In July 2018, I had a wonderful opportunity to present "Just Send a Text Message: Innovative Ways to Reach College Students Through Student Success Retention Technologies". This presentation focused on online student engagement and student retention. This presentation was facilitated at the American Association of Colleges and University's Summer Conference, "Public Universities in Challenging Times". This was an incredible opportunity, because it was the last AASCU conference that I would attend.
You ask why? Well, it was because I transitioned from an administrative role back to a faculty role after the death of my mother (but more on this later).
So, I traveled to San Antonio from the Fort Worth area with my prepared presentation in hand. It was an incredible conference and I learned so much! Also, I had a chance to network with my administrator colleagues. YES!
Shout out to all of my AASCU RFY colleagues!
During my time in administration, I had the pleasure to spearhead the American Association of State Colleges and Universities's National Reimagining the First-Year experience initiative. Forty-three additional institutions from states across the nation were included in this initiative and three of them are Texas institutions. I have had personal experience with three of the four institutions. I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University and Sam Houston State University and then I've been a faculty member at Tarleton State University for the past 11 years. So, this conference has special place in my higher education heart.
Here are some sample tweets from the conference:
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley definitely had a presence at the conference!
UT RGV sends messages to students via the Student Success Collaborative at 11pm at night for campaigns. The Netflix Strategy! #highered #highereducation #retention #edu #stuaff #retention #StudentSuccessTech #college #AASCUAAM pic.twitter.com/aJeM7KnhL0— Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards (Millennial Professor) (@drjtedwards) February 9, 2018
Then, of course I had to contribute on Twitter! I wrote a tweet about my session.
The #AASCUAAM app description for my session is not correct. Here’s the correct one:#highered #HigherEducation #retention #edu #StudentSuccessTech pic.twitter.com/nycZKLL8iB— Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards (Millennial Professor) (@drjtedwards) February 9, 2018
Then, I always contribute additional information (and resources) for other attendees. Conferences are great opportunities to share resources and to network with others!
Providing Incentives for Academic Advisors During Key Advising Times https://t.co/mxxS63XGvf #AASCUAAM #AASCU #StudentSuccessTech #highered #acaadv #FYE18 pic.twitter.com/KkkmGXEoo0
— Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards (Millennial Professor) (@drjtedwards) February 21, 2018
Here's some additional information about my session:
Just Send a Text Message: Innovative Ways to Reach College Students Through Student
Success Retention Technologies
San Juan A
Communication is a vital part of a college’s retention plan. Through this interactive session,
participants will discover best practices for higher education institutions who implement student
success retention technologies like the Education Advisory Board’s Student Success Collaborative
and Hobson’s Starfish Retention Solutions. Sample templates for emails and text messages,
campaign analytics, an annual academic nudging communication plan, and social media retention
resources will be shared. The Student Success Engineers program, a training program for
implementing retention software, will highlighted in this presentation. Academic nudging (email,
telephone calls, and texting) incorporates theories and processes from healthcare to motivate and
influence individuals to complete items quickly. Participants will leave with a list of action items
that administrators and faculty can easily incorporate in their on their campus.
Presenter(s): Jennifer Edwards, Tarleton State University
Here are a few slides from my presentation:
During the presentation, we had a lot of engagement and then attendees had a chance to ask questions. I enjoy presenting about student success and communication because I believe that both of these topics are very important for higher education.
Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success Communication and Technology Institute on Facebook!
Thanks for visiting!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Higher Education Speaker and Researcher
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My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work
