Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards: A Texas Professor Focused on Artificial Intelligence, Health, and Education

Monday, October 15, 2018

How to Promote Your Academic Research Through Live Video

My question for all of you is - "If research occurs in a silo and it is not communicated to others, did it actually happen?" I encourage all of you to make your research known by others. Communication is essential to the research process and it can occur in different contexts:

in the classroom
at a conference
in a research journal
on an infographic
on a blog (like this one)
on Twitter
on Instagram
on YouTube
on Facebook Live
on Live Video (like Twitter Live/Periscope, Facebook Live, etc.)

One of my favorite forms of research communication is on Live Video. I love the live feedback and I thrive on the questions of others. These questions can definitely help you research process and help you develop additional ways of examining your data.

After my students write their research papers (as graduate and undergraduate students), I require them to present their research online. Yes, LIVE! Only one person needs to present, but everyone has to log in and participate in the presentation. It is interesting because we have had MANY people join the live video and answer questions. :)

Here's the checklist that I send to the students each semester before the Periscope/Twitter Live sessions begin.

1 - REMEMBER TO DOWNLOAD THE PERISCOPE APP

2 - SHARE YOUR USERNAME WITH YOUR GROUP MEMBERS

3 - TURN OFF THE LOCATION FEATURE ON THE APP

4 - LET'S PRACTICE! INVITE YOUR GROUP MEMBERS AND BEGIN BROADCASTING WITH THE #TSUNEWMEDIA HASHTAG.

5 - DOUBLE TAP THE SCREEN TO SHOW YOUR COMPUTER (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SHOW YOUR FACE IN THE PERISCOPE)

6 - ENCOURAGE GROUP MEMBERS TO SHARE THE BROADCAST AND TO PROVIDE COMMENTS (THEY WILL ALSO ANSWER QUESTIONS)

7 - WHEN THE PERISCOPE ENDS SAVE THE BROADCAST TO YOUR TELEPHONE.

8 - ASK ME QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY - @DRJTEDWARDS

Follow my Twitter account @drjtedwards around November and April of each year to discover the Periscope/Twitter Live videos! :)

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

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com
My Research Interests: Customer Service and Social Media, Higher Education Retention, and Millennials at Work

Monday, October 8, 2018

The Graduate and Undergrad Research Challenge - Checklists, Video, and More!

Each semester, I issue a research CHALLENGE for our students. I am very proud of everything that that the students continue to do and how amazing they are, BUT I am always pushing them to their research limits. I PROMOTE high impact practices in my classroom, both online courses and face-to-face courses.

I support them in their research journey and I help them get their articles and their ideas PUBLISHED in higher education and communication publication outlets. I provide a scaffold-based approach for the students I am help them along the way... through videos! YouTube is definitely my friend.

Here's the first video: COMM 5311 - The Methodology Section Explained...

Here's the second video: Computer-Mediated Communication - Review of the Literature

Here are the rest of the videos from the 5311 Social Media Research class.

Also, I like to keep our students accountable with a checklist throughout the research process (especially for my undergraduate researchers). Here's a sample checklist for our undergraduate and graduate researchers!

Here's an example:

Monday, October 1, 2018

Five Easy Ways to Remain Connected to the Office While You Are on Vacation

When you are on vacation in higher education, sometimes your role requires you to remain connected to the office (especially during the beginning or end of the budget cycle OR if an important decision is occurring on campus).

Remaining connected during vacation is a characteristic of some individuals in my generation (the millennial generation), especially entrepreneurs and educators. However, I want to emphasize that these tips are mostly for millennials and for members of the millennial generation..

Here are some steps to remain connected with the office while enjoying vacation with your family/friends.

1 - Wake Up Before Everyone Else and Grab a Cup of Coffee and Your Laptop/Tablet to Answer Emails or to Write a Portion of a Research Manuscript

2 - Consider Only Replying to Email Messages During the Early Morning and Late Afternoon

3 - Let Your Family and Your Office Know about Your Work/Life Boundaries During the Week

Sometimes your child has to know that you will complete the puzzle with her after you complete a conference call with the office (and sometimes vice-versa - after you finish your trek through Sea World). Not that this actually happened by the way. :)

4 - Pack an Anker Charger to Remain Connected to Power Throughout the Day

5 - Consider Providing an Auto-response for InBound Email

This will help the senders realize that you will respond during certain times of the day while you are on vacation.

Deadlines used to run my life. This year, I've decided to prioritize everything in my life to truly LIVE life at home and at work.

If something is pertinent, it will definitely be pulled on to my lifeboat (the few items that I can truly focused on per day). However, if an item requires a lot of thought and emotional processing, these items definitely float to the top of the water, but I do not pull these items on my lifeboat. Items that do not require or demand my immediate attention are in a net below the surface. These items can be pulled to the water's surface at anytime, but do not have to obstruct my daily views of the journey ahead.

1 - Family

2 - Action Items from My Immediate Supervisor (even while on vacation)

3 - Telephone Calls and Conversations from my team (even while on vacation)

4 - Emails or Tweets from Students

5 - Emails or Tweets from Others

This metaphor enables me to segment my prioritizes while maintaining my daily schedule.

How do you prioritize your to do list? Let me know!

J. Edwards

Monday, September 24, 2018

Why Is Important to Understand Barriers Experienced by College Students

At the beginning of each academic year, I am always energized when I see the faces and new fashions of the incoming students (and returning students). In fact, these students are joining us after having various summer experiences with their lives at home, working for local businesses, interning out of state, studying abroad, summer school, and much more!

In fact, during this past week, I've been watching various videos from NBC News (on Hulu) focused on the Freshman Experience. Here are some of my favorites. I think each administrator, faculty member, staff members, and even members from the external campus community should watch one or more of these videos to gain a glimpse into some aspects lives of the students who are joining their campus community.

Which one is your favorite video? List it in the comment section listed below:

Video - I have always been intrigued by roommate selection at colleges and universities across the country. Do you know how roommates are selected by most higher education institutions?

Video - Most colleges and university students played one or more sports in high school, but then they transition to college and are not as engaged with their health and wellness. This means that the likelihood of students gaining weight is very high. Do you know that the average weight gained by college students during their first years of college is 15 pounds? Find out more...

Video - Student debt is one of the most crushing reminders that students have when they are happy and jubilant after reaching the requirements of their degree. This means that we will need to offer continued financial support and education for students once they graduate from college. Find out why...

These are simple videos, but they are great reminders of the celebrations and perils that college students experience as they graduate. What did the videos miss?

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