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Megan
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Uncategorized — 16 Comments
16
Sep 10

The First Year Experience Curriculum

Although the vast majority of first-year students are using Facebook and Myspace, and spending a great deal of time on the web, many still aren’t familiar with the web tools that are most conducive to enhancing their education. Helping students develop positive digital identities sets them up for success in an increasingly digital age – after all, Google is the new resume.

Our First Year Experience Curriculum is a web technology curriculum plug-in for instructors. Use it “as is,” or scale it up/down to fit into your FYE seminar.

We’ve split the curriculum up into three themes: 1) Digital Identity, 2) Networking, and 3) Contributing. Within each theme, there’s a lesson plan component that can either stand alone as the lesson plan for any given seminar meeting, or as part of a larger lesson plan. In some cases, there is more than one component in a theme for you to use however you prefer. You’ll also notice extra exercises and at-home assignments.

Goals:

1. Provide a comprehensive technology component to FYE seminar instructors for adoption into the course.

2. Provide students the know-how to best use available technology to supplement their in-class and out-of-class college learning experience.

3. Enable students to begin developing the digital identities that they will have throughout college and beyond.

Learning Outcomes:

Students who complete a FYE seminar that incorporates this tech curriculum module will:

1. Create a positive digital identity and understand the advantages and potential dangers of having a public identity.

2. Learn how to network effectively online and translate that to on campus interaction (to connect to people, support and opportunities).

3. Understand how to seek out resources and information online and how to make responsible and meaningful contributions to information on the web.
The FYE Technology Curriculum was developed by Scott Silverman, Tania (Dudina) Luna, and Red Rover.

Sandi
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Uncategorized — 19 Comments
16
Apr 10

In Virginia, We Are All Hokies Today (4/16/07)…What Has Transpired Since The Largest College Massacre In Our Nation’s History

Since the Virginia Tech tragedy, 3 years ago today, all Virginia Higher Educational Institutions must convene a Violence Prevention Committee to find ways to prevent another ‘VA Tech’ at their campuses. This is mandatory via legislation after the Va Tech tragedy.  What does this mean?  With huge budget cuts and increased enrollment, higher ed professionals in Student Services must find a way to protect their students from this kind of tragedy.

A simple email to me last summer from my program lead, asked me to create a program that addressed ‘threat assessment management’ with my students. My first question was, can we call it something else? My next thought was how do I fund this and make it something students will attend.  Luckily, I have a great network of community professionals that were ready and eager to take time from their busy schedules and help the community college students that we all serve. I called in my network and got a program together called “Wellness, Life’s Hard We’re There”. This program consisted of guest speakers to address topics such as: The Connectedness of Everything, Campus Safety, Suicide Prevention, Healthy Relationships, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness. I also, applied for a mini-grant and was approved for extra funding. I also asked my current students and college alum to be available for any students who need to talk about problems, knowing that this generation is more peer related than any other generation.  I put together a brochure with local help hotlines and the peer’s information for students. This program was immensely popular and to my surprise found more students interested in becoming a mentor than ones who declared they needed help. I will never know how many individuals this program touched but I do know that this is  the first of its kind in the Virginia Community College System that this simple program may lead to a new community ‘Wellness Initiative’ that brings local businesses and community leaders in to help students in the future and I am excited about this new endeavor. Stay tuned for how this comes together.

So out of tragedy, comes something positive.

Mike
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Uncategorized — 13 Comments
16
Mar 10

Hall Government Programs

I would like to talk about Residence Hall Government and how it helps to further First Year development.   Residence Hall Government groups are known by many names on campuses around the country such as, RHA, RHC, IRHA, RSA, RSO, IRHC and many more.   A common structure is one where hall government programs work on a campus level and with individual in-hall councils.  Hall Governments have the opportunity to work with a regional/national organization called NACURH, Inc or the National Association of College and University Residence Halls.  NACURH is an organization very similar to ACUHO-I.  NACURH is also split into 8 regions that cover the US, Mexico, and Canada.

Now how does this relate to first year experience?  I think that hall councils have the ability to be huge leadership growth tool for first year students.  The hall councils I have worked with work with students within a hall being elected to exec board and representative positions within the first couple weeks of the school year.  In a first year building this means that students are taking on this role in the first couple weeks of college.  What other organizations on a college campus recruits students to be leaders so early?  Add in the fact that the hall government programs can implement leadership and position training early on, with ongoing training throughout the year, you have the potential to see very well developed student leaders by the end of the first semester.

On my current campus we have a 65% first year population, and 5 buildings that have first year students with a hall council in each. The campus hall government body has 2 retreats a year (they call them advancements) and have a leadership topic presentation each week at their general body meetings.  We have 850 first year students on campus and 70 of them participate actively in hall council.  We do see some drop off as the year goes on and we do have some students that participate out of popularity, however overall we have had a great success with the program here in its first four years.

Some benefits we have seen from our first year hall council groups;

  • Increase in number of first year RA applicants
  • Increase in programming initiatives in residence halls
  • Increase in hall pride
  • Increase in suggested improvements from residential  students
  • Decrease in residence hall damage
  • Leaders branching out to participate in other campus organizations

Creating a residence hall government program can be beneficial in the creation of a successful first year residential experience program.  The key is getting student buy in.  My suggestion is to try to get your students to attend a regional or state conference.  Check out this link to find your regional information.  If that is not possible to attend a conference, connect with some advisors that are out there.  I am willing to help you or put you in contact with advisors that I know that have worked with starting a hall government program.   There are also some guidebooks here that may help in your creation journey.

I would love to hear your expereniences with Hall Government.

Please get in touch if you have any thoughts or questions!

Joan
Original post
Uncategorized / fyechat — 26 Comments
9
Mar 10

conferencing…

I am here at the NASPA2010 annual conference in the great city of Chicago. While the weather has left something to be desired, the conference so far has been great.  I spent some time exploring Universal Design principles, thought critically about how my institution engages commuter and adult students and listened to a fantastic group of educators explain how they expanded their common reading program into a full fledged experience.  The most thought provoking part of my day was the keynote speech with Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State under George W. Bush.   I confess I arrived at the session ambivalent and not really sure what to expect.  To my surprise, she was funny, relevant and engaging.  Dr. Rice shared personal stories about higher education based on her experiences as a student, professor and provost.   She told poignant stories about a crisis of confidence that caused her to change her major, the value of education in her family and her father’s legacy as a student affairs professional.

As intellectually stimulating as this day was, my key take away from the day had nothing to do with the sessions I attended.  For some reason, as I was making my way to the 8:30 AM session with Dr. Rice, I found the conference venue incredibly difficult to navigate. I felt like I was surrounded by people I did not know, who all seemed to know each other.   I felt stressed that if I didn’t arrive on time, I would be embarrassed to walk in late to the session.  I got annoyed that there weren’t very good signs pointing the way.  I almost gave up trying to find the session.

As I was on the verge of retreating back to my hotel room, I realized this was the first time in years I had been immersed in something completely foreign and new.  If you were at the conference you might have seen the light bulb go on over my head as I stood there with a dumbfounded look on my face.  That was me blocking the escalator (sorry!). I was viscerally  experiencing some of the feelings that my first year students experience on their first days on campus.  Don’t get me wrong, I try new things, especially technological things, in my job all the time.  I try new food, new restaurants, new work outs and new routes to work.  However, all of those things have an element of familiarity to them.  This was different as I was completely encompassed, completely in this new, foreign experience.   I may start a new project at work, but I am comfortable in my job.  I may try a new restaurant, but with old friends.  Very rarely am I in a new environment surrounded by unfamiliar faces trying to find my way.

As I literally struggled to find my way  through the conference, I pledged to remember this feeling as I work through the craziness that is August in Student Affairs.  I also decided to make sure I get completely immersed in something new and foreign every once in awhile.  It is a powerful reminder of the experience of our new students