Student advocacy and engagement has been an ongoing aspect of my residency here at EDCC. By interacting and working aggressively with the student body in groups and on a one on one basis, the department has better retainage and student success. Additionally possible issues may be forestalled in advance. The closer instructors are to the student body, the higher the level of success for all.
The Construction Management Student Association is an official club at EDCC. All students in the department belong to the club and I have been the adviser for that club since starting full time at EDCC. This club advocates for and supplies activities for the Construction Management student body. I work closely with the officers of this club in assisting them in bringing their ideas for the student body to fruition. Also, carrying over successful ideas from past officer corps to the existing corps is important.
The CMSA holds sponsored events now. As Club adviser I have assisted the CMSA in implementing a quarterly ‘Meet and Greet’ where students, alumni, IAB members and instructor may interact in a relaxed atmosphere with refreshments. The CMSA Meet and Greets have been very successful. After understanding how other IAB’s and CM programs utilize sponsorship for events to foster interaction between potential employers and students, I have worked to cultivate sponsors for CMSA events. We have been successful in this and anticipate much more success in the future with this ‘sponsored event’ model.
Accessibility standards being met are good for the student body. Serving on the accessibility committee was very good for my students. The rules regarding meeting accessibility standards were reviewed and understood in order to teach them to other instructors at the college. The concept that the standards could enhance learning and comprehension for students with minor learning issues or even ESL students in the program was an epiphany that has made me a much better instructor. These concepts are important to the CM department and are being relayed to all new instructors.
Behavior Issues in the student body require additional support. Some of our students have simply never been in a professional environment and do not conduct themselves appropriately. Many of our CM students are L&I students being retrained that may have pain management or other issues. One on one intervention has been very successful as a first step. Utilizing the incident reporting system when needed at the college has allowed me to team with the appropriate people at the college to address any student behavioral issue early and aggressively. Counseling all part-time instructors has helped as well. Many students that may have left due to ongoing issues have been rerouted successfully to complete their degrees.