Student Engagement
Student Clubs
Since I started at Broward College, I have been involved in student engagement outside of the classroom whether that is in the form of attending student functions, attending campus functions and bringing my classes, or volunteering to be an advisor for student clubs. I have had the great privilege of being an advisor for three student clubs, and mentoring the students as they engaged in service, recruitment drives, fundraisers, and attending conferences. In my role as advisor for Phi Theta Kappa Omega Phi (PTK) at North Campus, I helped students with scholarship proposals, classwork, induction ceremonies, and attending both regional and national conferences. In my role as advisor for the Virtual and Digital Media (VDM) club, I worked with the students as they planned recruitment drives, monthly meetings, contests, tournaments, and presentations. I was also able to take some of the VDM students to a conference where they saw firsthand the kinds of jobs they can get by being involved in virtual and digital media. In addition, during my time as advisor, the executive board of the VDM partnered with Senpai’s Studios, a local gaming company that specializes in tabletop and card games, to run a contest wherein the student winners would be able to design a character for an upcoming project.
Although, I enjoyed my role as advisor to both PTK and VDM student clubs, when I took the North Campus Honors Coordinator position, I also became the advisor for the Honors Student Committee (HSC), so I had to leave the advisor role for both PTK and the VDM. In my role as the advisor for the Honors College Student Committee (HSC), I worked with the honors students as they planned community service events, recruitment drives, monthly meetings, information sessions, and scholarship and transfer applications.
In my position as the North Campus Honors Coordinator, I have been able to work with BC’s honors students and mentor them as they presented their work at the annual Honors Colloquium and as they attended the Florida Collegiate Honors Council (FCHC) annual conference.
Scavenger Hunt
At the end of each semester, with the exception of the pandemic years, I host a scavenger hunt for my students on the last day of classes. I designed the scavenger hunt so that the students have to visit some student resources that they may not be aware of. At each clue location, the students must take a photo or video and send them to me as proof they have completed the clue.
The end goal is for the students to collect a special memento I have left for them somewhere on campus, and then to find me. I have found that this end of semester activity always ends with the students having fun and relaxing a little before they head into finals week.
Student Advice
Often, I have found that imparting wisdom and best practices to students does not always work because I am the professor, and they hear the same advice from other professors. However, I found a way around that by coming up with a Meme Assignment for my students.
I ask them to create a meme giving future students advice, and I turn them into a presentation for the next semester’s students.
Course Evaluations/Student Feedback/Comments
Student comments are something that I value and look forward to each semester. Please enjoy these excerpts from BC student course evaluations.
Ice Breakers
I start each semester with a unique community building “ice-breaker.” In the first week of class, I ask the students to get into groups of three and ask them to do two things: Introduce themselves to each other and share their pathway with each other. I then hand each student one “getting to know you” card and ask them to do two things: ask each group member the question on their card and pick one of the questions to ask me when I come to their group. After letting the students ask each other questions for about ten minutes, I then visit each group and let them ask me the question of their choosing. After I have visited each group, I bring us back together as a whole group, and then I let them ask me any question that I have not already answered.
This activity never fails to build a community feeling in my classes; however, I was not sure how this would transfer to a virtual environment when we went remote. After trying and failing many times, I came up with a digital version. The night before the activity is planned, I email each student a slide with a card on it. When we get to class, I ask them to open their email and download the slide. I then put them in breakout rooms and follow the same process.
wRites of Spring
Throughout my time at Broward College, I have been encouraged students to attend the annual wRites of Spring event held at North Campus, and I have participated in the events by having students do presentations on and about the author and his/her work.
In 2021, I was asked to be the Co-Chair for the annual wRites of Spring event at North Campus. In my new role, contacted and obtained the 2022 author, Kij Johnson, and helped pick the two books we will be using for the 2022 event. In addition, I will help with the planning and event coordination, event scheduling, student engagement, and promotion.
