First Day/First Office Hour: Prep for Student Vets

1 of 12 modules of sabbatical due Jan 15 byMiguel Fernandez

Faculty Liaison for Student VeteransComposition, Literature, Creative Writing Faculty, CGCC

TRUE STORY: A few weeks ago…1st SVO meeting at our newly opened Student Lounge. I ride an e-bike & bring

battery up to charge. what could go wrong?

Background • Teach composition (101 & 102) and literature.• Created a Vet Cohort Eng102 4 years ago.

Since, Regular sections that were ‘vet friendly’.

• CGCC Faculty Liaison to Student Veterans (not a vet) and related faculty development

• Today’s session is 1st day/1st office hr. It’s part of a 6 month sabbatical going on right now (until 1/15)

Are they out there?

• How many people, whether faculty, advisors, student life, have had interactions with student veterans that brought to attention the ‘vet’ part?

• Show of hands: positive? (leadership, student success)?

• Negative? (stop going to class, confrontations, conflict, off norm reactions, anger issues?)

Number of student veterans using GI BILL Benefits @ MCCCD & related*

ASU 2,855 Paradise Valley 386

Chandler Gilbert 654 Phoenix College 463

Estrella Mountain 611 Rio Salado 784

Gateway 265 Scottsdale 337

Glendale 1,158 South Mountain 180

Maricopa Corporate College

? Southwest Skill Center

17

Maricopa Skill Center

137 U of Phoenix main campus Tempe

1,240

Mesa 1,464 U of Phoenix Online(tempe)

 

NAU 834 27,168

    UA 1,142

As of Jan 2014 http://department-of-veterans-affairs.github.io/gi-bill-comparison-tool/

Relevance: Student vets will be bigger FTSE college presence in the future

• Army and other branches will be ‘shrinking’

• More Enlisted discharges (GI bill = date + 10yr)

• Guaranteed ‘dollars’

• Demographic shift/ Crossover increase for STEM, minorities

1st day/1st Office hr as part of the Sabbatical to be delivered 1/15:

www.miguelfernandez.com choose faculty development

• 12 topics will be delivered as Creative Commons “Toolkit” each as: a)briefing; b)quick tips; c)content in depth; d)Scenarios; e)Localization

• Downloadable (Canvas zip), self driven online course or ready-for-faculty dev facilitation

• Approach: Quick to use (tips), modular, adapt to your needs, scenarios w/suggestions (‘give me 15 minutes’)

• Peer reviewed by AZ Coalition for Military Families

Scope & Deliverables by 1/15:www.miguelfernandez.com choose faculty development

• 12 modules + 3 primers: tips & best practices for student vets

Primer: Stereotypes 6)Writing & Reflection

Primer: Teaching Space (physical & Elearning)

7)Assignments & Feedback

Primer: In Processing - Orientation 8)Grades & tutoring

1)1st Day/First Office Hour 9)Group work

2)Attendance & In-Class behavior 10)Work & EDU goals

3)Physical issues/disabilities 11)Supporting Services

4)Non-Visible Issues 12)End of class - Graduation

5)Time Management & Study tips

Slice 1: 1st day/1st office hr

3 fundamentals that will prevent or triage MANY issues related to student veterans ‘1st contact’:

• Prep Syllabus• TONE: Accommodation Not Exceptions• Consider a few ‘learning moment’ scenarios

www.miguelfernandez.com choose faculty development

I) Prep ‘Vet Friendly’ SECTIONS FOR THE SYLLABUS:

QUESTION: Should I include a separate section for student veteran issues, or deal with the policies in the appropriate parts of my existing syllabus (eg attendance policy, grading)?

Recommendation: Having a separate section labeled “For Active Duty/Reserves/Student Veterans”

I) Prep ‘Vet Friendly’ SECTIONS FOR THE SYLLABUS:

1)IDENTIFY ‘COORDINATING POINTS’ of contact For Active Duty/Reserves/Student Veterans :• Benefits

• Supporting services (counseling, advisor, coordinator)

• SVO: Student Veteran Organization

I) Prep ‘Vet Friendly’ SECTIONS FOR THE SYLLABUS:

2) REMINDER TO IDENTIFY TO INSTRUCTOR: (after class/in private) as a student veteran/ reserve/active duty personnel, if, might be activating accommodations (if any)

I) Prep ‘Vet Friendly’ SECTIONS FOR THE SYLLABUS:

3)ATTENDANCE POLICY• Reasons for Excusable absences for student

veterans must be presented as early as possible and considered only for previously self-identified veterans

I) Prep ‘Vet Friendly’ SECTIONS FOR THE SYLLABUS:

4) WHAT TO DO IF RAPIDLY DEPLOYED (email instructor/contact veterans services coordinator /have a template contingency plan)

I) Prep ‘Vet Friendly’ SECTIONS FOR THE SYLLABUS:

5) VA Policy if you Stop Attending Class: F vs DROP: ‘Students who simply stop attending classes will be dropped, with possible consequences related to VA policies and payments’

I) Prep ‘Vet Friendly’ SECTIONS FOR THE SYLLABUS:

6) Code of Classroom Conduct:‘Safe Space’‘Devil’s Advocate’ approachGroup assignments“No exceptions: Etiquette respect in all communications (in, out of classroom; fellow students, instructor)”

I) Prep Vet Friendly’ SECTIONS FOR THE SYLLABUS:

7) ‘It is Student Veteran’s responsibility to make sure class is not considered an unnecessary elective by the GI Bill’

II. Set a Classroom tone of accommodation, not exceptions.:

• Transition• ‘Domino effect’• ‘The emotional appeal’• PTSD is real but many other issues: anger,

crisis, desire to disrupt, time management

III. Sample SCENARIOS for 1st day, 1st office hour (prep yourself)

• If you simply look at the titles of some of the scenarios in the appropriate module, you’re set. They don’t often occur but when they do, you know there’s something for it.

• If you have an office hr visit related to a scenario…

Sample Scenarios:

• A)Issue concerning Hat or Jacket or Insignia worn in class or at campus event:

• B)Challenge to respect because of gender/ethnicity• C)Veteran new to a disability (hearing, seeing etc) • D) PTSD symptoms: diagnosed, suspected, or excuse

vs common triggers (see next slide)

• ETC

Screen capture from list of common PTSD triggers

(*remember most student veterans will be able to gracefully deal with triggers or have very minor reactions such as moments of hypervigilance)

• (SEE WORD FILE)

Let’s look at a SCENARIO 8: After the first day of classes/discussion of syllabus, a Reserve, Active Duty, or Student Veteran requests alternative class content, an alternative service learning opportunity ( eg a presentation during Reserves Training on urban combat techniques, etc) or an alternative assignments/events (warns of potential PTSD trigger by being in an extremely overcrowded event such as serving in a hunger banquet, a trips on syllabus to memorials or cultural event (Sufi performance, report on Muslim rights rally, etc)

TIME PERMITTING: REAL example walkthrough….

REAL EXAMPLE: A class assignment:

• Class requires viewing and deeply studying the opening invasion scene of Saving Private Ryan with its heavy casualty and mutilation scenes.

• Someone with medically noted PTSD as a combat medic vet says they can't do that assignment.

• This activity IS listed in the class syllabus and a Vets Section says 'accommodation, not exception'

• VARIABLES that affect decision?

• POSSIBLE APPROACHES?

• QUESTIONS TO ASK?

Questions?

• Miguel.fernandez@cgc.edu