Georgia Tech's George W. Woodruff School of Engineering

Georgia Tech's George W. Woodruff School of Engineering has launched a transformative initiative focused on driving student success through inclusive excellence.

Dr. Jonathan E. Gaines, the inaugural Associate Chair for Inclusive Excellence, is leading this effort.

Since assuming this role in August 2023, Dr. Gaines has been dedicated to enhancing the Woodruff School’s inclusive excellence initiatives. Leveraging asset-based methodologies, leadership cultivation, and inclusive excellence best practices, Dr. Gaines collaborates closely with faculty, staff, students, and alumni to prioritize inclusion and empowerment as student success outcomes.

This initiative aligns with the Woodruff School’s 2023- 2030 strategic plan vision to serve as a “student-centered, research-focused, and service-oriented community recognized for its outstanding education, the development of leaders, and the creation of innovative technological solutions that improve society and the human condition."

Upon arriving at Woodruff, Dr. Gaines swiftly implemented Ready Education’s CampusGroups platform to enhance the co-curricular experience for students.

Introduced to CampusGroups during his tenure at the University of South Florida and later at the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC), Dr. Gaines recognized its effectiveness in fostering community and incentivizing engagement. Leveraging these experiences, he spearheaded its integration at Woodruff in collaboration with Louis Cameron, Implementation and Training Specialist at Ready Education.

Integrated into the "Woodruff Connect" platform, it offers students diverse co-curricular experiences aligned with their professional and personal growth.

Implemented through the Tracks and Checklists feature, this framework forms the foundation for 10 distinct tracks, providing students with a comprehensive co-curricular journey.

In addition to building tracks around each of the 5Is, 5 different pathways guide students through various stages of their student journey.

These are:

Getting Started
Establishing a baseline for students and enabling them to chart personal and professional aspirations.

Professional Development
Linked to post-graduation careers and success.

People Leadership
Expanding students’ foundational skills into managerial and leadership roles beyond academia.

Kudos
Centered around recognition, encouraging community interaction and gratitude within the community.

Connect
Facilitating mentorship connections with alumni and industry professionals through networking tools.

2. SCAFFOLDED ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS

Another key driver is applying scaffolded achievement levels, from Navy to Gold, guiding students through their co-curricular journey.

Each of the four levels unlocks new tracks and opportunities, motivating students to explore and excel across various domains.

The progression through the levels is scaffolded, with students advancing to the next tier as they earn a specific number of points.

Each track is allotted 10 points so that the Woodruff School can gauge students' overall co-curricular experience on a scale of 1 to 100 by the time students graduate. This structured approach prevents information overload and mirrors the student journey from orientation through to graduation, allowing each level to build upon the previous.

For example, at the Navy level, users start with access to two tracks: Start and Kudos. After reaching 10 points, they unlock the Bronze level, granting access to the Impact, Intentionality, and Interaction tracks. The Silver level opens up at 35 points, offering the Insight, Innovation, and Connection tracks.

Users achieve Gold status at 70 points, gaining access to all ten tracks, including People Leadership and Professional Development. A Platinum level will be introduced for top achievers earning over 90 points, unlocking exclusive incentives via CampusGroups.

Ultimately, what motivates students is getting that dream job. Therefore, the focus is also on aligning the co-curricular experience with what employers want. The ability to capture this experience effectively through achievement badges and a co-curricular transcript that students can use for internship or employment opportunities is a significant incentive. While Woodruff Connect is being launched, there will also be incentives to encourage student participation through a communication challenge in the CampusGroups platform.