Profs-in-Space: In Full Swing!

By Daniella Gentile

The Prof-in-Space initiative, an initiative based on research around first year learning communities programming and the importance of connections between classroom and co-curricular spaces in student success, has been running in full force!

First year students have begun to feel a belonging to the academic culture at UBC, through various events held by the advisors and Faculty connected to their specific first year space. The focus in the last month has been midterms!

Collegia Profs-in-spaces’, Celeste Leander and Kevin Fisher, along with the Collegia student advisors, have been engaging first-year students in more than just traditional study sessions.

At the Arbutus Collegia, Celeste has set up drop-in baking sessions where students can discuss midterm strategies and questions. The sessions also run throughout the term and offer students a light-hearted platform for studying. At the Oak Collegia, students took part in Chips and Tips, where Collegia Advisors and Kevin Fisher shared their study strategies ranging from mind mapping, time management and importance of taking a break for personal wellness while snacking on chips. Advisors connected with the the first year spaces are always there to give students guidance and share their first hand experiences. Along with planned and semi-planned events held by Profs-in-Space, students can also expect spontaneous activities such as the Haiku competition suggested by Celeste and brilliantly executed by the Collegium students and advisors!

To learn more about the Prof-in-space initiative, check out this link from the UBC main landing page: http://www.ubc.ca/stories/2016-fall/professor.html

Competition in Higher Ed

By Nick Thornton

I recently gave a workshop to the MasterCard scholars and the group had a lot of questions about time management – in particular, balancing the vast number of commitments they have, combined with trying to get enough sleep. There were a few comments about the perception some classes are “just easier for other students” and how frustrating it is to see them doing well with “no effort.” It reminded me of the highly competitive environment so many students come from and we as staff don’t always see.

I wonder how this competitive academic culture gets perpetuated in university and how as advisors running academic programming, we consider this is in our approach to orientations activities. Is there an unnamed culture of competition where suffering and struggle are considered part of it? Where is the sweet spot between building capacity and resilience and demonstrating that students also don’t need to equate academic success with sacrificing their own well-being?

 

Residences Closed During Winter Break

By Robbie Morrison

Totem Park, Orchard Commons and Place Vanier residences will be closed from 12 noon, Thursday, December 22, 2016 through 12 noon, Monday, January 2, 2017. (Classes begin Tuesday, January 3, 2017). The reason Totem Park, Orchard Commons and Place Vanier close over the winter break has to do with safety, and Student Housing and Hospitality Services’s concern about very few residents staying alone in large empty residence buildings.

SHHS’s experience has been that, if not returning to visit family, most distance and international students plan to travel and sight-see throughout the break period; often others go home with their residence friends for the break. They will do our best – and will value your office’s assistance – to help students who live at a distance and choose to stay in Vancouver to try to find alternate accommodation for these days. Similar to previous years, SHHS’s strategies will include:

• Residence life staff reminding residents at upcoming community meetings that some friends may live at a distance and going home during the break is not in their plans. It could be fun to invite friends to home for the break.
• Enabling Totem Park, Orchard Commons and Place Vanier residents to stay in the room of their friends who live in our suite-style residences (Gage, Fairview, Fraser Hall, Ritsumeikan, Ponderosa Commons, Marine Drive and Thunderbird) — with confirmed permission and no additional fee. The form to provide permission will be available at each residence Commonsblock’s Front Desk, or from their Residence Life Manager.
• Providing some shared accommodation in the Commuter Student Hostel, Ponderosa Studios, and the West Coast Suites (based on availability) for a fee.
• Providing information on other local housing alternatives (YWCA, Vancouver hostels).

 

What is Vantage College?

by Kari Marken

Two Jump Start Faculty Fellows / Vantage College Faculty Members: Meghan Allen & Jenny Peterson, created this factsheet document for the First Year teaching community at UBC, in an effort to perpetuate facts, not fiction, about the role of Vantage college at UBC:
http://jumpstart.sites.olt.ubc.ca/vantage-college-fact-sheet-jumpstart-2016/

Profs-in-Spaces

This month, First Year Experience Coordinator Daniella Gentile has been visiting our “profs-in-spaces,” to see what types of interactions with students they’ve come across. The idea behind profs in spaces is to help connect students to professors outside of the classroom. Profs have embedded themselves in first year residences, the Collegia, and the Chapman Learning Commons, offering a range of events and points of contact for students. Neil Armitage has been holding “ImProf Office Hours” in the Chapman Learning Commons to help promote the idea of students actually going to office hours, by holding his in the space. Neil has reported that although students have been hesitant at first, they have gradually opened up over the term. Also, Celeste Leander held a wildly popular baking night in the Collegia, simply as a way for students to have fun with a faculty member and perhaps see them as a little less daunting. Folks with questions about these initiatives should contact Daniella.

Mid-Term Crunch

Gettin busy at the CLC desk pic.twitter.com/uz92sh2ApB

— Nick Thornton (@unboringlearn) September 6, 2016

The Chapman Learning Commons (and no doubt other service points) have been experiencing high volumes of students with questions about learning supports as mid-terms and paper season has begun in earnest. Last minute emergency printing has been popular with support from the Chapman Learning Commons Assistants, who have rescued more than a few students needing papers printed right before they’re class. For context, roughly 250,000 pages are printed in the Learning Commons every month.

Also, with mid-terms brings academic coaching and tutoring. The Centre for Writing and Scholarly Communication has been in full swing and is offering free drop-in support for students’ writing projects. You can check out their website here for more details.

AMS Tutoring, Science Peer Academic Coaching, and Kin Academic Coaching have also been busy, helping students create their action plans for studying and mid-term prep. All of these services run Monday to Friday on level 3 of Irving K Barber Learning Centre.