StudentAffairs – Page 3

This week I will be in Tampa, FL for the 2015 ACPA Convention (Follow #ACPA15 chat on Twitter). Besides getting a chance to warm up from the chilly winter weather, I am looking forward to connecting with a number of student affairs (SA) professionals and faculty who will be attending. This year’s convention holds a number of informative and interactive sessions in the program to support professional development and scholarly research for SA educators. I have a few meetings (#ACPAdigital and #ACPA16, I’m looking at you!); however I am really looking forward to catching up with a number of colleagues who will be in attendance. I suspect a number of hugs and high fives will happen soon.

Part of my time in the next couple of days will be spent with the fine folks I have been fortunate to work with on the ACPA Digital Task Force (#ACPAdigital).

The association established #ACPAdigital to make recommendations on how student affair educators can best advance the application of digital technology in higher education, specifically through informed scholarship and practice. Being charged with reviewing how ACPA will be a leader in the field, this task force was divided into four working subgroups:

Proven Practices
Knowledge and Skills
Research and Scholarship
Informed and Responsible Engagement with Social Technology

While serving on the #ACPAdigital task force this year, I can personally say, the efforts made to evaluate and assess and how current educators shape student development for digital learning has been impressive. As I review the 49-page report we are sharing with the ACPA leadership this week, I am looking forward to the conversations we will have about our findings, recommendations, questions and proposed research agenda. It is critical that student affairs and learner support entities in post-secondary education consider how technological advancements will impact the work we do with students in face-to-face, blended, and online learning environments. This groups needs to be at the table for discussions on distance education and workforce preparation considerations. I am excited to be part of the discussion and push to move in this direction with student affairs. To learn more about this report and #ACPAdigital’s work, be sure to review the task force website: http://digitaltaskforce.myacpa.org/

As a member of the Informed and Responsible Engagement with Social Technology (IREST) group, I was part of the collaborative author team who contributed to updating Erik Qualman’s What Happens in Vegas Goes on YouTube. The last few months of swapping ideas, sharing resources, discussing issues, and making edits with Paul, Jason, Courtney, and Erik has been great – and we’re so pleased that we are able to share our efforts this week at #ACPA15:

The ACPA co-branded book, What Happens on Campus Stays on YouTube, is designed to have your students reflect on their digital identity, with regards to their college experience and future personal/professional development. For #ACPA15, early release copies of book will be available for sale ($11.99) and the official launch on Amazon/public sale will be in April 2015. If you want to get a sneak peek of the book before everyone else, get your copy at the ACPA Booth in the Expo Hall or join our #SAreads event happening on Saturday (3/7) from 12:30-1:30 pm at the #ACPATrendingNow round tables in the Marketplace with Courtney and myself. If you are interested in bulk orders for your curriculum or campus, please be sure to reach out to Courtney O’Connell so she can discuss options best for your institutional needs.

Will you be found at the harbor front this week for #ACPA15? Let me know – I would love to have a chat and catch up. See you soon!

ACPAdigital, StudentAffairs

Introducing the @ACPA Digital Task Force: Project Planning

August 27, 2014August 27, 2014 Laura Pasquini

This year I am fortunate to be collaborating with an invested group of scholar-practitioners on the ACPA Digital Task Force to examine how technology impacts and influences post-secondary education student development. The various teams involved will focus on how the digital realm influences our campus communities, with regards to crisis management, communication channels, programming initiatives, learner competencies, practitioner implications, curriculum development, and research contributions.

This year our specific team, comprise of Paul, Jason, Erik & myself, will be working on “Informed and Responsible Engagement with Social Technology.” Here is a snapshot of what our key focus area is about from the blog:

Our work is focused on educating students about their use of social and digital technologies. To that end, our group will focus on how to effectively educate students on:

The new rules of social technology engagement.
Acting authentically, ethically and with civility in one’s online and offline life.
The opportunities and impact of social technology participation.

Although students are our main priority, we also recognize that educators need to be informed and skilled to engage students on this topic. Therefore, our group will also focus on educating educators on these topics and how they can translate this knowledge into learning opportunities for their students.

We are interested in getting feedback, soliciting author contributions, writing educational resources, and more as the year progresses. If you are currently working on resources for informed and responsible use of social technology for campus, specifically for your learners – let us know! Do you have experience in collaborative writing, curriculum development, instructional design, and/or creating train-the-training facilitation guides? We want to hear from you!

To learn more about The ACPA Digital Task Force:

http://digitaltaskforce.myacpa.org/

StudentAffairs

A.M.A. (For Real) on the @SAreddit Series

June 6, 2014August 12, 2019 Laura Pasquini

Not sure completely why, but I was asked to join the new @SAReddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) Reddit Series…so I thought, why not?

As a frequent reader of Reddit threads, I figured it might be just the time to play in the “r” sandbox. There are a few lively and talkative communities sharing links, comments, and ideas in this space. If you have never used Reddit, have I got the “HOW TO” guide (or two) for you.

As for AMA, these Q & A discussions are often set up for celebrities, politicians, deans, and the like. Since I don’t fall into any of these categories, I will just assume this Q & A will take on my “ASK AN ADVISOR” role to discuss my varied experiences with academic advising, career counseling, doctoral/dissertation life, learning technologies, higher ed, organization/community research, and so on. Want to know more about my rogue experiences in student affairs? Interested in getting connected to the field of advising? Considering a PhD for yourself? Want to know how to balance school, work, and play in higher ed? I might have a few answers for you on the AMA Laura Pasquini thread on Monday, June 9, 2014. Post a QUESTION here:

Click here to ask questions, comment, or add snark:

http://redd.it/27hehe

Want to know more? Follow the conversation on the studentaffairs Reddit. Subscribe to /r/studentaffairs to ask questions, share resources, or just talk and socialize with other SA professionals! Please grow the community by sharing with your friends & colleagues.

Here’s the AMA studentaffairs Series line up for future dates with more to come from the moderators Nate, @JennaMagnuski, and Dan:

June 9 – Laura Pasquini, Academic Advisor, NACADA board member, and EdTech Champion

June 16 – Kasandrea Sereno, college success counselor and academic advisor, with past work in admissions, orientation, housing, greek life, and first year experience

June 23 –

June 30 – Jenna & Nate Magnuski, Live-in student affairs parents

July 7 – Stacy Oliver, Associate Director of ResLife at Lake Forest College & GLACUHO president

July 14 – Tom Krieglstein, Mastermind of Swiftkick & Founder of various digital communities (including #sachat)

July 21 –

July 28 – Leah Westcott, Editor-in-Chief of Cronk News

August 4 –

August 11 – John Wesley Lowery, scholar in student conduct/higher education law & history of higher education, chair of IUP’s SAHE program

Who do you want to participate in an AMA? Let @SAreddit and @JennaMagnuski know! Or post a comment below. 🙂

Reflections, StudentAffairs

#asbABQ13: Service Learning, Shared Experiences & Connecting to Pay it Forward

March 23, 2013March 23, 2013 Laura Pasquini

During the University of North Texas (UNT) Spring Break (March 11-15) I joined a group of undergraduate students on an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) road trip for some service learning in New Mexico – #asbABQ13.

The focus for our volunteering was around the theme of homelessness, so we logged some time at the Roadrunners Food Bank and moving furniture for the “Helping Hands” with the Metropolitan Homelessness Project in Albuquerque, NM (#asbABQ13). You may recall our Student Launcher website (that is still open – hint, hint): http://StudentLauncher.org/9cab [Closes March 28, 2013].

We were one of the many UNT Alternative Spring Break trips created for students who want to give back to their community and participate in a service learning while away from academics. It has also been a very enlightening week for the group as it was the “1st” time for ASB participation & volunteering, visiting the state of New Mexico, travelling without family, or evening being on top of or even seeing mountains. The ASB trip’s focus was on homelessness and socio-economic issues facing the US today – specifically around the distribution of wealth reality.

During the week our group packed boxing of meat, moved furniture, sorted linens/donations, organized breakfast boxes, and more. Most the week’s work confronted a number of students with what it meant to do more with less. The final day of service impacted the #asbABQ13 team the most, since we were meeting recently placed tenants when delivering furniture to their new dwellings. The students learned that many of the new tenants had been living on the street anywhere from 5 to 30 years, and often dealing with medical needs and other issues. The final day did involved a great deal of physical work; however the heavy lifting was rewarded by the smiling faces of new residents.

Thanks for a great week in New Mexico Team #asbABQ13: Suliat, Lasha, Alyssa, DeDe, Asmara, Briatni & Irene!

Over the course of the week, our #asbABQ13 group talked about how we spend money, not waste food, and take for granted our comforts of living. It was pretty impressive to learn that our few days of efforts helped so much. Earlier this week, I received a message from the Roadrunner Food Bank thanking us for our efforts:

To continue the spirit of giving back, the #asbABQ13 group plans to collect donations that will all go directly to the Roadrunner Food Bank. We learned that dollar donations can go a long way to fill the nutritional needs for the food distribution center. If you have $5-20 to spare, PLEASE consider contributing to our Student Launcher site: http://StudentLauncher.org/9cab

It was an eventful week of service with many new experiences, group projects, and delightful interactions. I am looking forward to seeing how this ASB trip impacts everyone now that we are back on campus. My plan is to continue being involved on and around campus beyond this service trip, and, of course, staying in touch with this amazing group of students:

EdTech, Higher Education, Social Media, StudentAffairs

#SXSWedu Panel: Social Media in Higher Ed – Where Are We Going? #smHE

March 4, 2013March 5, 2013 Laura Pasquini

Are you attending the SXSW Edu (#SXSWedu) conference in Austin this week? Why not drop into our panel just after the opening of #SXSWedu? Join our session on Monday, March 4th from 1:30-2:30 pm in the Austin Convention Center Room #15. Here is the skinny on our panel:

Panel: Social Media in Higher Ed – Where Are We Going?

Image c/o Justonescarf

100% of Colleges and Universities are now adopting “social media” tools to engage students. While strategies and tactics vary per institution there has been little analysis into the effectiveness of these networks both from the student and institutional perspective. Social Media Managers have been hired, consultants have been giving “best practices” on how to use “free tools” but is all this network chasing really getting us anywhere? In this panel we’ll showcase examples of good and bad social media implementation, and use these as a framework to discuss what a meaningful social media strategy and guidance looks like.

Intended Audience: Higher Education; Student Affairs; Academic Affairs; Faculty; Ed Tech Start Ups

Join the dialogue with Tanya (@tjoosten), Brandon (@bcroke), Brad (@bradpopilolek), and myself (@laurapasquini) as we chat about these three central questions proposed by our panel:

1. What does a failed social media strategy look like? How do we know social media failed OR was successful? Do we need social media strategy, guidance, or policy on our campus?

2. What does a successful social media strategy look like? What are three pillars every social media initiative should have? What works really well with using social media? What initiatives have you seen?

3. What role should institutions play in engaging students with social media? How should institutions engage social media? Why should we use social media? How can the different players on campus (faculty, administrators, students, developers, industry, & start ups) work together and collaborate for purposeful social media use?

If you have a question and you want to chime in during the session (near or far), I’ll be tracking the conversation with the hashtag #smHE to collect your questions, thoughts, and contributions before and during our panel session. What questions do you have about social media in higher education? Let me know.

UPDATED: Slide Deck & #smHE Tweets Collected. Enjoy.

#SXSWed Panel: Social Media in Higher Ed – Where Are We Going?#smHE (with images, tweets) · laurapasquini · Storify or http://bit.ly/Z422Pw

Category: StudentAffairs

Technological Advancements & Considerations for Student Affairs at #ACPA15

A.M.A. (For Real) on the @SAreddit Series

#asbABQ13: Service Learning, Shared Experiences & Connecting to Pay it Forward