How To Develop Student Learning Rubrics For Student Affairs Practice

Rubrics are tools that are used by educators to help evaluate the learning and performance of students. They are written documents, often presented in a chart format, that help define progress and achievement levels towards various goals and performance indicators. When developing learning goals and their constituent outcomes in a residential curriculum, rubrics can help. Rubrics ensure that... Continue Reading →

Feedback Versus Assessment: Questions to Ask

When evaluating programs and other educational interventions with students, it is important to make a distinction between two concepts: feedback and assessment. Although the types of questions you may ask in each of these categories may differ, the overall goal is how to design and execute effective experiences for students that are engaging and achieve educational... Continue Reading →

JUST PUBLISHED: “Remixing Leadership Practices with Emerging Technologies” in “Going Digital in Student Leadership”

  I'm excited to share that I have a new chapter out in the most recent volume of New Directions in Student Leadership entitled, Going Digital in Student Leadership. The chapter I co-authored with Dr. Ed Cabellon, titled "Remixing Leadership Practices with Emerging Technologies," presents an overview of the historical trends in and the current state of technology in... Continue Reading →

Just Published: “College Student Development in Digital Spaces” in “Engaging the Digital Generation”

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 →

DOWNLOAD MY DISSERTATION: College Students, Social Media, Digital Identities, and the Digitized Self

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 →

My Guest Appearance on the #JPspeaks Podcast: Tech, Competencies, and Inclusion

  I was SO pleased to have been the inaugural guest on the first episode of Jamie Piperato's #JPSPEAKS: Social Justice & Inclusion Podcast for Higher Education Professionals.  Jamie and I had a great conversation about the new ACPA/NASPA Technology Competency for student affairs educators and some of the implications it has for issues of diversity, inclusion, and social justice.  Jamie... Continue Reading →

Creating Digital College Student Citizens Versus Leaders

I recently came across this graphic posted on TeachThought which comes from the minds of Sylvia Duckworth and Jennifer Casa-Todd (blog).  The graphic highlights the distinction between two concepts: Digital Citizenship: Being a good neighbor and responsible ethical partner on the internet and Digital Leadership: Using the internet and social media tools to influence change and improve society Both concepts... Continue Reading →

Companies Suck Up Our Digital Information. Are We Adequately Preparing Students?

Create an account!  Sign in with your Amazon account!  Connect your Facebook account…. Twitter account… Google account… Every day we encounter websites that ask us to create or connect our digital accounts.  It is through these accounts that companies are able to provide “helpful” features, such as personalized discounts, detailed suggestions, and optimized experiences.  Sometimes... Continue Reading →

PRESENTATION VIDEO: Digital Explorer, Educator or Influencer? The New Student Affairs Technology Competency

https://youtu.be/GeAInHNlwcM I, along with a panel of my colleagues at both ACPA and NASPA, participated in a panel on the implications of the new Student Affairs Technology competency for higher education practice.  (ACPA/NASPA Competencies for Student Affairs Educators)  Above is the video of the ACPA session, while below you will find additional information and resources from... Continue Reading →

Social Listening: Educators Aren’t Doing Enough Of It

An important untapped resource for college student educators on social media is the act of "social listening."  The term social listening is borrowed from the world of marketing where companies will search for their names and products via social media to find out what consumers are saying.  Social listening on college campuses is very similar. It... Continue Reading →

On Professional Competencies and the Student Affairs Philosopher King

This series delves deeper into the new Technology competency recently added to the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators.  Intended to serve as a resource for faculty and professionals to guide professional development and teaching, it provides a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the competency and provides resources for further education. Part 1: Overview Part 2: Themes On... Continue Reading →

Themes (Part 2): The Technology Competency for Student Affairs Educators

This series delves deeper into the new Technology competency recently added to the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators.  Intended to serve as a resource for faculty and professionals to guide professional development and teaching, it provides a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the competency and provides resources for further education. Part 1: Overview Part... Continue Reading →

Hey #SApro, what was your win today?

When I was starting a new job, one of my good friends who helped me process my first few days would always ask: What was your win today? It was one of those seemingly benign lines that stuck in my head for some reason. What was my win today? What was my win today? What... Continue Reading →

4 Things Every New Digital #SAgrad Should Do 2015

  It's time for a yearly update! My advice for the digital #SAgrad of 2015... So you've recently started your journey towards a Master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs.  CONGRATULATIONS!  As a former instructor in a number of these programs, one of the topics I like to review with my students is how they can... Continue Reading →

“Here’s The Story, of a Lovely Lady”: Leadership Lessons from the Brady Bunch [REBLOG]

brady_bunch__1224097221_0886

I grew up with the Brady Bunch on re-runs after school, so for me, this article from the LEAD365 blog is the bees knees.  As greg might day, it’s FAR OUT!
If you aren’t familiar with LEAD365, you should check out their blog and their national conference.  It includes an amazing slate of speakers and thought leaders.  I was humbled… honored.. pleased… to be asked to be one of the contributing faculty members to it this fall.

The Official Blog of the Lead365 National Conference

Here’s the Story of a Lovely Lady – Leadership Lessons via The Brady Bunch

No, you aren’t crazy, the title DOES say, “Leadership Lessons via the Brady Bunch”. On Hulu, you can now watch The Brady Bunch in its entirety. You may have watched this show when you were a kid, I know I did. What I didn’t realize is that I really did see every episode back then and it has been wonderful reliving some of those moments all of these years later.

“Mom always says don’t play ball in the house!”

“Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!”

So what does a family sitcom that originally aired in 1967 and ran until 1974 (with lots of air time on channels like Nickelodeon in the 90s) have to do with leadership? Teamwork and team psychology most readily come to mind as far as leadership lessons go when I think about Tthe Brady Bunch

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Overview (Part 1): The Technology Competency for Student Affairs Educators

This series delves deeper into the new Technology competency recently added to the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators.  Intended to serve as a resource for faculty and professionals to guide professional development and teaching, it provides a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the competency and provides resources for further education. Part 1: Overview Part... Continue Reading →

Stay the Course: Reminders for When Assessment Gets Messy [REBLOG]

Old wooden ruler.

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.

2015-03-14_OhNoLogo22-abby3My 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:

  1. Assess learning not just once, but…

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Does Size Matter? Professional experiences at small colleges and universities. [REBLOG]

 

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.

Todd Porter

Group of dogs different sizes sit and looking into camera isolated on white. Yorkshire terrier, spitz, bordoss dog.

“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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Fear in Higher Ed… Fear in the workplace…

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 →

Women at the Forefront of Student Affairs History

Student affairs has had a long history of women contributing to the profession that dates back to the turn of the century. This is something I feel too often goes under-appreciated.  In many ways, women were almost wholly responsible for many of the values and principles we uphold in our work.  Chief among them, the... Continue Reading →

Contributing to a New Book: Going Digital in Student Leadership

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 →

Humbled to be joining the LEAD365 Team!

I'm excited to announce that I'm Joining the faculty of the Lead365 National Conference!  I'm incredibly humbled to be working with a team that includes many of my treasured colleagues, mentors and friends as well as speakers I have admired for years. As Lead365 describes itself: "Lead365 is the sponsoring organization of the Lead365 National Conference... Continue Reading →

Have You Made Yourself Clear? Leadership Lessons from Amelia Bedelia [REBLOG]

To say that I adored Amelia Bedilia growing up is an understatement.  The folks over at LEAD365 put together this cute little post on the leadership lessons you can takeway from this timeless childhood classic.

The Official Blog of the Lead365 National Conference

As an early reader, I was constantly devouring books, taking special note of the ones that made me laugh and the ones that made me think. One of my early favorites? Amelia Bedelia. For those unfamiliar, the Amelia Bedelia book series was written by Peggy Parish as a a way to explain idioms and figurative language to kids. For example, when asked to make a sponge cake…she includes real sponges. When asked to draw the drapes, her boss returns to a picture of the windows, drapes still wide open. The bumbling housekeeper was endearing and hardworking, but never seemed to understand precisely what she should be doing. As I moved into a role where I got to call the shots, I realized that Amelia Bedelia and her misunderstandings are far more common than we could ever imagine. So how do you, as a leader or supervisor of students, ensure that…

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Leadership Lessons from…Curious George [REBLOG]

I always loved Curious George growing up… and this article from my friends at LEAD365 helps shed some light on why. In many ways, it reminds me of Steve Jobs’ famous quote to always “Stay hungry… stay foolish.”  Taking delight and surprise in the world around me is what keeps me motivated.  It’s something that I never hope I lose.  Forever curious, George…

The Official Blog of the Lead365 National Conference

Yes, that one. The one you’re thinking of. Although it may not seem wise to follow the example of the monkey that ate enough of a puzzle to get sent to the ER, it might surprise you to realize just how many admirable leadership qualities that this mischievous monkey truly possesses.

Why is Curious George a great model for leadership development?

IMAGE CREDIT: KPBS

He uses his resources. The first time I thought about Curious George as a model for creativity and leadership, it was while watching a Valentine’s Day episode. George realizes that he wants to make valentines for many of his neighborhood friends, but is running short on time. He explores the empty apartment for tools to help speed up his work- utilizing things like blocks and his tricycle- before finally settling on sponges and an unplugged waffle iron (see left).

When we’re in positions of leadership, we…

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The Dreaded LinkedIn Summary…Some Tips for Students

If you aren’t following the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) blog, I highly encourage you to do so.  You don’t even need to work in Career Services to benefit.  There are great tips here for your own job search or general work with students.  Check out the following post about writing LinkedIn summaries.  Great stuff!

The NACE Blog

Ross WadeRoss Wade, assistant director, Duke University Career Center
Personal blog: http://mrrosswade.wordpress.com/
LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosswade
Twitter: @rrwade
Blogs from Ross Wade.

Students understand more and more the power of LinkedIn, and the importance of not only being on LinkedIn, but also actually using it to successfully market themselves and connect with professionals. I feel like I’ve worked with a gazillion students on how to create an effective LinkedIn profile, and the one section that causes my students the most problems is that dang summary section! In advising sessions the following questions always come up: “Do I use first or third person?” “How long should it be?” “Should I discuss my passion for baking?” “Should I list skills…isn’t that redundant since there is that ‘Skills & Endorsements’ section already in my profile?” “Do I really even need a summary?”

Yes! Students should totally take advantage of the summary section!

Earlier this year…

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Examples of #SAgrad Online Professional Portfolios

In the practicum course I taught in the Merrimack College Higher Education program this semester, I had the students experiment with the creation of online portfolios.  Online portfolios can be an excellent opportunity to promote reflective practice as well as give students a leg up in the job search.  They can follow you throughout your... Continue Reading →

3 Real Takeaways from Hulu’s Fake Peek Into Residence Life [REBLOG]

I was able to get a “sneak peek” at Hulu’s new original series “Resident Advisors” before it came out.  (Check out Klout which gives you freebies and perks according to your level of influence on social media.)  After watching the first episode, here are my initial thoughts:
  1. It’s not that funny.  I struggled to make it past 10 minutes of the first episode.
  2. It really has nothing to do with being a RA and it doesn’t care (not that I think it should).  Residence life is merely the setting. This could be any aspect of college life in the overdone “college movie” genre… swap greek life for residence life… an off campus apartment for a residence hall room… have it take place during spring break… etc.
  3. There *may be the opportunity for some video clips to use in RA training, although the parody is so over the top, it may be minimal.
  4. This series isn’t likely to last past the first season.
In my opinion, that pretty much sums up everything you need to know.
I also wanted to share this blog post from the always-thoughtful and thought provoking Amma Marfo.  Here’s her take:

Amma Marfo

“Our lives could be a TV show.”

IMAGE CREDIT: Doug Hyun

I can’t tell you how often I hear that remark from people at the office- and have heard it, regardless of where I’ve worked. Those pleas get answered in the most seemingly random of ways; It would appear that enough current and former RAs have verbalized this need that we received Resident Advisors, which premiered on Hulu this past Thursday.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am still warming to the humor. I’m working hard to give it a chance because, as is often the case, I am a fan of several of the people involved. And additionally, as someone who did have several ridiculous situations happen to her as an RA, its always nice to see how our lives get dramatized. But even as I continue to adjust to how the story is being told, I’ve…

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Guest Appearance on HigherEdLive: Social Media/Justice/Change and Yik Yak [VIDEO]

I appeared on a HigherEdLive broadcast along with co-guest, colleague, and friend,  Vernon Wall, and host Heather Shea Gasser to talk about social media and its intersections with social justice and change.  Vernon and I talked about our collaboration on a combined social justice and social media training as well as recent events in higher education surrounding the use of Yik... Continue Reading →

Dear RAs, I want you to STOP PROGRAMMING!

It's time to move beyond the clichés and towards student learning centered work in our residence halls.  The residential curriculum model offers promise for conceptualizing some of our tired old practices.  It's time for a curricular reboot!

#NASPA15 Presentation: How to Network Digitally for Professional Development and Relationship-Building

This panel started with a tweet.  Christina Ferrari sent our a message asking if anyone wanted to collaborate on a session about leveraging digital networks for professional development.  The result is an exciting collaboration involving a panel of presenters, many of whom have only previously met virtually.  Come join us and/or follow the twitter back channel #SAconnect!... Continue Reading →

#ACPA15 Presentation: What Grad School Didn’t Teach You About Your Digital Life

Josie Ahlquist and I are proud to be collaborating on an exciting session for the upcoming 2015 International Convention of ACPA-College Student Educators International.  This session is intended for all levels of professionals who want to learn about how to develop a positive digital presence online and leverage digital and social tools for professional development.  This practical session... Continue Reading →

Tend To Your Student Affairs Professional Garden

There is a lot of free professional development available online and ways you can grow your own personal learning network.  The following slide deck comes from some of the presentations I give on this topic.  Who says professional development has to cost?  Enjoy.

A Timeline of Student Affairs History

Click to Expand I tried to capture some of the major publications in student affairs history as well as important moments in the growth of ACPA and NASPA.  Think I should add something?  Let me know in the comments below. UPDATE: Great feedback from everyone on the timeline.  I'm thinking of creating an "Equitable Timeline of... Continue Reading →

The Student Development Transit System Map

  I had a lot of fun putting this together!  You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get the poster visually right while trying to make sure it makes sense conceptually and theoretically.  Too reductionist?  Maybe.  Areas for improvement?  I'm sure.  Let me know how you'd try arranging it in the comments below. BUY... Continue Reading →

The Periodic Table of Student Affairs: From Theory to Practice

Help pay back my student loans!  Some people asked for it, so I made it available. BUY this as a poster or BUY this as on a mug! The paid version uses a sharper, higher resolution file. There are multiple price points, qualities, and sizes....  All proceeds go to my student loans.  Thanks! MORE available in my store!

Hiring ResLife Professional Staff for a Residential Curriculum

When transitioning your residence life program to a residential curriculum model, it becomes increasingly important that you hire professional staff with the requisite skills and competencies to enact the curriculum.  Although these skills are desirable in any residence life professional, they take on added importance in a residential curriculum.  Some of the competencies required of staff... Continue Reading →

100 Professionals Answer “Why They Choose Student Affairs” As A Career #CSAM15

In honor of Careers in Student Affairs Month (CSAM), I asked my colleagues to complete the following sentence: I received approximately 100 responses.  Doing a back-of-the-napkin qualitative coding and analysis for themes (completely non-scientific on a non-scientific sample), the chart below represents the most common responses.  Not surprisingly, "learning and growth" and "making positive change" rose to... Continue Reading →

3 Things Every New Digital #SAgrad Should Do 2014

So you've recently started your journey towards a Master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs.  CONGRATULATIONS!  As an instructor in one of these programs, one of the topics I like to review with my students is how they can begin to network and gain valuable professional development... digitally... and often for free.  Going digital... Continue Reading →

Have you Registered Yet? I’m Proud to be Keynoting the ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute!

I'm excited to share that I will be one of the keynote speakers at the 2014 ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute alongside Karen Inkleas (of leaving learning program research fame) and Patty Perrillo (ACPA Past President).  As one of the premier and most popular Institutes ACPA offers, the Residential Curriculum Institute (RCI) provides participants a step-by-step process... Continue Reading →

The Story of Residence Halls (Told in Video)

I created this presentation back in 2008(?) for RA Training to help my RAs understand how the educational purpose of residence halls has evolved over time and where, as student staff, they fit into that history.  I recently came back across it and thought I'd put it up on the web as a video for others... Continue Reading →

#SAtechBOS Day 2 Twitter Recap

Miss the first day?  See a twitter recap here. https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/495172369372430336 https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/status/495177440411783168 https://twitter.com/satechBOS/status/495188651899645952 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/495189651528114177 https://twitter.com/EdCabellon/status/495200372429185024 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495206634738941952 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/495207229638070272 https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/495207590092374016 https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/status/495209036959457280 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495210610897211392 https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/495213796127162368 https://twitter.com/jasonrobert/status/495226820112179200 https://twitter.com/EA_Clark/statuses/495232419801624576 https://twitter.com/jessmsamuels/status/495237504908656641 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/495238978980044800 https://twitter.com/jasonrobert/status/495239535471906816 https://twitter.com/jasonrobert/status/495240156698660864 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495240377809768449 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/495241267165822977 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/495242048556265473 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495242911622373377 https://twitter.com/jasonrobert/status/495242988436860929 https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/status/495244139316125696 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495245011400024066 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495245489307406336 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/495247354778648576 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495247605597995010 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495248061053300736 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495248294210449408 https://twitter.com/satechBOS/status/495250309347037184

#SAtechBOS Day 1 Twitter Recap

https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/statuses/494800374575161344 https://twitter.com/EdCabellon/status/494821667864985603 https://twitter.com/satechBOS/status/494839861518798848 https://twitter.com/Jim_Gresham/status/494841738322665472 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494893492037230592 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494893886142423040 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494894153374121985 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494894459197587456 https://twitter.com/AdamGismondi/status/494894866367664128 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/494896466394370048 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494895639445389312 https://twitter.com/_mikefox/status/494897232135479296 https://twitter.com/saladbar15/status/494896976681779201 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494897410431537152 https://twitter.com/ValerieHeruska/status/494898484659896321 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/494898646165774336 https://twitter.com/AdamGismondi/status/494898693728792577 https://twitter.com/_mikefox/status/494899733492936705 https://twitter.com/saladbar15/status/494900120035786752 https://twitter.com/bethanytuller/status/494900208351051776 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494900183063605248 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494901032091410432 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494901757802467328 https://twitter.com/reyjunco/status/494902748488663040 https://twitter.com/reyjunco/status/494907360914460672 https://twitter.com/KevinRGuidry/status/494913660641640448 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494904515351814144 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494903425357053952 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494903608723656704 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494903761811562497 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494904934333427712 https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/494905437729206272 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494907475095592961 https://twitter.com/josieahlquist/status/494904135821443073 https://twitter.com/JoJo_Jac/status/494915937980936193 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494917898339885056 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494920247259176960 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/494920858893582336 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494923674982825984 https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/494926704797048832 https://twitter.com/trishofthetrade/status/494927180258754561 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494928786077790209 https://twitter.com/AdamGismondi/status/494933477243228161 https://twitter.com/_mikefox/status/494935014677970944 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494936770971451393 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494939666010083328 https://twitter.com/SimmonsCollege/status/494941751979675648 https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/status/494927186823225344 https://twitter.com/Kristen_Abell/statuses/494945106797932544 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/statuses/494945452958449664 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494949233947332609 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494952539247628288 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494953778823839744 https://twitter.com/EdCabellon/statuses/494950877720231936

Words Matter in a Residential Curriculum

When thinking about my own experience in developing a residential curriculum, I'm reminded of a wordsmithing session I had with some colleagues.  We were attempting to set some broad learning goals for our curriculum and we wanted to ensure that our language encouraged critical reflection but also allowed for a diversity of viewpoints.  It took us... Continue Reading →

3 Insights on College Student Self Esteem from “Let me Take a #Selfie”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdemFfbS5H0 In the three months since it’s release, the video "#Selfie (Let Me Take a Selfie)" has been viewed nearly 100 million times on YouTube and has gone into heavy rotation.  Although tongue-in-cheek, the video reveals some surprising nuggets of wisdom regarding social media engagement, particularly around Instagram.  It also provides interesting insights into the underlying... Continue Reading →

3 Ways #ACPA14 Was The Most #Social #Innovative #Inspiring #StudentAffairs Conference Ever

I recently came back from the 2014 National Convention of ACPA-College Student Educators International... and it was AWESOME.  The Convention Team really took to the challenge of "reinventing" the conference experience into something new.  As a leader in the Association, I left the experience proud of what my colleagues had accomplished and excited that ACPA has become a... Continue Reading →

#SAtech and #EDtech Picks for the #ACPA14 Conference

This year the Convention team did a major overhaul of the schedule and session types to bring a fresh approach to our professional development.  Much of this innovation relates to technology, social media, and cutting edge practices.  Below you will find general sessions related to technology as well as the new "Genius Labs."  In addition to these... Continue Reading →

The Future in 6:40

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 →

Keynoting the #SATechBOS 2013 Unconference

I'm excited to be the opening keynote at this year's #SATechBOS Unconference.  The event utilizes as a unique format that encourages peer-to-peer learning and interaction.  It's a pretty interesting concept and a new take on the sometimes stale traditional conference format.  Wikipedia describes it as follows: An “unconference“ is a participant-driven meeting. The term “unconference” has... Continue Reading →

Your Professional Network is Powered by Bacon

Last week I started an experiment called the “6 Degrees of Esther Lloyd-Jones Project,” a play on Six Degrees of Separation and the popular “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game.  I was motivated by the desire to see how small the student affairs profession is and discover the power of crowdsourcing on the internet.  It’s... Continue Reading →

The Six Degrees of Esther Lloyd-Jones Project

The Six Degrees of Esther-Llyod Jones Project is a crowdsourced initiative I started to learn more about how current student affairs professionals can trace their lineage back to some of the founders of our profession.  Click on the following link below to go to the page where you will find out more information about the... Continue Reading →

What is the Residential Curriculum Model? What are Curricular Approaches?

The terms “residential curriculum” or “curricular approach” are used to describe an intentional specifically-structured way of promoting learning in college and university student affairs programs. Borrowing from techniques utilized by classroom-based teachers, the curricular approach to student affairs designs a series of successive learning and engagement opportunities for students that are measurable against defined objectives.... Continue Reading →

RAs are NOT educational experts!

I remember first encountering the Residential Curriculum Model back in 2006.  My supervisor at American University had just returned from the first annual ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute.  It was love at first sight.  It just made sense.  Why hadn’t anyone thought of this approach before? What many don’t understand about a Residential Curriculum (That’s capital “R” and “C”)... Continue Reading →

My MediaKron Experiment in E-Learning

This semester I am collaborating with one of the Boston College Higher Education faculty members, Ana Martinez Aleman, on a new technology e-learning project called “MediaKron” for her Higher Education in American Society course. MediaKron is an online multimedia platform that was developed at Boston College as a means of presenting and enhancing course content.... Continue Reading →

How ACPA’s Standing Committees Got Their Name

I currently serve as the American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA’s) Coordinator for Standing Committees.  Standing Committees are organizations in ACPA that represent some of the social identities present in the student affairs profession and in our work with students.   In my role, I represent, coordinate the work of, and advocate for the Standing Committees for/on... Continue Reading →

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