Sydney Howard

The core needs of our students are not one size fits all. We have to be able to pivot our approach to each individual and understand that we will learn something new every time. Creating an environment of active listening and inclusion will create a ripple effect of positive change that our students will benefit from.

I love the idea of including Alumni & employer partners in on student engagement. As a student myself, I can see how this would be so beneficial to student motivation as well as our employer relationships.

I appreciate the idea that institutions share the responsibility of preparing their students for post-graduate life. Collaboration is imperative for supporting alumni and preparing students. As a non-traditional student myself, it was interesting to read that traditional students view themselves as "students who work" and non-trad students view themselves as "professionals who study". 

MAPP outline is a great way to organize information after interacting with students

Engaging with students early on in their education so that a dialogue is created with career services. That way verifying employment/ gathering paperwork is an easier process on the student and the Institution. Having a standardized process to collect and process graduate data will minimize verification errors.

I learned that by using third party verification I can minimize the risk of mistakes coming up during external audits.

In this module, I've learned how my role has the potential to either negatively or positively affect my institution. If my reporting data does not reflect correctly, this could lead to the loss of federal funding. Very interesting to learn about how the definiition of gainful employment shifts depeding on perspective.