3rd Annual College Student Success Innovation Centre Symposium

The College Student Success Innovation Centre hosted the 3rd Annual Symposium virtually! This was a free, virtual event presented by the Centre  March 9 – 12, 2021. 

The 3rd Annual Symposium comprised of four unique sessions across four days, with a focus on innovation, capacity building and knowledge sharing

Keynote Speaker: Bridget Burns

Tuesday, March 9th: 1 PM - 2 PM (ET)

Welcome 

Tim Fricker, Dean of Students, Mohawk College 

Keynote Speaker: Bridget Burns, Executive Director, University Innovation Alliance 

As a trusted advisor to university presidents, Dr. Bridget Burns is on a mission to transform the way institutions think about and take action on the behalf of low-income, first generation, and students of color. She serves as the founding executive director of the University Innovation Alliance, a unique consortium of public research universities collaborating to close achievement gaps through testing, scaling, and sharing innovative and successful practices.

Named one of the “16 Most Innovative People in Higher Education” by Washington Monthly magazine, she has helped the UIA campuses increase low-income graduates by 29% and raise more than $30 million dollars to support student success innovation. The University Innovation Alliance has been highlighted in national outlets like The New York Times, Fast Company, 60 Minutes, and was featured in the documentary “Unlikely”.

Bridget served on her first presidential hiring committee at age 22, and has spent the past two decades helping to hire, advise, and advocate on behalf of more than 30 presidents and chancellors from around the country. She received her Doctorate of Education from Vanderbilt University in Higher Education, Leadership & Policy. 

The Future Ready Skills Translator: Tackling the Skills Gap through Employer-PSE Partnership

Wednesday, March 10th: 12 PM - 1 PM (ET)

Industry and public concern about the "skills gap" is an intensifying problem lacking a comprehensive solution. Mohawk College's Future Ready Skills Translator (FRST), funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on behalf of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), is a first-of-its-kind intervention that facilitates more precise and rigorous translation of employer skills expectations in a way that directly impacts college curriculum. Engaging employers, faculty, staff and students, the FRST process generates custom job or sector-based skills profiles, which, in this particular research project, are leveraged to form the basis of artificial intelligence-driven, skills-based simulations. The resulting simulations allow for the authentic demonstration and assessment of demand-led 21st century skills as an embedded and aligned component of college curriculum. 

This session will provide an overview of the innovative FRST translation process and insight into how a multi-stakeholder collaboration can support iterative curriculum development. 

Presenters:

Dr. Pamela Ingleton, Learning Outcomes Assessment Consultant, College Student Success Innovation Centre, Mohawk College

Layne Wilson, Coordinator, Research & Special Projects, College Student Success Innovation Centre, Mohawk College

Proactive Advising and Psychologically Attuned Communication: Lessons for Practitioners

Thursday, March 11th: 12 PM - 1 PM (ET)

The College Student Success Innovation Centre (CSSIC) has completed research on student success interventions of Proactive Advising and Psychologically Attuned Communication. With research completed both internally and with partner institutions, the CSSIC team will share key lessons for those looking to implement similar interventions at their own institutions.

This session will include an overview of a behavioural checklist for two interventions; Proactive Advising and Psychologically Attuned Communication, and the lessons learned from seeking consistency and data across several institutions and during a pandemic period.  

Session participants will leave this session with an understanding of research collaboration across institutions, as well as receive tools to guide proactive advising and psychologically attuned communication.

Presenters:

Dr. Michelle Turan, Research Fellow, College Student Success Innovation Centre, Mohawk College

Tim Fricker, Dean of Students, Mohawk College

Layne Wilson, Coordinator, Research & Special Projects, College Student Success Innovation Centre, Mohawk College

Navigating Research Partnership in the Face of Covid-19

Friday, March 12th: 12 PM - 1 PM (ET)

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the CSSIC team in collaboration with college partners at Centennial College, Confederation College and Lambton College, pivoted the framework of a “summer melt” Psychologically Attuned Communication demonstration study to implement evidence-based student success interventions. This session will present the unique applications of Proactive Advising and Psychologically Attuned Communication completed across the 2020/21 academic year by Mohawk and our partner colleges. The collaborative approach to successfully implement these interventions during a pandemic will be highlighted.

Presenters:

Dr. Michelle Turan, Research Fellow, College Student Success Innovation Centre, Mohawk College

Tim Fricker, Dean of Students, Mohawk College

 

Questions? Email layne.wilson [at] mohawkcollege.ca (subject: 3rd%20Annual%20Symposium) (layne[dot]wilson[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca)

This event is supported by a grant from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.