction of Honors Courses in the 1960s, expanding to the Pitt-Greensburg campus in 2024. It offers multiple academic pathways, including the Honors Distinction, Honors Joint Degree, and the prestigious BPhil degree. A key component, the Honors Outside the Classroom Curriculum (OCC), integrates co-curricular learning with academic credentials. The program’s success at Pitt’s Oakland campus led to its expansion, aligning with Greensburg Experience More (GEM). Moving forward, the college aims to refine its programs, leverage community resources, and expand diverse learning opportunities.

About the School

The University of Pittsburgh first introduced Honors Courses in the 1960s, laying the foundation for a dedicated Honors program. By 1987, these efforts culminated in the establishment of the University Honors College, further solidifying Pitt’s commitment to academic excellence. In 2022, the school was renamed the David C. Frederick Honors College, recognizing its continued impact on high-achieving students.

As part of its ongoing commitment to enriching the student experience, the college had already been using Suitable to enhance engagement at the Oakland campus. By 2024, the program expanded to the Pitt-Greensburg campus, and the university saw an opportunity to bring the same structured, technology-driven approach to student participation.

Challenges Before Suitable

The Frederick Honors College has built a strong foundation for co-curricular engagement through its Honors Outside the Classroom Curriculum (OCC), a Suitable-powered pathway that seamlessly integrates academic learning with hands-on experiences. This structured system has already enhanced student engagement at Pitt’s Oakland campus, providing a streamlined way to track progress toward Honors distinctions.

The university was looking to expand this success to Pitt-Greensburg, ensuring that students across both campuses benefit from the same seamless and engaging experience. However, managing co-curricular participation across multiple locations presents challenges—tracking student involvement efficiently, maintaining consistency, and offering a personalized approach to engagement.

To address these needs, Pitt planned to implement Suitable at Pitt-Greensburg, creating a centralized, mobile-first solution that simplifies engagement tracking, enhances participation, and personalizes the student experience. With this expansion, students at both campuses would have access to real-time progress tracking, tailored opportunities, and a unified pathway toward achieving their Honors distinctions.

Life with Suitable

In partnership with Suitable, the Frederick Honors College transformed student engagement, making co-curricular involvement more interactive, measurable, and personalized. With the expansion of the Honors program to Pitt-Greensburg, Suitable played a key role in ensuring students at both campuses could seamlessly track their progress and engage with Honors opportunities.

Through Suitable, students can now:

Seamlessly track their progress toward Honors Distinction, Honors Joint Degree, or the prestigious Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) Degree.
Earn points through QR code scanning, event reflections, and direct integration with university-wide initiatives.
Gain access to a personalized dashboard to monitor their achievements in real time.

Additionally, Suitable’s integration with the Pitt-Greensburg campus created the Greensburg Experience More (GEM) initiative, reinforcing a co-curricular framework across both locations. Now, whether at Oakland or Greensburg, students benefit from the same technology-driven approach to engagement, ensuring a consistent and enriching experience.

Outcomes Achieved

By extending Suitable’s capabilities to Pitt-Greensburg, Pitt has revolutionized how students engage with co-curricular learning. The platform’s mobile-first approach ensures students can participate anytime, anywhere—whether they’re attending events, completing reflections, or tracking their progress toward Honors distinctions.

With Suitable:

Engagement tracking has been streamlined across both campuses, creating a more unified Honors experience.
Students have greater accessibility to personalized learning opportunities that connect their academic work with real-world experiences.
University officials can leverage real-time data insights to create more tailored and impactful student experiences.

The result? A more engaging, efficient, and student-centered approach to co-curricular learning that enhances the overall Honors experience at both campuses.

Plans for the Future

Building on this success, the Frederick Honors College plans to continue refining its student engagement strategies using Suitable’s data-driven insights. By further enhancing personalized dashboards and expanding virtual, hybrid, and in-person engagement opportunities, the college aims to offer even more tailored experiences for students across both campuses.

Through its continued partnership with Suitable, the University of Pittsburgh is committed to ensuring that every Honors student—whether at Oakland or Greensburg—has access to the tools and resources they need to thrive. Together they are empowering students to make the most of their academic and co-curricular journeys, setting them up for long-term success.

Key Takeaways:

Continuously revisiting and refining the program to meet evolving student needs.
Leveraging the Suitable Community to exchange best practices and optimize student engagement.
Expanding diverse opportunities across all competencies to ensure a well-rounded, enriching experience for every Honors student.

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