Nurturing Professionalism and Supporting Student Success

Professionalism plays a crucial role in shaping students into individuals ready to thrive in their future careers. As educators, our commitment to supporting student professionalism is critical. In this blog post, we will explore strategies and initiatives that can be implemented to nurture a culture of professionalism and identify student support services we have in place when extra help is needed. Reflective questions are provided as a tool to use individually or with colleagues. 

Encourage Networking Opportunities

• Provide opportunities for students to experience their future careers by building in assignments that encourage them to go out in the field and observe, interview a professional in the field, or attend an event.
• Invite professionals into the classroom (virtual or in person) to network and share with the students what they might need in their field to be successful. 
• Foster relationships with alumni who can provide insights, advice, and potential mentorship opportunities.

Develop E-Portfolios

• Incorporate the creation of e-portfolios where students can showcase their academic achievements, projects, and experiences.
• Guide students in building portfolios that reflect their skills, accomplishments, and professional growth.

Supporting Student Success

Supporting student success is an important strategy in addressing retention issues. By implementing targeted initiatives that foster academic achievement, personal growth, and a sense of belonging, we can create an environment where students feel supported and motivated to persist in their studies. Nurturing success goes hand-in-hand with improving retention rates, as engaged and satisfied students are more likely to stay the course, complete their degrees, and emerge as confident professionals ready to contribute to their field of study. The Hanover Research Report (June 2023) Best Practices: Interventions for At Risk Students provides tips and strategies for supporting students who are at risk and is an excellent resource. 

Positive Interactions with Professors and Peers

• Research suggests that these positive interactions with professors and peers matter. When students feel connected and a sense of belonging, they are more likely to persist and ask for help when they need it. These interactions are important regardless of the mode of instruction but are particularly critical for online students. 
• Create a positive classroom community by checking in with students, providing opportunities for peers to interact with each other (this can happen in any classroom mode - online, face to face, hybrid). 

Intrusive Advising

• Intrusive advising can be helpful to students and especially students at risk of not persisting. 
• Positive affirmations and encouragement are important for students to receive. 
• Intrusive advising consists of advisors/faculty who are proactive and connect with students, advisors/faculty who show care and concern for students, advisors/faculty who are knowledgeable and provide resources to students, and advisors/faculty who are aware of the whole student and outside factors that may be affecting a student. 

Integrate a Professional Development Discussion or Module

• Add a module/discussion within your Canvas course where students can discuss course/career expectations and where they can find information about expectations related to attendance, participation, interaction within the course, etc. If there is a code of professional conduct or ethics within their chosen field, this document can be linked and referred to within the discussion. 

Offer Real World Assessments

• Develop assessments that provide students with opportunities to practice professional skills whether it is completing a biopsychosocial on a family member, teaching a lesson plan to a small group of children, developing a business plan, etc.
• Within assessments, provide opportunities for collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity so students have opportunities to practice these real-world skills. 

Where to find support?

We have multiple support services available for students and where faculty/staff/advisors can direct students for help. Dr. Leanne Havis is the Dean of the Learning Commons (formerly known as Academic Engagement). The Learning Commons consists of the following units: The Office of Accessibility Services, Center for Career and Professional Development, Core Experience, Honors Program, Library Services, Student Retention, Student Success Center, and Trio-SSS. 

Within student affairs, you will find the Community Standards and Student Support team. This team provides prevention and awareness education on healthy relationships, violence prevention, alcohol and drug education, collegiate recovery, mental health, and more. You will also find the Counseling Center for Wellness where students can find support and events related to mental health and wellness. 

Reflective Questions

These reflective questions are provided as a way for us to self- reflect on these topics as we consider our own classrooms. After considering our own classrooms, we can use these questions to continue conversations, share ideas, and support each other as we prepare our students to be successful professionals in our classrooms and in their career fields.