Mosaic Helps Students Seize Life Beyond the Classroom

Criminal justice major Hannah Purcell didn’t realize just how much she’d accomplished in her first two years at UMass Lowell until she started building her Mosaic.

“I played an intramural sport for one semester that I kind of forgot about, and then I realized, ‘Wow, I actually did do that,’” says Purcell, a senior from Ashby, Massachusetts.

So Purcell made “Join an Intramural Sport” one of her 20 experiences (and counting) on Mosaic, UMass Lowell’s new web application that helps students discover experiences and resources outside of the classroom. Students can then use Mosaic as a digital résumé to showcase their achievements for future employers or grad schools.

“It's a great way for students to see what they could do and what they've already done,” says Purcell, who has become captain of the women’s 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.

They can select an experience, such as “Explore Research Activities” or “Become a Peer Tutor,” to learn more about it, see related experiences and set it as a goal. Once they’ve 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 “unique to you and your interests.”

“Think of it like a professional Pinterest board,” said McCauley, a senior criminal justice major from Melrose, Massachusetts. “When it’s time to job hunt, Mosaic will help show off your college journey. It will translate experiences into a résumé. Employers will have a complete picture of who you are and what you’ve done in your time here.”

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

“People might not know about them or might be too scared to ask, so it’s another window into these supports,” she says. “The achievements touch upon every department that we have here, which is vital because you can click into it and learn more about it.”

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 résumé and wants to highlight a relevant skill.

“Having this all in one place is helpful. You can quickly tap into those keywords,” she says.

Under the leadership of the Provost’s 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’s larger Mosaic project, led by the Division of Academic and Student Affairs in collaboration with Information Technology’s 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.

“The university will be able to use data obtained through Mosaic to help students get more engaged and find success,” Hartman says.

As Purcell begins her senior year, one of the experiences she hopes to add to her Mosaic is “Academic Internship.” She plans to continue at UMass Lowell for a master’s degree in education, and she knows that a robust Mosaic will complement her academic transcript.

“It's great to look back after the four years and show how much you've grown overall,” she says.