different shoes Archives

Jay Choi in his article Put Your Ear to the Ground: Engaging More Directly talks about the importance of engaging directly with the people you manage.

Community college instructors can use new powerful social media tools along with Choi’s management tips to increase student engagement.

Take opportunities to talk face-to-face with students

Although students love to connect with social media, instructors should still look for opportunities to talk face-to-face with students. This may sound obvious to an outsider, but students are much different than they were twenty or even ten years ago.

Students no longer visit faculty in their offices. They register online, attend orientation online, and contact their instructors online. Faculty should look for opportunities to meet with students face-to-face when possible by attending sporting events, sponsoring clubs, or just hanging around a little longer after class.

Actually experience the good or service you provide

It is easy for faculty to get bogged down with grading papers, preparing lectures, and attending committee meetings. We sometimes forget the importance of our finished product. We need to connect with business owners who have hired our graduates to find out how they are performing on the job. Also, it is important to talk to graduates to see if they feel they have the needed skills to be successful after graduation. Surveying businesses and graduates via social media such as Facebook sometimes gives a higher response rate than mailing out surveys or trying to contact by phone.

Put yourselves in different shoes to solve complex problems

Faculty forget what it is like to be a student. If it has been many years since you have attended school as a student, enroll in a class at the college where you teach. If you don’t want to be stressed out over a grade, audit the class. It helps to look at the college through the eyes of a student.

Go where the water is fresh

Learn something new. Stay up-to-date on trends. Instructors can share excitement with students and colleagues when they are learning and keeping up with new trends and ideas. It is always better to change before you are forced to change.

According to Eric Stoller (2011), a prevalent trend in education is the use of social media to engage students. Many faculty have been slow to adopt social media in the classroom. Social media can be used to engage students and may improve student learning outcomes and retention.

Social media offers endless ways for faculty to connect with other professionals and stay up-to-date with trends. Professional relationships can be nurtured through interaction and sharing.