Session Type: Storytelling
Competency: Leadership, management and administration, Student advising, support and advocacy
Room: Coles/Gray/Palmer
7.14. Welcome to Mount Royal! A cross-campus approach to creating connection for new students
Shea Ellingham, Manager, Academic Advising Services, Mount Royal University; Sarah Rude, Student Success Coordinator, Mount Royal University
With an understanding of the importance of a successful transition to post-secondary, Mount Royal University assembled a cross-campus team to launch a one-day event for 1000 new students. With a focus on integrating academic advising and peer registration assistance, students (& parents) were welcomed to campus. Institutional challenges, including applicant yield rates and registration patterns, further guided the design of the event. After a brief review of relevant theoretical perspectives, this presentation will discuss the institutional challenges leading to the event, the history behind its development, a review of the logistics, results (both positive and negative), and plans moving forward.
Program Description
For students to be successful, they must have a firm grasp of their program, the institution they are attending and the support services that are available to them (Tinto, 1993; Astin, 1984; Kuh, 2004). But it’s not simply awareness and understanding that affects student success, it’s also their own engagement and momentum that will see them persist through to graduation. Academic momentum suggests that the more credits that students complete in their first year of post-secondary, the more likely their chances of graduation (Attewell, Heil and Reisel, 2012). Furthermore, establishing and reinforcing expectations are key to a student’s journey to completion of a credential (Tinto, 1993) and a sense of connectedness to an institution is a critical factor in student success (Lizzio, 2006).
With an understanding of the importance of a successful transition to post-secondary, Mount Royal University assembled a cross-campus team to launch a one-day registration event for 1000 new students. With a focus on integrating academic advising and peer registration assistance, students (& parents) were welcomed to campus. The role of the advisor can be compared to that of a navigator guiding students on a path to a successful transition to post-secondary education (Strayhorn, 2015). Often described as the hub of the wheel providing links to services, academic advisors play an important role in supporting students in their educational journey (King and Kerr, 2004), and as such, advising represented the driving factor behind the development of the event. Institutional challenges, including applicant yield rates and registration patterns, further guided the design of the day.
The goals for this event were to help students foster a sense of belonging and connectedness with the University well before the start of classes, provide them with an opportunity to interact with a student peer who could give them insight into the student experience, introduce them to their academic advisor, and showcase the student services available to provide support and engagement throughout their student experience. In addition, this conversion event was designed to positively impact applicant yield rates and influence the course-taking patterns of new students through peer registration.
After a brief discussion of relevant theoretical perspectives, this presentation will provide insight into the institutional challenges leading to the event, the history of its development, a review of the logistics, results (both positive and negative), and plans moving forward.
Session Type: Sounding Board
Community/Network Stream: Student Peer Support Programs, Orientation Transition & Retention
Competency: Strategic planning, research and assessment,Student advising, support and advocacy
Registrarial Practice: Curriculum and Calendar, Front-line Client Services
Room: Tilley
7.15. Matrix Reloaded: How to Measure CCR Success
Rose Lin, Student Life Coordinator, Campus Involvement, University of Toronto; Adam Kuhn, Director, Student & Campus Community Development, University of Toronto; Jeff Burrow, Manager, Assessment & Analysis, University of Toronto
Co-curricular involvement data is collected with student information, but what are the ways in which you can strategically use this data to support institutional goals and priorities? The Co-Curricular Record at the University of Toronto launched in September of 2013 with around 1,500 opportunities and grew to over 6,500 opportunities in five years time. This session will be a discussion on how CCR success is measured at your institution, and learn how U of T uses assessment strategies to inform programming and leveraged co-curricular recognition data to test elements of some of the theories that support the value of engagement.
Program Description
CCR/Ts (co-curricular records/transcripts) recognize learning opportunities beyond the classroom, the record acts both as a tool to help students find and articulate co-curricular experiences, and as an official document of activities that have been completed by students and validated by a staff or faculty member. Some institutions also allow students to validate activities. The CCR network in Canada is quickly expanding as a greater emphasis is now being placed on students’ experiential and skills-based learning, with a view to their employability and life beyond.
The amount of data that institutions capture about their students is staggering. From admissions, student housing, student enrolment, awards and now for some co-curricular participation. The question is how to combine and make use of these immense sources of data to learn more about our students and better support their learning and development? The purpose of this session is to describe how U of T combine these datasets in understanding the student experience around co-curricular involvement, and think strategically about how we can use this data in a meaningful way. Participants in this session will learn about the collaborative process, the data and reports we have been able to generate, and the ways we intend to strategically use the data in combination with other assessment and evaluation data to meet our institutional goals and priorities. This roundtable discussion will also challenge participants to think about the data they have, and how they can use it strategically for various stakeholders.
While there is substantial literature arguing for the benefits of co-curricular involvement on student learning, development and academic success, institutions rarely analyze the relationship between their students’ co-curricular involvement with curricular outcomes. This is partially because until recently, co-curricular engagement has not been formally tracked by institutions. At U of T a cross-campus team representing numerous campus stakeholders worked with the university’s Business Intelligence team and an agile methodology approach. The team identified and brainstormed questions relating to the demographic characteristics and involvement of students in recognized co-curricular activities, which could be used to inform our understanding of who is and who is not involved, and the relationship between this involvement and academic outcomes. These questions laid the foundation to create ‘data cubes and reports’. These reports combine student-level Co-Curricular Record data with student information data. For example, we can compare the grade point of average of students recognized for their co-curricular involvement versus the general population.
Session Type: Roundtable Discussion
Community/Network Stream: Leadership Educators, Co-Curricular Record
Competency: Strategic planning, research and assessment, Student learning and development
Room: Tupper
7.16. Moving Beyond Yes Means Yes
Belinda Karsen, Coordinator, Student Transition and Engagement, University of the Fraser Valley; Ashley Ward-Hall, Coordinator, Coast Capital Peer Resource and Leadership Centre, University of the Fraser Valley; Greg Mather, Manager, Student Wellness and Development, University of the Fraser Valley
Can I kiss you? Eggplant emoji? Netflix and chill? Preventative sexualized violence education for years has dictated three tenets for consensual sex: enthusiasm, verbal, ongoing. However, consent is a nuanced moral, legal, and cultural term which is difficult to codify succinctly. Do you ask your partner if you can kiss them, every time? Do you practice consensual sex by asking before every new action? These questions are difficult to answer because of the context of the relationship. Attend a demonstration of an alternative consent program and discuss opportunities for re-imagining sexualized violence education.
Program Description
Affirmative consent education is the cornerstone of most sexualized violence prevention programs at Canadian post-secondary institutions. Many prevention programs use the following checklist as a type of recipe for consent: enthusiastic, verbal, ongoing. However, recent research indicates that a more nuanced conversation is required because students know these basic tenets and can list them verbatim in a classroom setting, but do not fully incorporate those steps in the ‘bedroom’ (Curtis & Burnett, 2017; Muehlenhard et al., 2016; Jozkowski, et al., 2013). Further, administrative definitions of consent have led to lawsuits by respondents in recent Title IX investigations in the United States. Given that the Canadian post-secondary landscape is a decade behind the United States in the field of prevention, education and response to sexualized violence, a more refined approach to consent education is urgently needed.
Our institution has taken a different approach to the concept of sexual consent, developing a Healthy Relationships workshop founded on social norms theory (Lee, Guy, & Perry, 2008) and focusing on sex-positive communication, single-gender seminars (Vladutiu, Martin, & Macy, 2011), and pleasurable and equitable sexual encounters (McPhail, 2017).
In this session, attendees will observe a condensed version of our institution’s consent training and will:
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review recent relevant research on the topic of affirmative consent, highlighting analyses of policies and educational workshops;
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share current practices and start a discussion about re-imagining preventative curriculum that is more informed by recent literature;
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receive the results of qualitative data collected through an anonymous survey on students’ interpretation and use of affirmative consent.
Session Type: Demonstration
Competency: Student learning and development
Room: John Hamilton
7.17. Developing and Implementing Service Values in the Office of the Registrar
Angelique Saweczko, University Registrar, University of Calgary
The University of Calgary, Office of the Registrar, embarked on project to identify and establish service standards to be used when supporting our students. This presentation will outline the process used to identify and establish standards, the values created and highlights the implementation process used across the department to action the values.
Program Description
The University of Calgary, Office of the Registrar, embarked on project to identify and establish service standards to be used when supporting students for both front line and back office activities. This presentation will outline the process used to identify and establish standards, the values created and highlights the implementation process used across the department to action the values.
The presentation will focus on the framework established for the project to help guide the process and identify key components for teams overseeing the project (a working group and a steering committee). Seven components were identified including:
A. Governance
B. Goals and Objectives
C. Literature Review
D. Tactics
E. Results and Findings
F. Development of the Standards
G. Implementation
The session will demonstrate the process used, lessons learned and the transformation of the original objective.
Session Type: Alternative Session Type
Competency: Leadership, management and administration
Registrarial Practice: Front-line Client Services, Systems & Operations Support
Room: McGee
7.18. Serving Indigenous Students: From Individual Competencies to Institutional Policies, Programs, and Practices A Guide for Frontline Staff, Advisors, and Student Services Professionals
Ian Cull, Associate Vice President, Students, Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia; Michelle Pidgeon, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University; Robert Hancock, Academic Coordinator in the office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement, University of Victoria; Adrienne Vedan, Director of Aboriginal Programs and Services, Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia; Stephanie Barclay-McKeown, Director of Planning and Institutional Research, Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia
In 2017 BCCampus solicited expressions of interest from post-secondary staff and faculty to develop open professional learning resources that contribute to an increased awareness and understanding of Aboriginal histories, cultures, perspectives, and ways of knowing for those who work in post-secondary institutions. The presenters formed a consortium and were selected to develop the open source module for Front-line staff / student services / advisors. The Presenters see these practices as “teachable” to other front line staff and student affairs professionals to serve Indigenous learners across the campus. This presentation is a distillation of the materials developed in this project..
Program Description
Building on the central role that Indigenous student services units play in wholistic supporting Indigenous student success, we see these practices as “teachable” to other front line staff and student affairs professionals to serve Indigenous learners across the campus. Acknowledging that intentional relationships between academic and student affairs units are central to institutions’ ability to serve Indigenous peoples and communities in meaningful ways; and building on the central role that Indigenous student services units play in wholistically supporting Indigenous student success, we see these practices as “teachable” to other front line staff and student affairs professionals to serve Indigenous learners across the campus. In building on the interconnections between the individual, unit/department, and institutional leadership, we see individual competencies as being directly tied to learning outcomes that also influence the policies and practices of units and can improve institutional cultures for Indigenous peoples. Working to decolonize our institutions and indigenize our programs and services is essential not only to serving Indigenous students and communities but also to improving the educational and employment experiences of all students, faculty, and staff.
In this session we will present The Professional Competencies Framework providing individuals who are in front line, student services, or advisor positions working in post-secondary institutes with the ability to assess their own levels of competency working with Indigenous students and communities. We will identify the three levels of professional competencies for working with Indigenous students: general skills and knowledge, interactive competencies, and self mastery. These three levels will provide individuals with the ability to self reflect on their current knowledge and create a learning plan to deepen their understanding.
This is intended to be used as a tool to provide an opportunity for individuals to systematically measure a level of baseline professional competency and skill for monitoring as well as track competency levels on an annual basis.
The presented framework for the professional competencies for serving Indigenous students was written from the perspective of and intended for staff working in student services; however, they can be used for staff across the institution.
Session Type: Panel
Competency: Emotional and interpersonal Intelligence, Indigenous cultural awareness
Stream: Indigenous Cultural Competency
Registrarial Practice: Front-line Client Services, Admissions, Student Recruitment
Room: Chandler
7.19. The Competency Collective: Enriching Your Professional Practice
Julie Guindon, Global Co-Curricular Community Engagement Coordinator, University of Toronto Mississauga; Chris Lengyell, Associate Director, Residence Life, Western University; Neil Buddel, Dean of Students, Centennial College; Tracey Mason-Innes, Director, Residence and Housing, Simon Fraser University; Megan MacKenzie, Manager of Professional Development and Member Engagement, CACUSS
Join our expert panelists as we explore the various ways that the CACUSS Competencies have been implemented since their debut. Discover ways to think critically about using and expanding the competencies for your own professional growth and development. Our panel will share tangible examples of ways that they have begun to put these competencies into practice and together we’ll discuss how we can build towards the collective future of our profession. Engage in a participatory discussion that will get you thinking about practical steps that you can take to identify your own areas of competency-based professional development and take action.
Program Description
In 2016, the CACUSS Competency Model became available to the membership and provided a thorough, and much needed resource for critical thought and discussion around the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in our roles. This resource has opened the doors to provide a common language and framework for student services and affairs practitioners to understand, describe, and assess the cluster of knowledge, skills, and abilities that define our work as student affairs professionals. Now that we have this resource available, what are the next steps? How are educators and administrators using the document to guide and develop their work, and what, exactly, are people doing with it?
Evidenced by the literature review and extensive references included in the model, there is a significant body of research demonstrating the value of competency-based approaches to learning as it relates to describing, measuring and understanding related outcomes (Cheetham & Chivers, 2001; Daley 1999; Seifert & Billing 2010). For those of us in student affairs with a background in education, this is something that many of us are familiar with in terms of our work with students. Yet, rarely do we take the time to consider competencies as they relate to our own professional growth and development. Too often it seems we find ourselves absorbed in our day-to-day responsibilities, dedicated to the development of students, that we miss the opportunity to think critically about the ways in which we are learning and growing as professionals ourselves.
Join us as we dig into what has been happening with the competency model as we chat with a diverse panel of professionals who have begun to use this resource as a guide in their work. We will share perspectives from a variety of areas; faculty and classroom teaching, program development and management, and campus specific professional development working groups. The discussion will include a reflection from the team that led the development of the model, as well as an opportunity to hear directly from the CACUSS executive on how we can work to incorporate the competencies in more consistent and intentional ways.
Finally, we invite you, the membership to speak up. How have you been using the resource? What questions do you have? How should we look to use the competency model in the future, and what suggestions do you have to unleash its full potential?
Session Type: Panel
Competency: Leadership, management and administration,Strategic planning, research and assessment
Room: Pope
CONCURRENT SESSIONS 8
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
1:45PM – 2:15PM
8.01. You Can Lead a Student to the Gym... But You Can't Make 'Em Lift! Lessons Learned from the Development of a Physical Activity/Mental Health Program
Freeman Woolnough, Residence Outreach Counsellor, Beth Blackett Queen's University; Health Promotion Coordinator, Queen’s University
We know students with mental health concerns benefit from regular physical activity. But can we get them to actually work out? Building on SFU’s fantastic ‘Active Health’ program, Queen’s University has seen great success (ex., 100% retention rate) from a new program connecting students experiencing anxiety and/or depression to opportunities for physical activity. However, the pathway has not been entirely smooth… In this session, full of concrete lessons learned and strategies developed, we will discuss programming that connects physical activity with mental health. There will be opportunities to share and connect with others to address specific challenges along the way.
Program Description
Research has shown that regular physical activity is a beneficial tool for treatment of adverse mental health symptoms, and can significantly improve both physical and mental health in people experiencing depression and/or anxiety (Stanton & Reaburn, 2014). However, despite these benefits less than 25% of Queen’s University students meet the Canadian physical activity guidelines (ACHA, 2016). With these numbers in mind amid the increasing rates of mental health disorders among post-secondary students (COU, 2017), staff and faculty at Queen’s had two important questions:
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Can we increase the amount of physical activity being practiced by students experiencing mental health concerns?
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Will we see a change in these students’ symptoms of anxiety and/or depression?
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After implementing a new and innovative pilot program in the winter of 2017, it turns out that the answer to both of these questions is a resounding ‘yes’.
Using lessons learned from Simon Fraser’s ‘Active Health’ program (Simon Fraser University, n.d.), staff and faculty at Queen’s developed a program connecting students experiencing mental health concerns with opportunities to increase physical activity. It is important to note that similar programs are gaining traction at a number of other institutions (Babcock, 2016; Mount Royal, 2016; PAC Project, 2005). The Prescription Exercise at Queen’s (PE-Q) program involves significant collaboration between campus partners, including wellness services, residences, athletics, various student groups, and faculty, all of whom have all been integral in the implementation of the program.
The PE-Q program began in winter 2017, and after promising preliminary results, expanded to include a Brief Action Planning component (CCMI, n.d.). Throughout these changes, we have seen some fantastic successes – but we have also seen roadblocks, and we continue to learn important lessons regarding how to ensure that the program’s successes endure. In this storytelling session, we will begin by briefly sharing the process of developing the PE-Q program. We will then discuss the elements of the program that have changed and, before presenting data from a research study associated with the program. Finally, participants will have the opportunity to discuss how lessons learned from the PE-Q program can apply to program development on their own campus; our hope is that all participants will leave the session with at least one concrete goal for program development. The collaborative nature of this discussion will provide ample opportunity for CACUSS members from all divisions to share insights about experiences connecting physical and mental health.
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