All Instructor Symposium 2021

Symposium Format

• In- Person – MSC Bethancourt Ballroom - COVID protocols will be in place for face covering requirements, social distancing and other risk mitigation strategies. A light breakfast will be provided. Check-in and breakfast begin at 8:00 AM.
• Virtual - live-streamed event in synchronous Zoom webinar format. Zoom links will be provided several days before the event.

Keynote

• Promoting First-Year Student Success Across Campus: Seven Universal Principles & Unifying Practices | Dr. Joe Cuseo                
  Texas A&M’s new, university-wide, first-year experience program is an extensive and innovative student-centered initiative worthy of emulation by other universities in the A&M system and large research universities nationwide. The diversity of practices that comprise the Aggie First-Year Experience is a signature strength that enables the program to reach thousands of new students transitioning to A&M annually. One way to create programmatic unity amidst these diverse practices is by grounding them on a set of powerful and pervasive student-success principles. Decades of higher education research point to seven enduring, cross-contextual principles that promote the success of undergraduate students in general and first-year student success in particular: (1) personal validation, (2) self-efficacy, growth mindset and grit, (3) meaning and purpose, (4) active involvement (engagement), (5) reflection, (6) social integration, and (7) self-awareness. These timeless and transferable principles can provide the underlying foundation for an effective, student-centered, first-year experience program united by a universal language, common goals, and collective energy. This session will explicate the aforementioned seven principles and illustrate how they may be transformed into high-priority, high-impact educational practices at A&M.
  
  About Dr. Cuseo:  Joe Cuseo is Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Marymount California University. He was a 14-time recipient of the “faculty member of the year award” on his home campus—a student-driven award based on effective teaching and academic advising, a recipient of the “Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award” from the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and a recipient of the “Diamond Honoree Award” from the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) for contributions made to the field of student development and the Student Affairs profession.

  • Joe has served as an educational advisor to AVID for Higher Education—a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the college access and success of underserved student populations, and an academic program advisor for UThrive—a psychoeducational program designed to integrate positive psychology, mindfulness, and self-compassion into the college curriculum.
  • Joe has delivered hundreds of campus workshops, conference presentations and keynote addresses across North America, as well as Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
  • He has authored numerous articles and books on student learning, student retention, and faculty development, the most recent of which are:
    • Thriving in College and Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success & Personal Development
    • Diversity & The College Experience
    • Student-Faculty Engagement: Research & Practice
    • Peer-to-Peer Leadership: Research-Based Strategies for Peer Mentors & Peer Educators

      Recording	Materials
      	Keynote Outline PowerPoint

       

Breakout Sessions

• In-Person presentations will be livestreamed for virtual participants. 
• Those attending in-person who would like to attend a virtual session will need to bring a device and headphones in order to participate in these sessions. 
• All sessions will also be recorded to be made available after the event. 
• You will indicate your breakout session selections as part of the RSVP process.

• Breakout Session Block 1 Descriptions: 10:05-10:55
  • A. Implementing Texas A&M’s First-Year Experience Program: Promising Practices & Potential Challenges
    Dr. Joe Cuseo - Keynote Speaker
    This breakout session is designed to be a participant-driven discussion of ideas presented during the keynote, with a focus on (a) how the seven principles of first-year student success may be applied to the variety of delivery formats that compose the Aggie First-Year Experience, (b) how the varying formats may be coordinated to have a synergistic effect on student success, and (c) how the overall initiative may be assessed to document its positive impact on student success and generate feedback for continuous program improvement. Attendees at this session will have the opportunity to set the agenda by raising questions, offering comments, and sharing their thoughts about promising practices and potential challenges associated with implementing A&M’s new and distinctive first-year experience program. 

    Recording

     
    B. Metacognition and Self-Efficacy: Helping Students THINK about thinking
    Dr. Daniel Collins, Senior Lecturer of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry
    By using different learning modalities and helping students understand concepts such as metacognition, the importance of self-efficacy, Bloom's Taxonomy and higher-level thinking, students are able to get past memorization and develop their own study skills with building framework. Positive, thoughtful reviews of their performance allow students to embrace a growth mindset. This session will explore these topics and ways to integrate these approaches into a Hullabaloo U class. 

    Recording	Materials
    	PowerPoint

     
    
    C. More Than a Mentor: Creating a Meaningful Peer Mentor Experience
    Monteigne Long, Assistant Director, Office of Veteran Services
    Megan McClure, Program Coordinator, Academic Success Center
    Megan Burciaga, Peer Mentor
    Yemisi Awofeso, Peer Mentor
    Want to know more about how to incorporate your peer mentor in the class facilitation? Hear from two seasoned Hullabaloo U instructors and their peer mentors on how to make the most of the peer mentor position. Perspectives will be provided on different modes of instruction, including in-person, hybrid, and fully online learning environments. Topics will include the role of the instructor, the role of the peer mentor, student engagement and community building, and tips and tricks for student success.

    Recording	Materials
    	PowerPoint

     
    
    D. Bonfire - Never Forgetting
    Jeff Risinger, Vice President Human Resources
    This presentation will discuss a very meaningful assignment that was given to a class last Fall.  Students heard a classroom presentation form a Bonfire parent, then visited the Bonfire Memorial.  At the Memorial they selected a student and wrote a brief paper on how they related to that student, then they wrote a letter to the family.  This presentation will share some of the papers and the deep meaning the students took from the assignment.
    Location: Memorial Student Center, Room TBA

    Recording	Materials
    	PowerPoint

     
    E. Having Fun Isn't Hard When You Have Library Skills!: An Introduction to the Libraries
    Alex Mitchell, First Year Experience Librarian, University Libraries
    Do you ever suggest that your students go to the library for help, but find that they’re reluctant to go? The librarians host sessions to introduce students to all of the library resources available to them during their time at Texas A&M through fun and interactive sessions, which can be a short introduction to the library or a full 50 minute session. In this session you will learn what you can expect from scheduling a library session as an instructor and for your students!
     

    Materials

    PowerPoint

     
    F. There’s An App for That – Using MaroonBase to Incentivize Students and Enhance The Hullabaloo U Experience
    Emily Finbow, Assistant Director, School of Innovation
    Jason Mastrogiovanni, Executive Director, Office for Student Success
    Hullabaloo U instructors can embrace a variety of technologies and teaching tools to enhance learning and inform students about out-of-class opportunities at Texas A&M. How can we incentivize students to explore new avenues of engagement at Texas A&M in ways that complement their time in Hullabaloo U? How can units track participation easily for free? The MaroonBase Student App, created by the School of Innovation, offers a gamified way for students to participate in events and activities around campus through financial incentives, and provides a way for Hullabaloo U sections and other units to create their OWN groups within the app to motivate their own students.​

    Materials

    PowerPoint

• Breakout Session Block 2 Descriptions: 11:05-11:55
  • A. Implementing Texas A&M’s First-Year Experience Program: Promising Practices & Potential Challenges
    Dr. Joe Cuseo - Keynote Speaker
    This breakout session is designed to be a participant-driven discussion of ideas presented during the keynote, with a focus on (a) how the seven principles of first-year student success may be applied to the variety of delivery formats that compose the Aggie First-Year Experience, (b) how the varying formats may be coordinated to have a synergistic effect on student success, and (c) how the overall initiative may be assessed to document its positive impact on student success and generate feedback for continuous program improvement. Attendees at this session will have the opportunity to set the agenda by raising questions, offering comments, and sharing their thoughts about promising practices and potential challenges associated with implementing A&M’s new and distinctive first-year experience program. 

    Recording

    
    B. Go Ahead, Break the Ice!
    Alyssa Locklear, Instructional Professor, Department of Health and Kinesiology
    Creating community in a Hullabaloo U course is one of the most important ways to help first year students feel connected to their classmates and the campus community. Join this session to learn about and participate in icebreakers and other strategies that help students connect with each other and the Aggie family. Activities in this session were recommended by current Hullabaloo U students as best practices for creating community during their first semester.

    Recording	Materials
    	Aggie Core Values Aggie Landmarks Fish Finds LC Icebreakers

    
    C. Mastering the College Environment: First-Generation Practical Approaches in Navigating the Collegiate Setting
    Kelsey Hirsch, Program Coordinator, The Routh First-Generation Center, Office for Student Success
    Dr. Leticia Palomin, Program Manager, The Routh First-Generation Center, Office for Student Success
    In this Office for Student Success presentation, the Routh First-Generation Staff will explore the role institutional agents play in supporting first-generation students transition to Texas A&M University. We will discuss major themes as it relates and/or impacts first-generation college students, and informed by our practitioner-scholar work, we will offer practical strategies that can be utilized to better serve students in the classroom.

    Recording	Materials
    	PowerPoint

     
    D. Undergraduate Research as a Vehicle for Community Integration
    Dr. Justine N. deGruyter, Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
    Dr. Daniel Tabor, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
    While the benefits of undergraduate research are well documented, many students delay participation until their junior or senior years. This breakout session will highlight the advantages of engaging in research early and often, with particular focus on opportunities for departmental, campus, and field community engagement.

    Recording	Materials
    	PowerPoint Undergraduate Research Opportunities

     
    
    E. Building Community in Hullabaloo Classes
    Quinita Ogletree, Lecturer, Department of Teaching, Learning & Culture
    Building community is a primary outcome for Hullabaloo U. This session will discuss how the instructor and peer mentors used technology to build community in the classroom.  We will review instructional strategies and technology used to meet this goal. Delete Table

    Materials

    Coming Soon!

     
    
    F. Team Work Makes the Dream Work: Using Peer Mentors to Support First-Year Students
    Rebecca Hapes, Senior Academic Advisor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences & Assistant Lecturer, Department of Entomology
    Ann Pool, Senior Academic Advisor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences & Assistant Lecturer, Department of Entomology
    Ashleigh Faris, Instructional Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology
    In this session, presenters will describe methods for intentional inclusion of peer mentors in the first-year seminar experience to maximize their input and connectivity with students. Peer mentors in a certified first-year experience program were utilized in curriculum planning, implementation, assessment of activities, and modifications throughout the experience. Session attendees will be provided tangible ideas for implementation for use with peer mentors for their own first-year experience program.

    Materials

    PowerPoint