[VPAAEtal] Connecting & Preparing for the Fall 2022 Semester

[Academic Affairs]

Dear Colleague,

On Monday, August 29 we have the privilege of being present for a big day in the lives of our new students and an eagerly anticipated one for our continuing students.  Let's make an impression.
I ask that you take a few steps at the start of the semester and through its course to strengthen our relationship with our students.

1.)  Connect your course content and/or skills developed by course assignments with the expectations of the workplace.  State the connection and reaffirm it through the semester.  For some courses/content this is easier or harder, but make the connection nonetheless.  Intake surveys indicate our undergrads' two biggest concerns are graduating on time and getting a job afterward.

2.)  Connect with your students personally on this first day.  This is simpler than it sounds, and needs to be done in a way that is authentically you.   You could tell of a challenge you had as an undergrad.  You might describe a mistake or failure that opened up new opportunities.  You might tell about how you came to be a professor, or talk about the role of a mentor in your life.  Don't underestimate the power of your story!

3.)  Undergraduates benefit from early and frequent feedback on their work.  Surveys of undergrads in November 2018 and November 2021 indicated student dissatisfaction with the timeliness of feedback on assignments.  We can turn that around with a few steps:
                a.  Consider revising your syllabus to include a graded assignment prior before the third week of the semester, if you do not already have one.
                b.  Report grades when Early Intervention opens September 16-October 6 for freshmen, sophomores, and student athletes.
                c.  Keep your grades in D2L gradebook.  This has been required for some time.  Show students how to access the D2L gradebook and understand how grades are calculated.  It is not as clear as you might think!
                d.  Report midterm grades for all students.  This will represent a change in past practice, but it will be helpful for students as well as advising staff.  The Office of Academic Technology is looking into ways to automate this as part of the D2L gradebook.

Connecting our teaching to our students' future.  Connecting to our students as people.  Providing the feedback they need to improve and succeed.  Your help can make a tremendous difference!

I will be visiting each college's fall kick-off this coming week, and welcome whatever questions you might have.

Ricky

Ricky Dobbs, Ph. D.
Professor of History
Associate Provost
SACSCOC Liaison
903-468-8707

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