leveraging technology
DESCRIPTION
Presentation from the 2011 NAVPA Annual Training and Conference for school certifying officials and veterans program administratorsTRANSCRIPT
Leveraging Technology:Strategies to Engage your Students and Make your Job Easier!
Chryssa Jones, Veterans Services Coordinator
University of California, Riverside
What Are Your Challenges?Tweet them now using the #NAVPA11 tag
What Are Your Challenges?You are too busy
Busy researching overpayments & debt letters
Busy calculating net payer adjustments
Busy monitoring student registrations, degree plans, add/drop/changes, fee changes, & attendance
Busy processing certifications & paperwork
You are busy answering student questionsStudents don’t read email
Students don’t listen to what you tell them
Students don’t use the resources they have
No time for outreach (because you’re too busy)
New tools are too complicated
Technology Can Help!Job Processes:
Reporting tools & campus data systems
MS Office tips
Cloud-based collaboration
Sharing “Best Practices”
Outreach:Social media
Your “official” website
Direct email vs. list-serves
Old-fashioned Word of Mouth
SuperSCO
Job Process ImprovementsBanner & other systems
Banner Workflow
Take the time to learn your data systems
Write improvement proposals
Data ElementsVA file number
Chapter 33 eligibility %
Certification data
Restricted fund sources
Processing Comments
Document ImagingEasy to review at any time
Automate ProcessesInstallment Plans
Degree-plan Checking
Report batching
Reporting ToolsCert reports
Add/drop reports
FinAid adjustment reports
Sample Cert Report
Other Tips & Tricks:Use email templates & auto-responders
Improve your Excel skills for data analysis
Use Mail Merge Wizards to send customized (more effective) messages
Use SharePoint and other cloud-based tools when appropriate
Learn from others & share with others!
Outreach & CollaborationSocial media
Your “official” website
Student peer support
Community events
Goal is to ensure comprehensive Transitional, Academic, and Peer Support
Why Use Social Media?It’s where your students are
Empowers your students to help each other
Improve your situational awareness
Establish a voice in your community
BUT…. You have to do it right!
Facebook PagesFriends are individuals
Pages are for businesses and organizations
Keep your page fresh!
“Like” other pages to easily share content
Use scheduling tools like Hootsuite to manage future updates
Facebook GroupsUsed for groups of “Friends”
Ideal for your student organization
You can’t post as your page, only as yourself
Group posts are more likely to be seen than “Page” posts
TwitterYour students are on Facebook, but your colleagues are on Twitter
Follow others for updates and easy retweets
Link accounts for easy updates to both
OR optimize each separately for maximum reach
Keep Your Website CurrentYour website is your information portal
Easy to find info = fewer student phone calls
Link to VA pages and other sites (but check the links periodically)
Great tool: a Twitter box automatically updates your website with your current tweets
http://www.jccc.edu/veterans/veterans-week.html
Other Collaboration TipsPartner with your local VetCenter
Make contacts with other service organizations in your community
Participate in community-building events
Find service opportunities for your students
Do joint events with other schools in your community
Recruit student volunteers to lead the way
Comments?Please tweet your feedback!