The Student Affairs Blog

Got Game?

At the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, I was excited to attend a session with Loriann Irving, of Kutztown University. Loriann has built a creative portfolio of exercises for use in her first-year seminar course that she changes up to appeal to the different learning styles of students in her first-year seminar. Thinking along the lines of Scene It or Cranium, games with a variety of tasks, you have many options for interactive learning in your next course.

Sharing Props: Seek a volunteer from the class and invite them to reach into a pre-assembled basket of "props" and select an item. Gather your props ahead of time, looking for random items that could have potential beyond their intended use. Examples could be a chip clip, kitchen sponge, nametag lanyard, pocket pencil protector, mousepad...you get the idea, whatever may be around your home or office. Ask the student volunteer to share uses for the selected item. Following the prop suggestions, discuss with students that different uses for the props allow us to see things through different lenses. Just as perception of material in a class can differ from student to student, we learn and visualize in contrasting methods. This is a great introduction to learning styles and useful for students early in the transition to college.

Can You Hear Me Now: For a lesson that appeals to auditory learners, identify 4-5 audio clips from inspirational speeches or movies and play them for the class. Loriann shared clips from a Martin Luther King speech, Mr. Holland's Opus, and The Pursuit of Happyness in her presentation.  Following each clip, ask students to individually identify who was speaking and how it could be motivational or inspirational for them in their quest for a college degree. As you ask students to share their responses, link to educational goals and aspirations and what students hope to achieve.

Visualize This: Any PowerPoint presentation is helpful for vision-based learners, but making it interactive is the challenge. Loriann uiltized basic Photoshop techniques to distort common images related to the first college year. Creating distorted filter overlays that are slowly peeled back to reveal an alarm clock, student planner, wall calendar, and student ID card can be fun ways to introduce time management and responsibility. 

Can't Touch This: Using Scrabble tiles or paper letter squares to create word scrambles is a tactile game for engaging students in group problem solving. Distribute letter tiles that create words related to the first-year of college. Examples would be "dreams', "calendar", "organize", "grade point", "homework". Invite groups to share the importance of their word when the letters are unscrambled.

Interactive learning in the first-year seminar keeps students engaged and builds community. Another fun Loriann Irving classroom idea can be found here. 

What's your game?

Gone FISHing!

We just completed the first of four half-day mini retreats for our peer leaders. These students will be facilitating our first-year seminar course in the fall and they spend this semester building team relationships and studying student development in preparation for their work. A favorite concept that we utilize is the FISH! Philosophy. We introduce the unit early and refer back to it throughout the year. FISH! includes four simple interconnected practices that are easy to remember and fun for activity transitions.

Be There is being emotionally present for others. It's the idea that respect and engagement improves communication and strengthens relationships. For our peer leaders, this means setting personal issues aside so that they may focus on issues and challenges facing their students whenever needed.

Play emphasizes that being creative and enthusiastic, whatever the job before you, can make work and tasks more enjoyable. Our first-year seminar focuses on college transition and exposure to campus resources. We encourage peer leaders to try new instructional methods and not be afraid to step outside the box or the classroom. Play-doh, crayons, and an occasional set of Guitar Hero all have potential for Play application.

Make Their Day is about finding simple ways to serve those around you in a way that is memorable and has meaning. It's about contributions and service to others, without expectation that it will be returned. Peer Leaders are encouraged to learn student names right away to help ease early transition. Many leaders bring class treats or host surprise field trips to the ice cream shop.

Choose Your Attitude is about taking responsibility for whatever your day or life brings to you. It's about how your demeanor and mood impacts others around you. Does your attitude help people around you? Grumpy moods contribute little to our program goals. We focus on accepting life's obstacles, then getting on with the day. This concept is particularly handy in our 8:00 a.m. class.

We borrow the FISH! video from the campus resource library and purchase supplemental materials when needed. FISH! is a simple, fun method for generating a service philosophy with new student leaders and is great practice for our staff as well.

Create your Cover Story!

In need of a fun, interactive "getting to know you" icebreaker or class energizer? Barbara Nixon offers this gem for getting to know a new group of students: create a magazine cover! Nixon, an assistant professor at Georgia Southern, utilizes her blog to share assignments in her Public Relations courses. She shares a virtual file cabinet of creative ideas for integrating social media into the classroom which are applicable in a variety of student development arenas.

I am considering using the magazine concept to introduce our peer leaders to new first-year students in the fall, or as a catchy promotional piece for our new scholarship students. I may also use this in our next staff development. 

What's your cover story?

Social Network Identity 101: Lesson Plan

Updating a presentation on social networks for my first-year seminar is my focus this week.  In past years, Facebook has been the primary topic and I have posted about it here. This year I will add a top-10 list of online identity considerations from technology/online media guru Chris Pirillo.

1.   It goes on your permanent record. Forever.
2.   Be mindful of your privacy.
3.   Don't trust implicitly.
4.   Own what you do.
5.   Engage. Leave comments.
6.   Be respectful, be respectable, and be respected.
7.   Be yourself.
8.   Watch out for flame wars and name calling.
9.   Learn how to communicate.
10. Remember that your future employer, spouse, and neighbors are all watching.

Do you discuss Social Network Identity with your students?

Violating the Prime Directive

I violated the Prime Directive today. You know the one. It states there can be no interference with the internal affairs of other civilizations. It also applies to students.

A student leader in my employ sought feedback regarding a situation he was facing. Portions of the situation appeared to be borderline campus legal issues. I pointed out some specific areas where I was concerned and discussed possible actions. But I didn't stop there. Just like a helicopter parent, I went into combat mode and made a phone call to one of the parties involved. All before my student had a chance to respond and address the issue. Long story short, although the situation is resolved, I overstepped my boundaries. More like a giant leap.

Star Fleet personnel are not allowed to interfere with the healthy development of alien life and culture. Our role in student affairs is the same: to enable and educate, not intervene or intrude. Except if the intrusion is required for the health or welfare of students.

I quashed a teachable moment by making decisions and not facilitating them. But fortunately, my student turned it into a teachable moment...for me.

At times you seem quite human, Mr. Spock.
Captain, I don't think that insults are within your prerogative as my commanding officer.

MBTI: Type in Student Development

As I prepare for my student leader retreat next month, I appreciate utilizing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) for program development.  As a Type practitioner, I have long used the MBTI to facilitate the transition to college in my first-year seminar.  I reintroduce Type in my leadership courses for comprehension of differences and strengths development.

Understanding new methods of instruction in the college or university can be challenging for any new student and is especially so for my students from small, rural high schools.  Type assessment in the first-year seminar helps students understand their preferences for learning and methods that will enhance individual learning.  Reviewing the principles of Type for my student leaders promotes understanding of diversity and differing work styles.  These skills become important as they engage in event planning and classroom activities for different learners.

Breanne Potter describes one of my favorite MBTI activities, the Living Type Table (LTT).  The LTT is a great practical exercise that gets students on their feet while demonstrating that learning and work style differences are real.  The activity shows that Type is systematic by sorting participants based on responses to Type specific questions.  For example:

When learning something new, do you like to:  Talk out your thoughts?  -OR-  Keep your thoughts inside?

When learning something new, do your prefer:  Solid facts? -OR- Intriguing Concepts?

Building the grid and moving into the 16 areas of the LTT is a fun activity that helps students define personal preferences in work and learning styles.  Check with your Human Resources office to partner with a trained MBTI facilitator on your campus or seek a referral from the Association for Psychological Type.

Developing Learning Outcomes in Student Affairs

Student learning outcomes are truly the first step in intentional programming.  Yogi Berra said it best:  "If you don't know where you're going, you'll wind up some where else."  Student learning outcomes help you to know where you're going.

Whether you're embracing Learning Reconsidered or following the CAS standards (Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education), you'll find learning outcomes to be a valuable road map.  It's a simple matter to develop them for your programs.  Here are some basic guidelines.

First, remember your ABC's and sometimes D.  That stands for "Audience," "Behavior," "Condition," and "Degree."  These are the four components of a learning outcome.  In their simplest form, they go together like this: "Condition-Audience-Behavior-Degree." 

Here's an example.  "After seeing the film 'Snow White' (the condition), the students (audience) will be able to name (behavior) five of the seven dwarfs (degree)."

Note that "degree" isn't always necessary, and a perfectly fine learning outcome could be:   "After seeing 'Snow White' (the condition), the students (audience) will be able to name the seven dwarfs (behavior)."  Degree just gives you some wiggle room regarding the level of learning that you expect to occur.

That's pretty straightforward.  Of course, nothing is truly easy, or at least we all seem to believe that.  So keep these ideas in mind while you're developing your learning outcomes.

1.  Start small.  Don't try to develop learning outcomes for your entire schedule of events at once.  Select one or two to begin with, preferably reoccurring traditional events.  That way you can use the learning outcome every year.

2.  Make a list of what students should know or be able to do or demonstrate after a specific program.  Turn that list into learning outcomes.

3.  Don't over think. Learning outcomes can be basic, like the "Snow White" example.

4.  Keep them assessable.  Don't use behaviors like "will understand"  or "will appreciate"  because they are too difficult to assess.  Use behaviors like "will identify"  or "can list" because that is a behavior you can assess.

5.  Finally, relate your learning outcomes to the larger objectives and outcomes you are seeking.  Whether it's Learning Reconsidered's Seven Student Outcomes, the CAS Standards , or your own campus' goals and objectives, make sure your outcomes are in line.

The University of Rhode Island has some exceptional materials to assist in developing Student Learning Outcomes.  "Student Learning Outcomes 101" and "Student Learning Outcomes 201"  contain all the basics, and can really jump start your writing. 

Did You Know? The Viral Video on Education by Karl Fisch

The Did You Know? video originally started out as a PowerPoint presentation by Karl Fisch for a faculty meeting in August 2006 at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, United States. The presentation "went viral" on the Web in February 2007 and, as of June 2007, had been seen by at least 5 million online viewers. Today the old and new versions of the online presentation have been seen by at least 10 million people, not including the countless others who saw it at conferences, workshops, training institutes, and other venues.

Here is another variation of the video I created by adding a different style of background music:



Some of the data is already outdated such as Myspace now has over 200 million users (as of Sept 2007) and would be the 5th largest nation in the world between Indonesia and Brazil. This just shows the exponential growth of technology.

If you want to dig deeper, here's a link to all the sources in the video. Also here are two more videos created by Anthropology Professor, Michael Wesch, with his class at Kansas State University:

A Vision of Students Today

Academia 2.0

Have You Wiki-ed Lately?

Wiki sites are a collaborative effort to present content on a given topic. Reviewers have the opportunity to add, delete, and revise any digital text displayed. There's no requirement of who can post and little screening is done prior to publishing. Inaccuracies may result because, after all, it’s the opinion of the reviewer making the post. Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia that ANYONE can edit, receives a lot of criticism from members of academia because of these inaccuracies – citing that similar sites surround students in an environment of fallacies. However, I support the use of wiki sites as a starting point – a spring board to delve deeper into the content.

In 2006, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales discouraged college students from using the site for “serious research”. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Wales delivered his message differently last week, changing it to be “do your own research” in regards to students utilizing Wikipedia for projects and academic assignments. One could argue either way; however, one fact remains - wiki sites present an opportunity for individuals to participate in an academic process, not just regurgitate information gleaned from texts and journals. Through reading student posts on a wiki site, you can recognize critical thinking skills and the limits they reach when seeking out supporting academic materials.

Wiki sites fold and grow as reviewers participate. The sites are only as strong in academic founding as the information the reviewers post. For the greatest outcome in learning, it’s important for reviewers to read, post their own research, and comment on others’ citations.

Using Wiki sites has a place in student activities as well. Several Student Government Associations have been cited as posting organizational constitutions on a wiki-space, encouraging members to make changes and additions. All edits are logged in the site’s history, allowing for a document to be created that’s a collaborative effort of the membership.

Not to be left out, even conferences are embracing the use of wiki-sites to change participant experiences. The APCA Advisor Summit space allows for attendees to post questions and “best practices”, while presenters give previews of the sessions to be facilitated at the summit. This wiki-space makes for a different, more engaging, conference experience. No longer do we have to sit back and wait to learn (anxious that we’ll hear the same material we’ve heard the past three years). Now we can take an active role, providing presenters with “what we need to know”, “what we’d like to know”, and “what we already know” lists.

Wiki sites are a growing culture of collaborative efforts, dependent upon participation. So I ask you, have you Wiki-ed lately?

Advisor Sessions/Handouts from APCA Northeast 2007

The Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities  held it's Northeast conference just last week in Syracuse, NY. 30+ Schools attended from across the Northeast region. The conference highlighted entertainment acts as well as a series of ed sessions on various topic related to Student Affairs.

APCA conferences offer a separate learning track of ed sessions for advisor. Due to the extermly tight schedule of the two day conference only three hour long sessions were provided for advisors.

Here is a list of the sessions and handouts/slides(pdf):

1) Creating a Course on Student Activities - Jason Enser (Hilbert College) - jenser@hilbert.edu - handout

This session will discuss how college Student Activities Directors can go about offering an academic credit-bearing course on Student Activities Programming Theory and Application. We will begin by reviewing the 3-credit course that is currently offered at Hilbert College. Other staff members will then have the opportunity to share any courses they have taught related to programming. Suggestions will be provided on how Activity Staff can look to implement a course of this nature at their institutions.

2) Technology and Activities: Current & Future - Swift Kick - sk@swiftkickonline.com - handout

    Student Life is changing faster than ever. Advisors are expected to be on the cutting edge, and often find themselves drowned in paperwork and procedures. This session discusses the most current trends in leadership development formats. Listen, share, and discuss best practices with other advisors. In the pre-conference survey, “understanding and using technology” was the number one priority for advisors for the next 3 years. Come find out some of what the next 3 years holds in tech. In this session you will learn about the key trends (in a non-techie way) plus see some of the brand new options in technology that will make your job so much easier! Technology has always promised to allow you to do more with less, come get your hands on the new tools to do just that. We will also cover some new emerging orientation and assessment methodologies and discuss what it means for the future.

3) Organizational Networking Session - APCA - apca@aol.com - handout

    It is all about getting to know each other! This Conference is proud to offer a great selection of education sessions for you. HOWEVER, we are all educators and we know that learning in communities and learning from peers is a much more powerful and effective way to create real transformations. With that knowledge in mind, we present our favorite community building energizer, “It’s About Time.” Join us as we kick the off the Conference with the best getting familiar, information exchange, comfort zone creating activity that is out there. See you for “It’s About Time”!!