Internship experiences are highly valued by employers and students alike; however, a significant internship experience continues to be out of reach for many of our students due to financial constraints, international student status, lack of reliable transportation, or limitations stemming from a seen or unseen disability. Even without these hurdles, often students lack the confidence or work experience needed to pursue their dream internship opportunity. For many, an on-campus internship presents a much needed and attainable solution.
In the past 5 years, many colleges and universities have implemented on-campus internship programs in various forms to support their students’ career-readiness goals. As UL is Mason’s largest employer of student-wage and work-study employees, we are uniquely positioned to lead Mason’s efforts to convert existing opportunities into internships and develop new ways our students can benefit from an internship experience in our division.
Over the fall 2018 semester the Aquia & Shenandoah Residence Life team expressed an interest in reframing our approach professional development in our weekly staff meeting. So instead of purchasing a collective book, we listened to the podcast, "Radical Candor -how not to hate the boss you have or be the boss you hate," based on the book Radical Candor. Through listening to the podcast our team engaged in dynamic conversations regarding supervision, self-awareness, and the applicability of the topics presented. Each member of the team has been able to make meaning of the podcast based upon their individual work experiences, resulting in a high level of engagement and applicability. It was an AWESOME experience!
In this session we will be sharing our experiences, engaging participants in the conversation of professional development, and discussing how this framework can be replicated in innovating your approach to professional development.
The name of the game is Innovation here at Mason! Future success depends on uncovering new ways of doing things to increase opportunities for our students. This begins with expanding our view, widening our peripheral vision and seeing how we utilize what we already have in new and innovative ways.
Join us for an interactive session that explores how two units within separate divisions came together to elevate the student experience by reconsidering approaches to their programs. This session will also offer the opportunity for participants to engage in an activity to develop their own list of potential opportunities and work through an idea that they may have brewing.
At University Career Services (UCS), we recognize that many Mason students are completing their degrees online, and may be unable to use our services and resources during traditional office hours. By considering online learners’ goals and lifestyle factors, along with Mason’s strategic goal to have 100,000 career-ready graduates by 2024, UCS is striving to make our services and resources more accessible based upon the unique needs of our distance-learning student population. We will discuss some of the changes UCS have made based on student feedback, along with some of the challenges and triumphs of the process. Participants will have the opportunity to share their own victories, questions and concerns. We will include time to workshop some of these questions and concerns.
This session will present an overview of powerful learning strategies that any staff or faculty member may share with students to support their learning. You will learn about the Study Cycle, which explains the out-of-class learning activities in which professors expect students to be engaged. We will discuss the three levels of time management and resources students can use to keep up with assignments and exam preparation. Finally, you will learn about the most effective study strategy, self-testing, and three methods designed to help students practice self-testing in order to improve memory retention. The presenters will discuss when to refer students to Learning Services, how to schedule students for an academic coaching appointment via MasonNavigate, as well as other learning support services on campus.
