One of the most common and important features of modern software is the "tag." A tag is a short keyword or phrase that a user assigns to a piece of information that describes it in some way. You might also be familiar with hashtags, a form of tag used in social media (#thisisahashtag). Tags... Continue Reading →
The 2016 U.S. presidential election was one of the most divisive in recent history. In a recent poll by CNN, 85% of Americans reported believing that the country is more divided than in previous years. As we head into 2017, this division is likely to remain steady and perhaps increase. As a result, college campuses in... Continue Reading →
I'm pleased to share that the new volume of New Directions for Student Services that I've been collaborating on for the past year is finally available online! Engaging the Digital Generation, edited by Josie Ahlquist and Ed Cabellon, focuses on issues confronting college students and higher education professionals related to technology. The chapters in this volume... Continue Reading →
In doing my research I often come across great tutorials on social and digital technology as well as excellent examples of their use in higher education. Rather than keep them to myself, I decided to post them publicly to help others "get up to speed" on these tools and their uses. I've been doing this for... Continue Reading →
I had the honor of presenting, not once, but twice at the Online Learning Consortium's Innovate Conference (co-hosted with Merlot) in New Orleans this year. The following are two videos from my presentations there. The first, immediately below, was a lightning-style talk. This presentation consisted of 20 slides, each set to advance automatically every 18 seconds,... Continue Reading →
All the higher ed tech and innovation conferences in one easy to consume infographic! The folks over at EdSurge made this AMAZING design that outlines some of the key conferences on tech and related innovations in the higher ed space. While this previously existed for our K-12 colleagues, EdSurge has performed this excellent service for those... Continue Reading →
Turn on the TV or watch a movie and you may think that a majority of college students are 18-24 years old, attend a four-year institution full-time, live in an on campus residence hall, and attend class in a physical classroom. Those of us that work in higher education, however, know that although this is... Continue Reading →
I am happy to finally make my entire final dissertation available for all to download and read. This document represents some of the first qualitative research into how traditionally aged college students use social media and its impact on their development and how they construct identities online. If you want a more detailed description, I've included the... Continue Reading →
Two weeks ago I started my first day working (albeit remotely) at the Res Ed software company, Roompact, and it was momentous in many ways for me. Not only is this my first full-time job after completing my PhD; but it is also my first job working for a private company as opposed to working... Continue Reading →
Given that I speak on social media and college students, it's inevitable that the topic of YikYak on campus comes up. YikYak is an anonymous geosocial app that allows individuals to post and view posts within defined geographic areas. This geo-functionality is one of the reasons it has become so popular on college campuses and at... Continue Reading →
Connected learning holds the promise of re-invisioning what education can look like. In many ways, we have talked about the ideal of connected learning for years, but it wasn't until the advent of the internet and social media, in particular, that we have had the tools to make it a reality. The beauty of social technology... Continue Reading →
I created the following SlideShare to review some of the contemporary changes, trends and cross currents happening in higher education. From open educational resources, to the rise of the MOOC, these slides provide a broad overview of what's happening as technology is disrupting educational delivery.
The folks over at the “Oh, No, It’s an Assessment Blog” posted this great little piece on the “messiness” of assessing student learning and distilled down five tips to help guide efforts in this area. They also include an excellent video (see below, highly recommended) form the folks at EDUCAUSE about why learning assessment can seem (and is) difficult.
My friends for the assessment revolution! My office is gearing up to take the next step in our learning outcomes assessment efforts. I’m VERY excited! It’s going to be fun, intellectually and professionally fulfilling, and (most importantly and hopefully) provide meaningful insight into the student experience. But in addition to excitement, I am also a bit nervous, because, as you’ve likely noticed, measuring for learning is messy – which is the largest part of its difficulty, but, also, its beauty. In my research about student learning and assessment over the past few years I’ve come to learn that it’s not just me who’s feeling this way:
In watching videos like the above and reading anything I can get my hands on, I’m hearing a few common themes (some old, some new) that I’m keeping in mind during this big year for our assessment efforts in the Career Center:
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I wanted to share this post from my good friend and colleague, Todd Porter. Todd brings up a point that I have often thought about but never quite articulated into words… certainly not as well as he does.
There seems to be an unwritten value (bias?) that higher education professionals place on larger schools. While there are certainly benefits to large schools, the diversified landscape of higher education, is one of its greatest strengths. Something that other countries have sought to replicate as education becomes more globalized, and we would be at a disadvantage to ignore these strengths when we seek jobs and seek to hire the “best” ‘right fit” talent. Success and value comes in many forms.
Check out Todd’s original piece below.
“I always assumed that working at a small school was like scraping the bottom of the barrel.”
The moment this was stated, I knew exactly what this graduate student was saying. It was a sentiment I have heard from various graduate students that I have connected with over the course of the summer. There seemed to be a growing mentality amongst these future professionals when thinking about their first position out of graduate school. They were reluctant to consider the opportunity of working at small schools as viable, prestigious or challenging experiences. Some gravitated towards small schools, primarily because they had attended similar institutions as an undergrad. This was the exception, not the rule. There were various reasons why the grads I spoke with indicated that small schools were not on their radar, including access to resources, opportunities for advancement, professional development, and the lack of name and reputation in…
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I've been thinking a lot about this concept of fear in the workplace. What causes it? What are the signs and symptoms? How do you reduce it? A big part of positive organizational culture change involves "getting the fear out." But what is the nature of fear? Specifically in higher education? Fear is multi-dimensional, cultural, and... Continue Reading →
I’m excited to let folks in on a little secret. I and a number of other folks will be contributing to an upcoming edition of the New Directions for Student Leadership (NDSL) Sourcebook Series titled… Going Digital in Student Leadership Co-edited by Lisa Endersby and Josie Ahlquist, the book will cover a variety of topics including how technology impacts all stages of... Continue Reading →
Managing up is the idea that the supervisory relationship is reciprocal. If you look out for your supervisor, they will be more understanding and supportive of you. It's about knowing your boss' style, what's important to them, and using that knowledge to get the outcome you want. The art of managing up isn't something we've... Continue Reading →
I have struggled with (and frequently get angry) at the ease with which “administrative bloat” is tossed around as a main contributor to rising costs in higher education. If we truly want universal access (and completion), it necessarily means we’re admitting students who have more complex needs. Students that may have traditionally been denied access or for whom the dream of a college degree never seemed possible. Who is to do the work of supporting these students? This is where I think the “bloat” argument goes horribly wrong. Where is the middle ground? If you think administrators are not educators or do not contribute to access and retention, then you don’t understand higher education.
The following post from Jodi Koslow Martin on the SAfeminists blog gives voice to some of these problematic issues…
by Jodi Koslow Martin
I am sensitive to a few issues in higher education. When I say “sensitive,” I mean there are a few matters in higher education that are incredibly important and incredibly challenging at the same time. From my own research, I’ve become sensitive to getting first-year students enrolled in classes taught by full-time faculty in their first semester of college. I’m sensitive to the needs in the lives of Resident Hall Directors; to live and work in the same place can make it really difficult to set essential personal boundaries. And, of late, I am extremely sensitive to the critique of higher education that the cost of college is so high because of administrative bloat. I already had an issue with the word ‘bloat’ for obvious reasons. The basis for my current touchiness to this word relates to my personal experience as a vice president at a…
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There is a lot of fuss about grade inflation at colleges and universities, but are we correctly identifying the problem or just a symptom? I think that the real question we should be asking ourselves as educators is: What is the best way to measure and assess student learning? So what is grade inflation, exactly?... Continue Reading →
The following post originally appeared on the ACPA Digital Task Force Website. I'm excited to announce that I will be a part of round 2 of this effort. Specifically, I will be continuing my collaboration with Erik Qualman and others to develop educators guides and supplemental materials for the book to which we contributed,... Continue Reading →
"Look no further for the smartest and savviest bloggers in higher education." I'm excited to be joining the good company of my friends and colleagues on EdTech Magazine's 2015 Dean's List: 50 Must-Read Higher Ed IT Blogs. This is my first year making the list, but my perennial favorites are still there... Laura Pasquini, Josie Ahlquist,... Continue Reading →
I had the opportunity to present with #SAgrad superstar, Craig Bidiman, on how colleges and universities can leverage social media as a means of engaging their students. The following video comes from the 2015 NASPA conference and gives a broad overview of the philosophy, approaches, and mindset departments must take to go beyond seeing social... Continue Reading →
The following post comes from Laura Pasquini which shares an excellent model for determining how one should go about integrating digital technology into course content and deciding what are the most appropriate approaches given the content and context. Tony Bates’ SECTIONS model is a practical and useful tool to have in your digital teaching arsenal. Read on…
With so many possibilities for digital learning, selecting media and technologies for appropriate course instruction is a very complex process. Although there are a wide range of options in the ed tech realm, pedagogical considerations should always come first. Instructors should reflect on the learning objective and desired outcomes for their subject matter before identifying identifying technological applications for the course.
The SECTIONS model, developed by Tony Bates (2015), is a pedagogical framework for determining what technology, specifically how this technology will be appropriate for instructional approaches. This might include identifying and determining pedagogical characteristics of text, audio, video, computing, and social media. With this framework, Bates (2015) asks five critical questions for teaching and learning for technology and media selection:
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What do our college student development theories look like when we give them a digital update? How might social media be changing the ways students develop and understand themselves? What are the implications for college student educator practice? The following was originally presented at the 2015 NASPA Convention as a part of the SAspeaks series.... Continue Reading →
Today is the day! The "What Happens On Campus Stays on YouTube," the book to which I am a contributing author, is available for shipping! A great work geared towards college students that helps them understand their digital identity and the potentials and pitfalls of interacting online. You can order yours on Amazon now! Want a peek inside... Continue Reading →
It's been two years to the day since the bomb went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013. As I reflect on the events of this day, I wanted to re-share the stories of the graduate students who were in the practicum course I was teaching at the time. They all represent... Continue Reading →
I was pleased to be a part of this week's HigherEdLive broadcast along with my amazing collaborators and friends on ACPA's Presidential Task Force on Digital Technology. The video of our show is embedded below. I think there are some really great nuggets of wisdom in here. Laura Pasquini also curated a Storify of the backchannel.... Continue Reading →
Grades are not the only way of assessing student work. There are a number of colleges and universities that have experimented with alternative approaches to the traditional letter grade. One such college, Reed College in Oregon, provides students with more detailed feedback and assessment in addition to grades. As stated in their Guidebook, “Students' work... Continue Reading →
The following post originally appeared on the ACPA Digital Task Force's website. I have been proud to serve alongside some amazing colleagues on the Task Force this year and the following represents the initial draft report of the group. Please consider giving your feedback on the original post so we can improve it. Video from ACPA... Continue Reading →
Craig Bidiman and I are combing forces for a program session at the 2015 NASPA International Convention. This session is intended for all levels of professionals who want to learn about how to utilize social media tools strategically to engage students. Come join us and/or follow the twitter back channel #SAsocial! Tuesday, March 24, 2015 10:00am - 10:50am... Continue Reading →
I am proud to be selected as one of this year's SAspeaks presenters. SAspeaks talks are similar in style to TEDtalks. They are meant to be short (no more than 15 minutes) and focus on one main idea. This year I am doing an SAspeaks based off of my continuing research on the impact of... Continue Reading →
At the 2015 ACPA and NASPA National Conventions, we've brought together a group of four researchers (1 newly minted doctor and three soon-to-be) who study social media and technology and their effects on college students. In this panel, each researcher will present a brief overview of their work followed by a question and answer session.... Continue Reading →
Ed Cabellon and I are excited to be offering up a new collaborative session at the 2015 ACPA Convention. We're both bringing our own unique spins on the topic of how institutions of higher education can ramp up and enhance their social media presences to engage students. Come for a very practical approach to the topic that... Continue Reading →
I am pleased to be presenting on blogging in higher education and student affairs with some amazing colleagues at the ACPA Convention this week and at the NASPA convention later in the month. To go along with our session, we’ve created a resource page. I’ve included it here, but you can point your browsers to SAwrites.com at... Continue Reading →
The first ever National Adjunct Walkout Day was this past Wednesday, a day I also happened to be teaching as an adjunct faculty member. I didn’t walk out of my class, but I did use the first few minutes of class to highlight an issue that I think is important: the benefit-less extremely low pay... Continue Reading →
It's been a loooooong time coming... and keeping quiet about it was incredibly difficult... but the time is here to FINALLY announce a new book collaboration between Erik Qualman, myself, Dr. Laura Pasquini, Courtney O'Connell and Jason Meriwether: What Happens on Campus Stays on YouTube So what is this book about? Many of you might already be familiar with Erik... Continue Reading →
Is the university just an act of theater obscuring what is... or isn't going on? Are we caught up in traditions that have shielded us from realizing our own faults? from public criticism? Are we ready for the impending changes to higher education as a whole? Thinking about higher education as a theatrical performance exposes some... Continue Reading →
Getting a PhD is not a decision to take lightly. Having been a full-time student for three and a half years now, I wanted to share some of the questions I think you need to ask yourself before you apply and begin in order to be set up for success. If you can successfully answer all of... Continue Reading →
Starting PhD work isn't something to be taken lightly. First, there are the logistics: Is it the right time in your career to start a PhD? Do you have the time and money to dedicate to it? What program do you chose? For what purpose? Are you seeking an executive-type program or a research-focused program?... Continue Reading →
Semi-weekly, I try to highlight apps, web tools and websites that could be of use in the education space. The following is a review of all those highlighted in 2014. Follow along in the new year with new spotlights.
Having a social media presence is increasingly becoming a requirement for any organization. I was interested in how the professional associations in higher education and student affairs engage online, so I decided to take a look at their Twitter presences and put together a ranking of the "most influential" associations. The metric I chose to... Continue Reading →
Lately I find myself increasingly frustrated. In particular, I'm frustrated by one strain of rhetoric that has increasingly crept into the public discourse. It is the idea that the acceptance of any social/government assistance is inherently a "hand out." That somehow, our societal care for one another should only be expressed through private giving. That... Continue Reading →
Back in July, I was honored to be asked to serve on ACPA-College Student Educators International's Presidential Task Force on Digital Technology. After meeting in person with many members of the team, I can say with confidence we're on to something new, exciting and different. In my role with this group, I co-chair the Informed... Continue Reading →
Once a month, I’ve made it a point to highlight the posts from other bloggers that I believe deserve wider recognition. This month I wanted to share a resource that that Dr. Laura Pasquini put together for her dissertation work. It includes a database of higher education policy/guideline documents on social media use. For professionals and administrators looking to shape institutional policies and guidelines regarding social media implementation across campus, this can be an invaluable resource for benchmarking and guidance.
During the course of my dissertation research, a few events connected to the scope of my study, and directly to the social media documents I was gathering. I ended up building a database of 250 post-secondary education (PSE) institutional guidelines and policies to completely understand HOW the PSE sector is ACTUALLY “guiding” social media. More importantly my research uncovers the organizational identity and cultural values of social media among 10 different countries. {More to be shared post dissertation defense June 12, 2014.}
If you are interested in either research around policies and/or social media impact to organizations, specifically post-secondary education, then you most likely heard about the Kansas Board of Regents approval to amend their policy manual back in December 2013 to outline “improper use of social media by University of Kansas faculty.” If not, I have an article and infographic of the timeline of events for you:
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Martin Trow characterized higher education systems as being on a march from elite systems of higher education, educating just a few, towards mass and universal systems, educating the many. Massification is a phenomenon that has impacted higher education worldwide particularly since the 1960s. Today, these trends continue. By 2025, the total demand for a college... Continue Reading →
Native English speakers: Have you ever thought about the privilege that comes with your ability to speak English? On my recent trip to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, I was struck by the predominance of the English language. It was certainly a great benefit for me, considering my lack of knowledge of Arabic, but... Continue Reading →
Are you bored this 4th of July week, desperately counting down the days until vacation? I've got a distraction for you. I need... we need... your help! I was searching for a solid list of professional associations in the student affairs/higher education field for my students and couldn't find one. The field is vast, always... Continue Reading →
Tweet I've been searching for a one year part-time job while I finish off my dissertation (HINT, HINT) and I quickly came to the realization that I needed something to make me stand out. For the past couple of years I've been encouraging the students I teach in the Higher Education master's programs at Boston... Continue Reading →
I had the incredible privilege of presenting on technology and social media to the student affairs staff at American University in Dubai (AUD) last week. Presenting internationally comes with its own set of opportunities and challenges, particularly as it relates to talking about social media and technology. I wanted to share three takeaways I had in... Continue Reading →
YikYak is a new social app released earlier this year that is quickly becoming popular amongst high school and college students across the United States. Its goal is to serve as "a local bulletin board for your area." It uses geolocation on one's smartphone to allow one to post short statements that are broadcast and searchable... Continue Reading →
I’m excited to be presenting on one of my research passions at the 2014 national conventions of both ACPA-College Student Educators International and NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. My session on the future of higher education (see below) is something I’ve presented on before, but I’ve been able to update this presentation with about... Continue Reading →
The Future of Student Affairs in 6 Minutes and 40 Seconds... The Future of Higher Education in 6 Minutes and 40 Seconds... The Future of Anything in 6 minutes and 40 seconds... The "Future Series" is something I first conceived of back in the Summer of 2012. The Future series entails a diverse group of... Continue Reading →
Last week, StudentAffairs.com published a piece I wrote entitled, An Experiment Using Twitter in Teaching a Student Affairs Practicum Course, in their Journal of Technology in Student Affairs. (Please check it out and let me know what you think!) In one of the later paragraphs of the piece, I wrote about my plans for teaching... Continue Reading →
I’m an insider, but an outsider. As a PhD student studying higher education, and as someone who has worked in colleges and universities his entire life, I’m completely comfortable in the classroom and in being surrounded by students. This semester, however, I’m an immigrant in a foreign land. I’m taking a course in the business... Continue Reading →
As the details of the Newtown elementary school tragedy begin to come out, it’s caused me to reflect on my own experiences and calling as a student affairs educator. I work with a very different population of student, but the kinship I feel with the teachers of Sandy Hook is very much the same. I... Continue Reading →
I have the privilege of presenting a paper with some of my colleagues this week at the Association for the Study Of Higher Education National Conference in Las Vegas. Titled, "Capturing the Elusive: Accounting for Study Attrition and Complex Trajectories in a Longitudinal Study of Low-Income High School Graduates," this presentation examines a unique method... Continue Reading →
At left, Michelle Rhee's Time Magazine cover from 2008 when she was Chancellor of the Washington, DC schools. At right, two years later in 2010 after she resigned from office. Education and politics are littered with change sagas and heroes. I find individuals who enact radical change, however, to be particularly interesting. It always intrigues... Continue Reading →
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