Stacey Walker
In Motion Staff Writer
Daytona State College’s 10th Annual Academic Excellence Symposium, held at the Hosseini Center on the Daytona Beach Campus, gave 150 or so professors in attendance a homework assignment: Use the skills learned in a series of day-long workshops to enhance their courses so all students who want to, can succeed.
The 20 workshops focused on many aspects of student success, such as: promoting learning that serves a diverse student body; innovative uses for technology; new innovative approaches to teaching vocational programs; increasing retention and engagement; and deepening students’ investment in their own learning.
Among those coordinating the event and or leading workshops were faculty members Elizabeth Barnes, Maggie Karda, Nancy Jones-Lee, Charlene Latimer and Dr. Michelle Lee. In addition, John Brady, Dr. Kristen Getka, Michelle Goldys and Harry Russo were instrumental in its success.
Opening the symposium was keynote speaker Dr. Christiana Harrington, Executive Director for Student Success at the New Jersey Council of Community Colleges.
Dr. Harrington told the audience that her main goal as a Symposium speaker was “to inspire new writing of a motivational syllabus. My goal is to expand the syllabus and get the students motivated.”
Her 40-minute talk shared positive language instructors can use when speaking to students, setting the classroom tone, using visual tools and teaching how to make a good first impression. At the sign-in for the event, participants received a handy pocket guide covering evidence-based instruction.
A self-proclaimed optimist, Dr. Harrington told the crowd their syllabus is the first introductions to them and their class – and their documents must represent that. She recommended they ask themselves, “What messages do I want my syllabus to send to my students and what kind of tone do I want to set?”
From the student’s perspective, she said, the instructor is more approachable – even with difficult information – if the instructor communicates excitement, adds visuals and provides links to campus support centers in their syllabus. Other tips from Dr. Harrington focused on approachability and having a text that reflects the learning outcomes in a course. Throughout the day, there will be a series of High-Impact sessions to help motivate instructors such as.
Greeting symposium guests, who also included faculty from other area colleges and schools, was Daytona Beach Campus Provost Amy Locklear, who introduced Dr. Harrington and shared the good news that DSC is in line for an Aspen Award. The honor is given to the best community colleges in the United States. Daytona State is considered in the top 150 community colleges in the United States. In the past 15 years, five of the colleges chosen for the Aspen Award have been in Florida.