Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Our Challenges

During the call today, you shared several challenges that you've faced this quarter. Please take some time to review them, and then offer comments in the blog with potential solutions for these challenges. We'll discuss them during our next team call.

- Getting students to attend open workshops (even when workshops are heavily marketed and students show interest)

- Completing Binders & System tasks

- Managing quantity of workshops

- Finding time to make photocopies for workshops, handouts, etc.

- Not many students visiting or working in the library

- Time/Finding Time/Time Management - everything takes longer than expected

- Communication with faculty/ scheduling test proctoring

- Excel 2007

- Keeping up with Cataloging


EDO

11 comments:

KarenE said...

Getting students to attend open workshops (even when workshops are heavily marketed and students show interest)

What about incentives like handing out a coupon to anyone (any class) that shows interest and having them submit them at the workshop for a drawing?

Communication with faculty/ scheduling test proctoring

A potential solution would be
to offer regularly scheduled times that you would be available in the library to proctor, putting YOU in control.

Emily said...

I agree. If you are made responsible for proctoring tests, you and the Dean should make up a "Proctor Schedule", share that with the faculty (because they are the ones sending students to the library, after all), and then post it and e-mail it to the students.

You should also enlist the assist of faculty to sit in the library to proctor tests during non-class hours.

Amy Springer said...

Karen- I like the idea of handing out coupons in class for a drawing.. That's a good idea. I'll have to try that next time I have an open workshop.

Amy Springer said...

As for - Finding time to make photocopies for workshops, handouts, etc.
I know that Dennis does not have a work study. Could you borrow another employee's work study or ask a tutor to help? I can't imagine doing all of my photocopying.. There's just too much. I am constantly running out of the hand-outs that I have available in the library.

Cynthia said...

On our campus, the mentor center coordinator is responsible for the proctoring of tests. He has a printed sheet of directions along with a form for faculty to fill out. These have been emailed to all faculty and printed copies placed in their mailboxes. Faculty has to arrange the date and time for the test with him. That way he can be sure that someone is available to proctor.

The form faculty has to fill out includes:
Faculty Name
Course Number/Name
Quarter
Date/time arranged for test
Student's Name
Time allowed for exam
Materials supplied for exam

On the bottom of the form to be filled out by the proctor is:
Proctor Name
ID of Student (DL,Student ID, etc.)
Date/Time student started exam
Date/Time student completed exam
Exam proctor signature

We do have one instructor that met with his students to proctor their exams.

Dennis said...

For the photocopying problem I will check and see if a tutor or a work study is available to help.

My campus is the same as Cynthia's when it comes to test proctoring. The Student Success Center handles it and they have forms and procedures for this.

Chandra said...

I love the suggestions for test proctoring slips. I'll bring it up with my dean and mentor center person.

Finding time to make photocopies for workshops, handouts, etc.

My campus has several work studies, including one who helps in the office. We've made a little copy request slip which gets clipped to an original and put in a tray. (Number of copies needed, finishing instructions, time needed) Then the various work study students check the tray througout the day and make the requested copies. I'm not sure how much the procedure gets used by instructors, though.

Chandra said...

Completing Binders & System tasks

I gave the task of updating my binders to a work study I trusted not to snoop. She familiarized herself with the binders. Then I logged her into Chipsnet and explained the folders on the library page. Then she simply went through the folders and binders, item by item, and printed out anything that had been updated. I was working on a different project in the library at the same time in case she had questions.

Beth said...

Did Dan say he had an Excell 2007 handout available? That would be great to use. Also I plan on talking to the instructor that teaches it to setup a one-on-one session and possibly a workshop for fac/staff and students. I like Chandra's idea of using a trusted workstudy for updates to the binder.

LisaS said...

Karen and Amy:
I like the idea of coupons for a drawing afterward but where does the money come from?

I think that the timing has much to do with this problem. This week I had an open workshop. I sat with my dean to pick out the day and times that would not interfere with classtime but students would still be around. No one showed up at the 11:20 and the only reason my 7:00 was saved was that a teacher asked if she could bring her class. I found out later from my workstudy that not all teachers give students a break at 7 some choose 6:30.

Would it benefit us to do more with the teachers? Such as creating a flyer of what we feel comfortable presenting and make sure that all faculty gets a copy?

Amy Springer said...

I am going to consistently do APizzaA every quarter b/c the name is becoming a staple at my campus. Students see the signage and emails and think, "wow, I remember my classmate going to that last quarter. I should go this quarter." The money for pizza and gift cards is allocated in our budget. Lisa, you should talk to Emily about that.

I had a GREAT turnout for my APizzaA this quarter, and I credit this to signage, emails, posting on the student portal, posting on my campus TV, collaboration with instructors (extra credit certificates), and I put fliers for my workshop in each of the instructors' mailboxes with the correct # of each of their students.