At the recent 2017 NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Convention in San Antonio, I had the pleasure of working with a panel of colleagues to discuss "innovative work arrangements." We defined these work arrangements as anything that deviates from the typical defined work hours/defined work location norm. In the following panel, you can find out... 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 →
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.
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 →
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 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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"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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
The Student Affairs Collective hosted an excellent Twitter Chat (#SAChat) on resumes last summer. Many of the tweets echoed the advice and thoughts that I've encountered in my teaching of Higher Education Masters students. Below you'll find a curated list of what I consider to be some of the "best tips" and thoughts. You can also... 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 innovative and interesting uses of social media in the higher education and student affairs space. The following is a review of all those highlighted in 2014. Follow along in the new year with new spotlights.
Semi-weekly, I try to highlight higher education and student affairs professional to follow on Twitter and online. The following is a review of all those highlighted in 2014. Follow along in the new year with new spotlights.
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJANw2WzfEE As many of you know, a couple of months ago I had my dissertation proposal hearing. For social science dissertations, after one completes their first three chapters, they present it to their committee for approval. The first three chapters typically include an introduction, a review of literature, and your methodology (how you intend to... Continue Reading →
In 2010, Yale University produced this highly slick and fun admissions video to highlight the many features of its campus. They used the highly shareable strategy of creating a "musical" about their college. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGn3-RW8Ajk Of course, video memes almost always spawn parody and satire. This was the response from Harvard's comedy news show On Harvard... Continue Reading →
More and more institutions are beginning to create "social media directories" or landing pages that catalog all of the different social media presences of their departments and offices. Harvard takes this one step further with their creation of a multimedia landing page that incorporates video, audio, photos, iTunesU podcasts and audio all into one page.... Continue Reading →
The University of Houston is a leading institution in engaging with their students on social media. The following text and images come directly from the page they label "Why Follow UH?" which gives a number of great examples of how they're engaging their students. Check out their social media pages to learn more about what they're... Continue Reading →
This isn't a social media example, per se, but it is a great example of deploying digital technologies to offer opportunities for guests and prospective students. Northeastern University utilizes a platform from YouVisit to power it's virtual video tours. They're engaging and feature a real tour guide. YouVisit also maintains a list of other colleges... 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 →
The study abroad space is ripe for social media efforts. With students dispersed across the globe, communication is easier through social media. Additionally, with these once-in-a-liftime opportunities come some great photos and stories. Media that can aid in getting other students excited about a study abroad experience. Mississippi State University held photo and blogging contests... Continue Reading →
Loyola University of Maryland started this very simple effort to promote their institution and develop a sense of community and belonging amongst their students. By creating pre-formatted Facebook cover photos, they are making it easier than ever for students to show their pride. Check out their landing page. Images are updated yearly for incoming classes... Continue Reading →
Snapchat is an odd social network/chat app to be using for engagement with your students, but a couple of institutions are trying it out. Most recently, the University of Michigan joined the University of Houston beginning efforts in this uncharted territory. With Snapchat being one of the most popular apps for students in the 18-24 year... Continue Reading →
When you have exciting news to share with your students, do you stop to think "maybe we should tape this?" A number of college athletics teams are capturing moments such as when they are able to offer their students scholarships. Below are two examples of capturing these moments and sharing them with the internet. What... Continue Reading →
It's somewhat of a rarity to find faculty involved in university social media efforts, but extremely rare to find a content that is exclusively focused on faculty. Lehigh University put together a gem of a video with professors reading negative reviews of their teaching from the website RateMyProfessors.com. The video is a play off of Jimmy Kimmel's popular... Continue Reading →
Since it's my first Follow Friday post, it's only fitting I start with the woman who inspired me to begin this process. Josie Ahlquist is a Doctoral student in higher education, and a researcher and speaker on social media and college students, particularly as it relates to leadership and student self-presentation online. Josie shares her knowledge... Continue Reading →
I have the immense privilege of serving alongside some incredibly talented individuals on the ACPA Digital Task Force. I wanted to share a recent post by a member of my subgroup, Jason Meriwether, of the "Informed and Responsible Engagement" team. Our goal is to develop resources for both students and educators on how to promote positive,... 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 →
As you probably know at this point, my research involves college students and how they construct a sense of self in digital and social media spaces. In conducting this research, I've encountered the term "digital identity" frequently. I've used it, and some of my doctoral student colleague friends have written about it (including Paul Eaton, Josie Ahlquist, and Ed... 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 →
A really great and useful piece by Josie Ahlquist on how to clean up your digital presence for a job search and then how to leverage it. Josie does some amazing research on college students and social media use. Her entire site is definitely worth a look.
LMU Graduation. Photo Credit: Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht
I write this post to the class of 2014 college graduates. Putting in four years to earn your undergraduate (or five…or six) I’m sure ready to go put that degree to work! You have the grades, the extracurriculars, internships, and even great references. But in todays fiercely competitive economy there is no guarantee that you’ll even get an interview.
Nope, many of those times I listed above are given. The leadership roles, high GPA, service projects, etc. Still nothing.
I have watched recent alumni take jobs at coffee shops after graduation, as I wonder if they can afford their student loan payments. Yes watch out, those payments kick in six months after walking across that stage.
Okay deep breaths, hope is not lost. You got this! Social media isn’t just for Instagramming your bling’d out graduation cap or staying in touch with your fellow…
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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 →
My research passion is about college students and how social media and technology impacts the developmental process. Unfortunately, I’ve found a lot of the discourse in student affairs around this subject to be lacking. When you attend a conference session or read a thought piece centered around this topic, they often focus on marketing, technological tools, and... 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 →
Being an instructor in the Higher Education Master’s programs at Boston College and Merrimack College, and as former Res Lifer, I’ve always been interested in how to advance student learning outcomes through the use of technology and social media in classroom and training environments. I’ll have the opportunity to present on both at the upcoming... Continue Reading →
One of the most popular readings I assign in my spring semester Higher Education practicum courses is from The Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenge of Life in Your Twenties. Although the cultural references within are somewhat dated, the concepts still resonate with their audience just as strongly. It seems to uniquely capture some of the... Continue Reading →
I'm heading to the Association for the Study of Higher Education national conference in St. Louis this week. I'm excited to be presenting a Future in 6:40 session with some amazing colleagues. (If you're new to all this, you can find out about PechaKucha's and what's been done in the past, here.) Here is what... Continue Reading →
Today, I am pleased to launch a resource page for higher education and student affairs professionals interested in organizing their own PechaKucha presentations as a part of the "Future Series." The "Future Series" is something I first conceived of back in the Summer of 2012. The Future series entails a diverse group of colleagues coming together to... 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 →
Last week I had the privilege of being invited to speak to the amazing staff at Johnson & Wales University in Denver and also do a five-hour consultation on their social media efforts. I have done a number of social media consults for departments, and other campus entities, and one of the questions that always... Continue Reading →
In his 1989 work, The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg floated the idea of our needing a “third place.” Our first place is our home, where we live. Our second place is our work, where we spend a large portion of our time. Our “third place,” however, is an informal space that brings us together... Continue Reading →
I had the privilege of giving two presentations at the 2013 Dalton Institute on College Student Values at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The theme of this year's institute was "Character in an Age of Self-Promotion: Exploring the Role of Social Media on College Student Development." Obviously, perfectly suited for me and my research passions. 🙂 The abstracts and... 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 →
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