Aug 20
Kevin at MistakenGoal has a great post about the Beloit College Mindset list for the incoming class of 2014. He points out the growing numbers of nontraditional and part-time students that are reshaping our campuses, but more importantly he talks about the assumptions we make about students.
Thanks Kevin!
ProfHacker recently posted a question about essential technology skills for incoming students. Within the article and the responses there are several “essential” technology skills. I don’t disagree with any of the skills listed.
However, I think there is one essential skill that was left off the list. What I would most like incoming students to know about technology is where to find help. I’m not referring to just a friend that can walk them through something, but help in actually understanding and using technology as a tool.
It is important for students to be able to access and understand the help function of the software they are using. How to find help via the search function and the index, and how to interpret and follow the guides provided.
How to Google for help, and how to determine what is quality help when looking at the results.
How to find help on campus and the benefits of taking a basic computer course. I find the assumption that all (or most) ”millennial” students know how to use technology frustrating. Sure, students know how to text and access the internet, social media, email, and possibly a few Office programs. But knowing how to use technology doesn’t always equate to knowing how to use it as a tool. Email is a prime example. I have many students, but not all, who are familiar with using email, however, I am often frustrated when I receive emails from students because they are a) written in “text” speak b) have no signature c) do not have a clear subject line and d) are not sent from school accounts as it states in the syllabus (and several other places).
So the essential skill, for me, is the ability to learn proper technology use via a variety of sources. Then we can move on to information literacy!
I may not be as witty or creative as Dr. Chang, but I hope to help you untangle your summer with a tip on quarantining yourself to become a more efficient stellar student! Summer courses are fast, condensed, and a great way to stay on track as you work toward your goals. Even if you aren’t taking summer courses the season will speed by with a list of projects, fun, and other responsibilities. So I’m taking some time to pass along a few great tips from, you guessed it, Cal Newport and his post “Monday Master Class: The Quarantine Method for Producing Better Work in Less Total Hours“.
If you’ve had an FYE course with me you’ve heard that the location and surroundings you study in are very important to how effective and efficiently you study, as is the time of day you choose to study. To achieve great results relatively painlessly you need to take these two factors into consideration. Keep track of your mood, energy level, and ability to focus every day for a week. Use this to decide on an optimal study time. Keep in mind that you may be most effective at 8:00 in the morning or 8:00 at night but it might be more convenient to study at 4:00 in the afternoon. If you want to study for longer hours and retain less then you can choose the 4:00 study time. Or you can adjust your schedule to free-up the hours where you are most effective and cut back on the amount of overall hours you study.
Choose the tools and setting that make you feel inspired and help you focus. For me this means a clear desk or table and my favorite pens and Roll-a-bind notebooks. I also like to study in open spaces with as much quiet as possible. A comfortable cafe or bookstore are sometimes the best places for me. I feel the constraints of actually being busy because the people around me assume I’m busy! So I will turn off my phone, block any unnecessary computer applications, and “quarantine” myself during my most productive hours of the day. Freeing-up hours by being totally focused on the task at hand.
So “untangle” a busy summer and let me know how it is going!
Stay productive and wear your sunscreen!
J
Some great information here from the American Association of Community Colleges.
8 Tips on Going Back to School – The Best Life usnews.com
So how can we assist our students in working their way through these tips?
Mar 28
Returning from ACPA in Boston has been an adjustment. It is hard to believe that less than a week with fellow professionals can be life changing, but it happened. It wasn’t the big conversations. As with many of the life changing moments I’ve experienced it was small conversations and I would imagine the people with the most impact don’t even realize the effect they had. I hope to be able to tell them all at some point.
So one of the thoughts I’ve been struggling with since my return is finding my knowledge niche. Of course you all know it will have something to do with nontraditional students! I am passionate about serving Student Veterans, Students who are Parents, and various other sub-groups of our nontraditional student population. So how could I choose?
Last night I finally got around to rereading “Higher education journals discourse about adult undergraduate students” as well as reading “Changing the odds: Informing policy with research on how adult learners succeed”. A wealth of information that is slowly helping me narrow down where I want to focus.
Donaldson and Townsend (2007) did a study of refereed higher education journals from 1990-2003 and found only 1.27% of the articles published addressed the adult student population. This is astounding considering that the adult student population from 1999-2000 was 43% of all undergraduate students. In the article they noted that only three of the articles touched on professional development for instructors working with adult learners. (I would imagine even less for student affairs professionals working with adult learners.)
“Changing the odds” also has a section on professional development for practitioners in the adult education field and it is the first paragraph that has me thinking.
The ability to implement innovations and improve program quality is profoundly dependent on
a well planned and funded professional development system for adult educators – a resource
that is sorely lacking in adult education. The lack of a full-time workforce infrastructure with
a steady professional development delivery mechanism hampers innovation and continuous
program improvement. It is difficult for programs and providers of technical assistance and
professional development to roll out and build upon initiatives, disseminate best practice and
research findings, and connect student outcomes to teacher performance.
Perhaps this is my path. By becoming someone who focuses on the professional development of those working with nontraditional students I can fill a gap while still challenging myself to remain up to date on a variety of content areas. I have always been passionate about professional development, sharing knowledge, and fostering communities of knowledge. My strengths are in the areas of communication and information, and my style lends itself more to the administrative side of student affairs and learning than to the student contact side. (Although I do love that as well!)
A note about the difference between a nontraditional student and an adult student. As defined by the National Center for Education Statistics a nontraditional student meets one or more of the following criteria:
The more of the criteria the student meets the more nontraditional he or she becomes.
An adult student as defined by Donaldson and Townsend (2007) is one over the age of 24.
I prefer the term nontraditional student because it encompasses more of the student population and its characteristics than the term adult student.
So I have a lot to think about it. I hope you will keep coming back to read more as I process my way through this turn of events.
J
March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, National Red Cross Month, and Dr. Suess’ Birthday; all great things that happen in March! Plus we reach the middle of the Spring Semester. Don’t panic! Sure, there are mid-terms to be aced, but I’ve put together some great tips!
Oh the Mid-terms You’ll Ace (inspired by Dr. Suess’ “Oh the Places You’ll Go”)
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to take Midterms!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have supplies in your pack.
You can ace any ol’ test you attack.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU’ll be the one who’ll decide to ace bio.
You’ll look up and down questions. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I wish this exam weren’t all essay.” With your head full of brains and your flashcards on hand, you’re too smart to jot down an answer that’s bland.
And you may not find any you’ll answer with ease. In that case, of course, you’ll take a deep breath and consider the keys. It’s easier then, when you calm your unease.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your midterms are waiting.
So…get on your way!
I’ve attached some helpful hints for dealing with test anxiety. Please be sure to contact me if you have any specific concerns about mid-terms, summer and fall registration, or would just like to talk!
J
Jan 13
I occasionally lament that I do not blog anonymously (like Dean Dad, I love him) so I am not able to share some of the day-to-day situations I encounter with students or coworkers. But something I can share are my communications to students. I try to send one brief email per month to my caseload. Our semester started last week and the students I advise received the following email.
How to Ace the Spring 2010 Semester
Based on the Study Hacks blog and “How to become a straight – A student” by Cal Newport
I always love the start of a new semester. It is a clean slate and another opportunity to put my best foot forward. I’m looking forward to working with you during this semester to make the most out of your academics and activities here at Owens Community College. I’ve compiled a few helpful hints from two of my favorite sources. In this email you will find two ways to help you make the Spring 2010 semester your best ever!
No way a Pen and Paper can make you a star student? Sure they can, if you know how to use these powerful tools to your advantage! Using a these tools can help you focus your thoughts, avoid distractions such as email and Facebook, and promotes critical and creative thinking.
Hocus-Pocus-FOCUS! One of the most important skills for students is the ability to focus. I’m not talking for 10 or 20 minutes during a lecture. I’m talking about hard focus, to push past the desire to check Facebook for ‘just two minutes’, or to leave your email running in the background and your cell phone on. Hard focus does not need to be a natural talent. It is possible train your ‘focus muscle’ (that would be your brain).
I’m looking forward to meeting with you in January to see how these ‘Study Hacks’ are helping you reach your academic goals! Please call the office at your earliest convenience to schedule our first meeting of the semester!
Focus, have fun, and do good work!
J
So far, what little feedback I have received has been positive! Yeah!!
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/caitlinator/ / CC BY 2.0