Degreeconomics: Transitioning to a Value-Added Senior-Year Experience

Facilitators:

Dr. Joan E. Leichter Dominick, Associate Professor of Communication and Senior Seminar Course Coordinator, Kennesaw State University and Dan Doerr (scroll to Dan Doerr) , Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Senior Transition and Engagement Programs, University of Connecticut and. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Workshop Description:
In these tough economic times, celebrating commencement can be a challenging
endeavor for our college seniors. Where can we find solutions to assist our seniors?
This workshop explores new and innovative ways to view the Senior-Year Experience as
a value-added opportunity for graduating seniors and institutions. Exploring New Web
2.0 technologies for networking our graduating seniors for career and global citizenship
opportunities, innovative approaches for college portfolio development, showcasing
online and hybrid delivery of senior-year experience transition seminars and programs
creating a campus environment that promises and celebrates a shared vision of senior
success are just some of the solutions explored. Participants will develop intentional
plans for their institutions and have an opportunity to share their best practices.

List of learning objectives/outcomes for workshop participants:
1. Building from the twenty-year history of the Senior-Year Experience, participants will
explore a new emerging view of the Senior-Year Experience Transition as a value-added
initiative in today’s economy.

2. Participants will explore the economic of challenges facing college graduates and
institutions today and how a Senior-Year Experience Transition can provide specific
solutions. Participants will share their insights and solutions.

3. Participants will have hands on training in the design and development of Web 2.0
technologies for intentionally networking graduating seniors with stakeholders in their
success.

4. Participants will review a variety of new deliveries of the Senior-Year Experience
including hybrid seminars, use of ePortfolios, integrating graduate programs to senior
seminar teaching, and an innovative approach that focuses on new Senior-Year
Programs linking institutional services.

5. Participants will have hands-on training in developing college senior portfolios for
student empowerment and its further importance during challenging economic times.

6. Participants will have the opportunity create an intentional plan for developing or,
updating a value-added Senior-Year Experience at their institution.

7. Participants will have the opportunity to become part of developing community
stakeholders that are interested in strategizing the value-added Senior-Year Experience
Transition Process. Web 2.0 Community: Senior Year Experience Strategies (see below).

Detailed outline of what the preconference workshop entails
including any interactive activities and topics of discussion:

The workshop will balance content delivery with opportunities for participants
to engage in learning activities. Within each section of the workshop
participants will connect to the material through reflective learning activities or
have the opportunity to engage with presented content through opportunities
for practice or planning for application. Participants will receive worksheets for
individual/small group brainstorming, sharing the results/discussion, and then
will develop individuals/groups construct action plans at their institutions for
either implementing or re-visioning their campus version of Senior-Year
Experience. Below is a working outline of the workshop.

Outline of Workshop:

1. Section I – Introduction

a. Introduction of presenters and participants

b. Reflective activity – accessing current student and institutional challenges

c. Overview of challenges facing seniors and institutions and review of recent study of SYE Programs

2. Section II – Educational programming, course delivery, and transitional
support

a. Portfolios

b. Web 2.0

c. Hybrid course delivery (KSU) and Traditional Course Delivery (UConn)

d. Partnering with graduate programs

e. Learning activity – practicing web 2.0 and exploring hybrid course

3. Section III – Service coordination and senior success

a. Reflective activity – current practices and barriers in senior services

b. Changing the conceptual approach

c. Centralizing senior information

d. Coordinating services for optimal impact

4. Section IV – Planning for application

a. Individual and group processing

b. Sharing of results

c. Action plan activity

Brief description of what handouts will include:

1. This website housing resources for Senior Year Experience and Tranistion Courses and Programs.

2. Participants will have access to a blind study of seven SYE institutions and their programs conducted by the Advisory Board Company this past summer 2009. This study showcases seven innovative models of SYE Programs. Permission to use this research was secured from the Advsory Board Company.

3. Participants will have an outline and worksheets to design their intentional Value-
added Senior-Year Experience Transition

4. Participants will have handouts on the latest use of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 strategies
to enhance Senior-Year Experience Programs, from The Complete Graduate Resource

5. Access to Degreecomics Webpage, which contains articles graduating in the current
economy

6. Access to explore an hybrid seminar design a senior seminar course (Adobe Captivate Video)

7. Get an invitivation to join Web 2.0 Senior Network Communities for KSU 4401: Senior Seminar Students, course guest lecturers, and stakeholders in KSU Senior Success.

8. Get an invitiation to the Web 2.0 Community entitled Senior-Year Experience Strategies. Started at the SIT 2008 Conference by Dr. Joan E. Leichter Dominick to continue the SYE discussions resulting from her SYE Roundtable and SYE Poster Presentation.  Once you are a member, you can invite other SYE stakeholder to continue discussions, send emails, start groups, chats, post events, etc. For more information see a screen shot of the community below.

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Continue the discussion of the preconference workshop by joining on the Web 2.0 Community Senior-Year Experience Strategies  @ http://www.senioryearexperiencestrategies.ning.com: (private community send your email for an invitation) Created for Stakeholders in College Senior Year Experience

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Special thanks to President Emeritus Betty Siegel for beginning the Senior-Year Experience, President Daniel Papp, Dr. Lendley Black, Dean Ralph Rascati, and to Dr. Rebecca Casey, Chair of the Department of University Studies, for her constant support of the Folio Thinking Process in our student success programs. To Dr. Randy Hinds and Mr. Karl Aldag for supporting my growth and development in the technology of teaching and learning. Thanks to my colleagues at KSU Multimedia Develop Group Patti Dunne, Dale Suffridge and ITS Trainers Sid Kemp, Motaz Sharkasi. Thanks to Ben Cope, KSU Alumnus, EPOC Designs & Internet Genius.