Giving Thanks

Thank you for the invitation to participate in the Challenge – I’ve always enjoyed reading the posts of the instructors who have done this over the years!  The opportunity to reflect on what we do, share experiences, and see what others do is a true gift.  Many times we are so focused on our own jobs that we don’t get that opportunity to look up and see the amazing stuff being done by our colleagues.  That self-reflection time is also very important to me – it gives me new ideas or gets me thinking in new ways.  

I hope I’ve been able to add a little different perspective to the Challenge, coming from the advising standpoint and overhearing the conversations in my little corner of the Learning Center.  My favorite posts are when folks share other resources, or how they have used certain techniques or tools…I also enjoy seeing all the different disciplines represented.  Yes, it is also reaffirming to see the level of professionalism and commitment to the craft of education…an inspiration!

I’ll take the rest of this last post to tell you a little about our SSS Canvas site, because I just learned from one of my advising colleagues that she had no idea that we had ever had a Blackboard, much less a Canvas site…so I figured maybe others don’t know either.  The SSS TRIO program is a federal program that offers extra services to 300 YC students that meet eligibility requirements.  Our goals are retention, graduation and transfer, but more importantly: student success.  Nationally, we test drive new approaches, strategies and techniques to help students.  So, when we dove into Blackboard many years ago, that was a ‘new thing.’  We offered students a 24/7 place to find some answers to questions they had, resources they needed, or online workshops on a variety of topics from “how to write a scholarship letter” to “how to study for a test.”

With the Canvas training, we were advised to streamline and rethink our purpose and methods.  We did more streamlining and have used the Canvas experiment to test-drive where are students want us to place our time and effort.  Here’s a few things I’ve learned that might be relevant to others: Most students seem to like a reminder of deadlines and where to locate assignments/resources/etc.  Some students will forget no matter what you do, don’t take it personally.  Students do juggle a lot of classes and responsibilities, and sometimes they forget that we do also – I try to remember that when I get a snarky or demanding e-mail.  Overall, I like the cleaner look of the Canvas site – it may be fewer resources there on our site, but those that are there are easier to find for the students.

Lastly, here are a few odd tidbits I’ve learned: A lot of students overcome amazing odds just to be here, to try and improve their employment outlook or their understanding of their world (hopefully both happen!)  Some students are stuck in victim-mode; sometimes I can work with them on this, and sometimes I can’t.  It takes a lot of courage for students to ask a question, so even if they have asked the same question several times, I try really hard to answer it like it is the first time.  So, thank you Todd, for always trying to answer my questions like it’s the first time you’ve heard it and for encouraging such great exchanges!  :)