Convocation will be completely replaced next semester with a new, but familiar system: the WELL Core.
Starting in January, students will be introduced to the WELL Core, which will function as a slightly altered take on Belmont’s current convocation program.
Students will still have to earn 10 hours of engagement with events in six different categories — but the categories will be retooled, and the program is launching with a new digital platform in mind.
Each new category corresponds to some aspect of individual well-being: intellectual, occupational/financial, cultural, spiritual, interpersonal/emotional/physical and community well-being through service.
More than a rebrand, this represents a change in ethos for the program, but it shouldn’t disrupt students’ experiences, said Dr. Noel Boyle, director of general education.
“So the current convocation program, which everyone’s familiar with, it’s beyond difficult to describe what those six categories are all part of,” Boyle said.
Each of the new categories will correspond to one of the old ones, and all current credits that students have acquired will be honored in the new system.
And while students will still have to earn 60 credits overall, credits will now be counted by the hour instead of by the event — for example, a four-hour WELL Core event will now provide four credits in its category instead of one.
The new WELL Core system will come with an app, and as a result, students will no longer use their BUIDs to scan into events.
Students will download the app for WELL Core events that will assign them a unique QR code, which they will use to scan into events. The app will also give students a place to track their progress within the system, said Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Phil Johnston.
The app should feel familiar to students, but faster, Johnston said.
“It really won’t appear to be any different than what you’ve looked at now for the old system,” he said. “It will just be through this technology.”
While information will be coming to students before the end of the year, the exact details of WELL Core will be “really heavily communicated” to students when they first return for the spring semester, Boyle said.
Boyle is looking forward to the reaction from students and hopes for a seamless launch, he said.
“I think existing students will get a better sense of why we’ve had convocation all along.”
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Photo courtesy of Belmont Office of Communications.