Online Student Support Symposium

The following set of sessions can be purchased through Individual Digital Access or a Campus Access License. Learn more.

Choice Architecture for Elephants: How Nudges Work at UACCB 
Inspired by the success of behavioral economists, the University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville has implemented structures based on nudging and choice architecture. As part of UACCB’s institutional Guided Pathways efforts, these structures have produced changes in student advising, scheduling, and program redesign. The presenters describe the theory behind choice architecture and the types of environments best suited for this structure. 
Nathaniel Pyle, Director, Academic Advising; Brian Shonk, Vice Chancellor, Academics, University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville 

What Do I Do Now? Using a Culture of Care to Address Concerning Student Behaviors
Faculty and staff are desperate for effective interventions that prevent, mitigate, and address student risks. Discuss how to make the case for collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams and how to use these teams for actions ranging from reporting to intervention. Participants learn groundbreaking practices in threat assessment research and tools. 
Candice Jackson, Director/Title IX Coordinator, Davidson County Community College 

Organizing Support for Success: Community College Leader Perspectives on Student Services
What strategies and structures are community college leaders pursuing to advance their objectives? What constraints limit their ability to enable student success? During this session, the presenters discuss results from a recently released national study of academic and student affairs leaders on current service provision and what’s on the horizon for the future. Hear findings about this community college ecosystem and reflect on your own role in supporting students at your institution. 
Melissa Blankstein, Surveys Analyst, Higher Education; Christine Wolff-Eisenberg, Manager, Surveys and Research, Higher Education, Ithaka S+R 

A Mind at Work: Capitalizing on the Relationship Between Mindset and Student Success
Many of the students who walk through the doors of community colleges have already been told they are not college material. Through intentional and deliberate actions, colleges can begin to move students from nonproductive mindsets to productive mindsets and change the way they feel about past failure. This can lead to more engaged students—and ultimately, more successful students. 
Linda Garcia, Executive Director, Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE), The University of Texas at Austin 

Using Student Support Services to Support Underprepared Students
This session shares how different campus services can be used to support first-generation students, students of color, and returning students. Participants discuss the campus and cultural changes required to properly support these students. Participants also learn about the importance of program assessment and review, and gain access to data regarding the implementation of current innovations such as co-requisite courses. 
Wes Anthony, Director, Developmental Education; Patti Levine-Brown, Assistant Professor, Leadership and Educational Studies, Appalachian State University 

Mental Health and How It Has an Impact on Education
This session focuses on mental health issues that affect students, particularly the impacts of trauma. Discussed are the psychosocial barriers our students face today. Trauma left untreated can have a negative impact on students’ emotional and social development. Participants will advance their knowledge about the various ways trauma affects learning. Participants will also be able to articulate protective factors to share at their institutions and ways to eliminate barriers. 
Monica Burgos, ACES Academic Coach; Jeanette Rojas, Equity and Inclusion Program Manager, Montgomery College 

The Generational Gearbox 
Higher education professionals are experiencing an event that occurs only once every 20-or-so years: The next generation of students is arriving on their campuses, with unique generational strengths and vulnerabilities, biases, and preferences for what they learn and how it is taught, expectations for the total experience they will absorb, and needs from their future employers about the skills they must develop. For student success, all higher education professionals must develop a Generational Gearbox, which enables them to shift gears instantly and accurately when dealing with students from one generation to the next. During this session, Chuck Underwood, one of the half-dozen people who created and popularized the field of Generational Study, presents information about the youngest two generations: The so-called Gen Z, whose current ages are 18 to 22, and the Millennials, ages 23 to 38. 
Chuck Underwood, Founder/Principal, The Generational Imperative, Inc.