2023 Cohort
34
edits
Changes
===Strategy #1: Improving students comfortability with public speaking in the form of a pitching activity while also further developing entrepreneurial skills===
----Based on the research conducted through a student survey and the landscape canvas, we identified the lack of tangible involved professional development opportunities on campus. Therefore, we developed a multifaceted approach to help students improve those missing components by creating a wide-ranging deck of cards. The cards are composed of three different categories: Instance, Audience and Reflection. Students would be required to pick both, an Instance and Audience card, which make up their specific pitch challenge. And after they finished their challenge, they then proceed to reflect on their experience with the help of the Reflection card.
Considering the combination of game, challenge and the use of resources on campus, we believe that with this idea we can encourage students to learn more about themselves both professionally and personally while meeting one of the needs expressed by our students (the lack of professional development support).
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=== Strategy #2: Reimagining an mandatory course intended to help students transition to our college ===
----Responses from our student survey gave us insight on the need to revisit the content of Menlo 101, our required introductory to college course. We intend to combine current MLO 101 units with new hands-on activities that empower students to utilize our institution and outside resources. What motivates this change is the desire to create emotional investment in our college, a more helpful transition to college life, and give students more control of their college experience. This will require us to consult various faculty members, consult the student body, and ideate with fellows who've expressed interesting in revitalizing the course in the past. In measuring the results of our impact, we will follow-up with student/community pulse-checks and implement a succession plan in which the course gets reassessed and updated every two years.
Our initial course additions include:
- (Within first two weeks) What is Menlo College? A thorough introduction to provided majors, minors, study abroad programs, UIF, etc. This will be not unlike the landscape canvas we devised earlier in training. The activity would be followed-up with a guided walk-through of how to develop a rough 4-year plan of what they intend to do at Menlo.
- A professional development support program that guides students through the building of a strong resume, the research for areas of career interest, and potential companies they would like to intern or work in. A set of activities that would align with and introduce the Internship & Career Services.
- A detailed explanation combined with practical lessons on how to utilize different resources on campus, and how to engage in extracurriculars. This addition would lead students to truly understand the function of different departments existing on campus, and how to effectively get involved by taking initiatives such as creating a club.
=Early Training Fall 2022=