This presentation showcases the successful partnership between Academic and Student Services departments to deliver a comprehensive continuum of supports into the hands of today’s nontraditional, online, university learners. It takes a village, such as the one showcased in this presentation, to meet the needs of today’s well-deserving student.
It Takes a Village: SupportU in Action
This presentation showcases the successful partnership between Academic and Student Services departments to deliver a comprehensive continuum of supports into the hands of today’s nontraditional, online, university learners. It takes a village, such as the one showcased in this presentation, to meet the needs of today’s well-deserving student.
The needs of today’s learners “run wide and deep”. Students bring questions from wanting to know how to obtain an online textbook, to how to use APA style formatting, or complete a math assignment, to seeking advice about what to do with a personal financial, family, or time management issue. Learners’ questions are not only diverse, they require answers from experts in areas such as academic tutoring, financial aid, and employment. It takes the expertise of a village, many professionals who come together, to serve our worthy learners.
Partnering with professionals across the organization is essential to the delivery of comprehensive and effective services. Some of the professionals represent student supports such as a Writing Center, Library, Access & Wellness, and Career Services. But even these are not enough without full engagement and partnership with Enrollment Advising and Student Advising experts. It is often the Advisor who has the most long-standing and intimate relationship with the learner. Advisors are key to getting supports into the hands of students when they need them. For this reason, those who provide supports must engage Advising teams.
So how did we do it? How did we bring together such diverse departments? We will share our common philosophy, our focus on student learning, and some of our strategies. These include ongoing presentations, email campaigns, an Open House, and continuous open dialogue. Join us and learn how we broke down our silos to create SupportU, a comprehensive continuum of services.
We encourage anyone in higher education, online settings, multi-department organizations, and/or who is committed to serving ALL learners to join us. We will share materials prior to and during the conference, and will post them on the conference website.
Outcomes include a greater understanding of the importance of collaboration across departments, increased skills in breaking down silos, and knowledge of specific strategies to create a comprehensive continuum of student supports.