Welcome to Fall 2024
Welcome to CCRI
08/26/2024
Beth Anish
Dean, Learning Commons and Classroom Technology
Dear Students,
Welcome to the Fall 2024 semester. If you’re new here, welcome to CCRI! If not, welcome back! We’re happy to have you working toward your educational goals with us. I am Beth Anish, Dean of the Learning Commons and Classroom Technology. Before this role I was Director of our Guided Pathways program, and before that, I was a full-time English professor here for 12 years. Overall, I have 20 years of community college teaching experience, including about 14 of those years teaching online courses. In that time I noticed a few key strategies of successful students.
You will likely hear this often, but it is true: the best thing you can do is manage your time wisely. I understand that you have multiple priorities. Whether you’re juggling work, a full courseload, family responsibilities, trying to have some downtime to take care of yourself physically and emotionally, or any combination of the above, you need to find a way to schedule your time productively.
Get yourself a calendar, at least on your phone, and log in key assignment dates. I may be old-fashioned, but I find a paper planner with big blocks for each day works best for me. You could also do a big dry erase board or desk calendar. Whatever you choose, block out your work hours, and then block out times that you are in class in person. If you have kids in activities or clubs/organizations of your own, block out those meeting times, too. If all of your classes are online, block out at lease 3-5 hours per week to do the work of each class. You may adjust this as the semester gets going, depending on how much work each class is requiring.
Don’t forget to schedule some down time, too! Do you like to hike, run, see concerts or movies, spend time with friends and family, or just chill in front of the TV for a while? You need to do this, too. Don’t schedule every hour of every day for work or schoolwork. Be flexible with yourself, but do try to find at least an hour or two each day, maybe more on weekends depending on your work schedule, to get the work for each of your classes done.
How do you know what work needs to be done? Read the syllabus for each class carefully during Week 1. Go back to the syllabus frequently throughout the semester. Also look at any announcements your professors have posted. What is due for each class? Mark down assignment due dates in your calendar. If you have discussion posts due every Sunday night, start to get used to the rhythm of the week. When do you need to do the reading or watch videos in preparation of the discussion post? You can’t do it Sunday at 11:45 if the post is due at 11:59. Plan ahead and stay on top of things so they don’t snowball on you.
Here’s an important thing to note: if you do start feeling overwhelmed or like you’re falling behind or some life event gets in the way, ask for help. The first line of help is usually your professor. Professors have office hours, and trust me when I say that they are largely underused. We love when students come to us to talk through an assignment, or even to share with us what’s going on if they start to fall behind. We would much rather help you make a plan to get back on track than have you disappear from the class. In general, the people who work here, including your professors, are here because we want you to succeed.
That brings me to my current job. Under the Learning Commons are many other people who are here to help you meet your goals. We have reference librarians on all four campuses to help you with research questions. The librarians are even available online through our chat feature. During the school year we’re open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 5 p.m. on Fridays, and most Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During all of those times that we are open you can chat with a librarian from home or in person.
We also have our Tutoring and Writing Centers, where you can get tutoring in many subjects, and where Academic Coaches will walk you through time management, study skills, and test taking strategies. Our Writing Center staff will help you with papers you have to write for any subject. Whether you want help understanding the essay prompt and brainstorming, or guidance for revising a draft of an essay, they are here for you. Our Online Learning and IT Helpdesk teams are around to help you with Blackboard and other technology issues.
If you’re trying to think through what you would like to study and/or what career you want to pursue, we have faculty Pathway Navigators for each of our seven Academic and Career Pathways. From Arts and Humanities to STEM, we have expert faculty members who can talk through your options and point you in the direction of resources.
Outside of the Learning Commons, Success Coaches in Academic Advising and Career Counselors in Career Services have loads of resources for you available on campus and virtually. If you’re struggling emotionally or financially, please seek out the resources available through our Counseling Office and Benefits Hub. As I’ve always said to my students, you pay for all of these supports through your tuition and fees. Make use of them!
Best wishes to you as you start this new academic year. It’s an exciting time full of great potential. Remember when you need some support, we’re here to help!