Vector’s New RespectEdu Suite Empowers Colleges to Address Sexual and Relationship Violence

Sexual and relationship violence is a pressing concern on college campuses because of its prevalence and the negative impact it can have on students’ physical and mental well-being and their academics. When higher education institutions provide strong prevention programs, it can help reduce incidents of sexual assault, improve students’ access to resources, and create a safer campus.

Vector Solutions is a leader in supporting this work. Its Sexual Assault Prevention for Undergraduates (SAPU) course, launched in 2016, aims to raise awareness and prevent sexual violence on campuses. The course helps institutions comply with evolving federal legislation requirements, including Title IX and the Clery Act, and provides research-based strategies for prevention and education.

Over the past decade, there have been societal, technological, and policy shifts around sexual assault prevention programming. There is now a greater emphasis on survivor empowerment and voice, bystander intervention, and the use of technology for communication and education.

To address these shifts and meet the needs of today’s students, Vector Solutions has overhauled its sexual assault prevention course library, raising the bar for sexual and relationship violence prevention education nationwide.

Introducing RespectEdu

Vector’s sexual assault prevention suite of courses for students is now RespectEdu. It includes impactful, dynamic online courses based on the Sexual Citizens framework. The reimagined courses, rebuilt from the ground up, take a holistic view to help students understand what healthy relationships look like and teach the skills needed to navigate the campus environment.

Each course was written to be specific to its audience in terms of the tone and scenarios. For example, RespectEdu for Graduate Students focuses on the struggles of socializing as a graduate student, whereas RespectEdu for Modern Learners emphasizes instruction about relationship violence and family dynamics.

Enhanced Features

RespectEdu includes dynamic content and features designed to have a greater impact on students and equip them for today’s campus environment. Features include:

• Strategies and life skills. In addition to sexual assault prevention content, RespectEdu teaches topics and strategies to support students in navigating college life, such as relationship education, healthy communication, consent, personal empowerment, mental health awareness, risk reduction, and exploration and definition of values.
• Adaptive pathways. RespectEdu has customized pathways that are based on the choices of the learner taking the course. For instance – one pathway is tailored to sexual assault survivors. There is also a pathway for those who may have caused harm, and one for bystanders. The content in each pathway adapts based on students’ choices as they progress through the course.
• Compelling scenarios. RespectEdu provides enhanced engagement features, including robust, authentic scenarios, video interviews, opportunities for reflection exercises, and peer discussion prompts.
• Resources. RespectEdu emphasizes resources and support, so students know how to get help. Topics include reporting procedures, mental health resources, crisis hotlines, and more.

Customization For Specific Student Groups

Students often have different viewpoints and experiences related to sexual assault prevention, depending on where they are in their higher education journey. Therefore, RespectEdu’s courses are tailored to different audiences. Student courses include:

• RespectEdu For College Students. By the time students graduate from high school and enter college as young adults, they have vastly different understandings and perspectives about sex and healthy relationships, depending on what they were taught. In this course, college students learn how to navigate relationships and sexual interactions in a healthy and informed way. Topics include defining consent, avoiding assumptions, managing rejection, being a good bystander, seeking support and resources, and more.
• RespectEdu for Community Colleges. Starting classes at community college can be an exciting transition, but it may also create new stressors as we navigate sex and relationships. This foundational course provides students with a brief overview of how to create healthy and informed sexual relationships. Topics Include: checking-in with sexual partners, defining consent and avoiding assumptions about sexual interactions, managing rejection, bystander intervention, and how to support friends who’ve experienced sexual harm and access campus resources.
• RespectEdu For Graduate Students. This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of how to navigate healthy relationships and interactions while in graduate school. Topics include healthy boundaries, interpersonal dynamics between colleagues, students, and advisors, healthy sexual interactions and relationships, consent, rejections, bystander intervention, and more.
• RespectEdu for Modern Learners. This course is designed for students who fall outside of the traditional 18-22-year-old age range and who may also be attending evening or online classes. The course goes beyond typical sexual assault prevention training, addressing real-world scenarios that will resonate with non-traditional students. It provides students with an overview of four social skills that are vital in all relationships: awareness, empathy, accountability, and communication, as well as how to recognize warning signs of unhealthy relationship dynamics and identify practical strategies for establishing consent and boundaries in sexual relationships. Students will also learn how to support themselves and others, access available resources, and contribute to a safer, more respectful community.
• RespectEdu For Athletes. Varsity athletic teams have the highest incidence of hazing among student groups, and athletes are more than twice as likely to be sexually assaulted by someone in a position of power on campus. This course takes a proactive approach to prevention by empowering athletes with a social toolkit of core concepts they can use in any social interaction, from recognizing consent to effective bystander intervention. Engaging scenarios throughout the course demonstrate how these concepts enable athletes to recognize and maintain healthy relationships.

In addition to the courses listed above, Vector Solutions is introducing RespectEdu Foundations courses. These courses streamline the learning experience by reducing extended discussion sections and supplementary materials while maintaining core learning objectives, giving institutions more flexibility with their training options.

• RespectEdu Foundations for College
• RespectEdu Foundations for Community College Students
• RespectEdu Foundations for Graduate Students
• RespectEdu Foundations for Modern Learners

Courses For Staff

RespectEdu also includes courses to help staff members navigate sexual assault prevention and compliance:

• RespectEdu For Athletic Staff. This course empowers athletic staff to take a proactive approach to preventing sexual assault and hazing. An engaging and relevant story interwoven throughout the course illustrates the conditions that can lead to abuse and demonstrates Title IX reporting responsibilities, resources, and support.

The college experience of today’s students is different than that of students 10 years ago. Higher education institutions must take a more nuanced approach to prevention in order to have a lasting impact. When it comes to preventing sexual and relationship violence on a college campus, providing customized online training that engages students, teaches life skills, and is relevant to their unique experiences and viewpoints will help make a lasting impact. Vector’s RespectEdu course library enables colleges and universities to support the unique needs of today’s students and create safe and healthy campus environments.