Best Practices Gallery Presentations Summary
Exhibitors: Dickie, Ross, Michael Sitruk and Mike Pereira
Title: The You Can Go Program and supporting software: Choices Planner
Discussing the use of software in the context of the ‘You Can Go’ community access advising program. We will describe the various applications used by You Can Go, how they work with each other, how they are supported, and how they are used. Apart from the You Can Go website, Choices Planner software is the technology we hand out to clients for their use. How are advisors and clients making use of it. Discussion of best practices.
Table 1, Space A, 10:30am
Exhibitors: Dixon, George and Joe Watts
Title: Taking College Access to the Next Level
Educational professionals will learn how a technology driven college access initiative has achieved remarkable results in increasing college going among first generation low income students. In 2001 North Carolina created a one stop college access web portal www.cfnc.org where students could “plan, apply and pay” for college. The state’s access web portal has driven a 9% increase in college going rates in just 6 years (58% to 67%).
Table 2, Space A, 11:00am
Exhibitors: Miller, Erin
Title: College Scope Student Success Program: Helping students define and achieve success.
Student retention has become an increasing problem in higher education. Schools utilizing the CollegeScope Student Success Program have experienced decreased attrition by as much as 30%. The program includes an interactive curriculum, personal assessments, a focus on career development and student management tools for faculty. By helping students develop a solid sense of self, encouraging the exploration of opportunities, and instructing how to set attainable goals, CollegeScope allows students to maximize their education.
Table 3, Space A, 11:30am
Exhibitors: Esbin, Howard B.
Title: A Prelude To Identity & Belonging
This presentation examines Prelude a new learning game being used within college orientation and cross-cultural exchanges. A culture of success must start with a students’ social and emotional literacy. Prelude is designed to foster related skills in an engaging, transformative process. Examples will show how Aboriginal students in Alberta and Arab students in Dubai are using the game. This presentation will also consider further research, applications and collaborative possibilities.
Table 4, Space A, 12:10am
Exhibitors: Holmes, Alana and Robert Silvestri
Title: Text-to-Voice Technology in an Adult Aboriginal Sample with Reading Difficulties: An Examination of Efficacy
This research study examined the efficacy of reading technology in Aboriginal adults with reading difficulties. Two main findings emerged: i) the Adult Reading History Questionnaire - Revised accurately discriminated performance on standardized measures of reading, and ii) students with poor performance on specific phonological measures demonstrated improved comprehension when reading with technology. The participatory research design likely limited attrition rates and certainly provided the community with a practical tool to address their literacy issues.
Table 5, Space B, 10:30am
Exhibitors: King, Jessica
Title: Katimavik: Preparing minds and bridging communities through experiential learning
Since 1977, Katimavik has been Canada's premier experiential education program and has earned a reputation for mobilizing youth and instilling civic energy into communities.
Through group and cross Canada living, participants begin to discover not only their potential but Canadian diversity as well. By volunteering and working in different communities, Katimavik participants build cross cultural relationships helping businesses, institutions and societal generations learn to work together to assess local needs and tailor their efforts to create tangible results in the communities they live in.
Table 6, Space B, 10:50am
Exhibitors: Quartaro, Georgia, Jaswant Kaur Bajwa and Anna Willats
Title: From the Margins to the Mainstream: Findings from High Support Trades Training Programs for Marginalized Women
George Brown College delivers effective high-support, cohort-style pre-apprenticeship skilled trades programs for marginalized women who have experienced violence, abuse, and poverty. Students in the initial program helped identify customized preparatory and supportive strategies that enabled them to succeed in the program. A revised program incorporating those findings is now being delivered. This case study has practical application for creating meaningful access to post-secondary education for adults who experience personal, practical and systemic barriers to learning.
Table 7, Space B, 11:10am
Exhibitors: Tyson, Suzanne
Title: Scholarships 101
Studentawards Inc is a bilingual, national scholarship matching service that helps students find money for school--not just merit-based awards, but all types of awards.
Table 8, Space B, 11:30am
Exhibitors: Vedan, Adrienne
Title: Aboriginal Access Studies Program Description
2009/2010 will mark the second year of the three pilot project of UBC Okanagan's Aboriginal Access Studies. It provides Aboriginal students access to university without undergoing standard admission standards or having pre-requisites. Best practices information: students, support, program structure, and access to degrees.
Table 9, Space B, 11:50am
Exhibitors: Pereira, Mike
Title: Web-Enabled Student Tracking (WEST) System
The Web-Enabled Student Tracking (WEST) System is an online database that enables post-secondary access programs to collect and report on the progress of their students. WEST was designed with input from front-line staff and program directors. It is simple, powerful, and driven by the mission of post-secondary access programs.
This demonstration will take participants though a virtual tour of the software. It will showcase the data entry forms, reporting capabilities, and connectivity with the 'YouCanGo.ca' student portal.
Table 10, Space B, 12:10am
Exhibitors: Burhoe, Susan
Title: Enriched Support Program and Aboriginal Enriched Support Program
The ESP & AESP provide access to university studies to promising but underqualified students. We recruit actively from under-represented groups. Students enroll in three first-year credit courses and attend weekly course-specific study groups. Students who successfully complete the program with a C+ average are admitted to a degree.
Table 11
Exhibitor: Conning, Tricia
Title: Professor Fluffy
The University of Liverpool has developed an innovative model to inform primary children and their families about the educational opportunities available to them. The programme uses the very successful Professor Fluffy resource activity pack to raise awareness of the impact of education on improving career and life opportunities and fosters an understanding of the concept of choice.
By working with primary schools since 2000, the University of Liverpool has developed a National Primary Network which has successfully worked with more than 60 further/higher education institutions and Aimhigher partnerships in the UK. The network gives access to a programme of tried and tested activities and resources which aim to build the educational cultural capacity of young people and their families.
Table 12
Exhibitors: Deslauriers, Pierre
Title: OrientAction: A Site with Plenty of Resources
This presentation will introduce OrientAction.ca, a Canadian site aimed specifically at francophones in the career development field that offers free information and assistance. All the benefits offered by the site will be discussed: theoretical and practical resources, materials and tools, dates and locations of professional development activities (conferences, workshops, etc.) and job offers targeted at career development professionals. Attendees can also sign up for the OrientAction newsletter and COINternet, a forum for sharing ideas and practices.
Table 13
Exhibitors: Deslauriers, Pierre
Title: DARE to Study!
This presentation will introduce OSEZ les Études! (DARE to Study!), an online project that helps youth to better understand themselves, discover the world of training and work, and make career choices. It offers personalized assistance by phone and email from professional career and education counsellors, access to a career and education database, a series of activities (questionnaires, drills, self-analysis, etc.) and a Webfolio that groups together, organizes and saves all relevant information.
Table 13
Exhibitors: Rowntree, Kimberly
Title: Clickers in the Classroom
Turning Technologies Canada is committed to offering the industry's easiest, most powerful, fully interactive student response systems available. Our leading-edge TurningPoint software adds student response functionality to MS PowerPoint, Word and Excel. Educators ask questions throughout their lesson, presentation or lecture. Students use PDA's, laptops or keypads to submit real-time response. TurningPoint allows you to collect student information and generate paperless reports on student assessments, tests, quizzes and peer reviews all from your PowerPoint presentation.
Table 14
Exhibitors: Atherton, Graeme
Title: Aimhigher West, Central and North London Partnership, United Kingdom
We are a partnership of 140 schools, 16 tertiary colleges and 16 universities who deliver a programme of activities to assist young people from lower socio-economic groups and those with disabilities in progressing to higher education.
Table 15
Exhibitors: Hewitt, Lindsay
Title: Women Learning: Women's Learning
This Open University action research project, ‘Women Learning: Women’s Learning’, investigates individual and collective learning journeys with 16 women who embarked on a women’s empowerment course at Bridges Programmes, Glasgow. The main focus of the study is on how the women ‘arrive’ at where they want to be. To find out about the process of articulating ‘what do I want to find out’ and ‘how do I go about finding it out?’ In other words, what is the impact of the ‘safe space’ provided at Bridges? In what respect, is this ‘third space’ also a socialising experience, through which the course activities and discourses prepares learners for the cultural capital of formal education?
Table 16
