In this wide-ranging Digication Scholars Conversation, Boston University’s Natalie McKnight and host Jeff Yan cover a number of topics, starting with how the meaning of “culture” on campus has evolved over time, and the role that Natalie plays in creating and maintaining campus culture and values in her role as Dean in the College of General Studies. In offering a definition of General Studies, Natalie describes a culture of viewing topics and issues through the lens of multiple disciplines and forming connections between seemingly unrelated areas. They go on to discuss the mental health crisis in higher education and the ways that student attitudes have evolved to value social responsibility and inclusivity over the pursuit of high-paying careers. “I derive a lot of hope, looking at these students and their wisdom on these issues, and their embracing of inclusivity, not because it's trendy, but because it's right.”

In this wide-ranging Digication Scholars Conversation, Boston University’s Natalie McKnight and host Jeff Yan cover a number of topics, starting with how the meaning of “culture” on campus has evolved over time, and the role that Natalie plays in creating and maintaining campus culture and values in her role as Dean in the College of General Studies. In offering a definition of General Studies, Natalie describes a culture of viewing topics and issues through the lens of multiple disciplines and forming connections between seemingly unrelated areas. They go on to discuss the mental health crisis in higher education and the ways that student attitudes have evolved to value social responsibility and inclusivity over the pursuit of high-paying careers. “I derive a lot of hope, looking at these students and their wisdom on these issues, and their embracing of inclusivity, not because it's trendy, but because it's right.”

Jill Flanders Crosby is a Professor of Dance at University of Alaska Anchorage and currently serves as Dance Program Coordinator in the Department of Theater and Dance. In her Digication Scholars Conversation with host Kelly Driscoll, Jill shares how an early resistance to the idea of teaching dance evolved into a deep appreciation for the ways in which dance scholarship and dance performance can inform and enrich one another. Operating against commonly held perceptions of dance as a marginal subject for scholarship, she describes feeling a particular responsibility to arm her students with the ability to discuss their art in scholarly terms while refining their abilities as performers. Later in the conversation, Jill explains how she approached teaching dance performance within the limits of COVID19 restrictions, and shares a number of ePortfolios that capture the creativity and resilience of her students during that time period. “I tried to tell them, ‘Make your ePortfolio dance,’ and they did that. They made them dance through not only the movement of the eye, but then the movement we would see in their videos and how they would film them. They found that way.”

Jill Flanders Crosby is a Professor of Dance at University of Alaska Anchorage and currently serves as Dance Program Coordinator in the Department of Theater and Dance. In her Digication Scholars Conversation with host Kelly Driscoll, Jill shares how an early resistance to the idea of teaching dance evolved into a deep appreciation for the ways in which dance scholarship and dance performance can inform and enrich one another. Operating against commonly held perceptions of dance as a marginal subject for scholarship, she describes feeling a particular responsibility to arm her students with the ability to discuss their art in scholarly terms while refining their abilities as performers. Later in the conversation, Jill explains how she approached teaching dance performance within the limits of COVID19 restrictions, and shares a number of ePortfolios that capture the creativity and resilience of her students during that time period. “I tried to tell them, ‘Make your ePortfolio dance,’ and they did that. They made them dance through not only the movement of the eye, but then the movement we would see in their videos and how they would film them. They found that way.”

As the Learning Portfolio Program Manager at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, Brody Tate oversees 55 portfolio programs, comprising roughly 10,000 active users per semester. In this Digication Scholars Conversation, Brody details how he manages this enormous responsibility by working face to face with faculty and department chairs to develop programs that run efficiently and smoothly. Brody prioritizes giving ePortfolio users the know-how, combined with a freedom to create, resulting in a thriving, mutually supportive ePortfolio community. Later, Brody and host, Jeff Yan, discuss emerging trends in how students and graduates are approaching portfolios for career development, and how students can use portfolios to better themselves and improve the world. “I think if we give ourselves the freedom to learn and explore, our world would look a lot different”

As the Learning Portfolio Program Manager at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, Brody Tate oversees 55 portfolio programs, comprising roughly 10,000 active users per semester. In this Digication Scholars Conversation, Brody details how he manages this enormous responsibility by working face to face with faculty and department chairs to develop programs that run efficiently and smoothly. Brody prioritizes giving ePortfolio users the know-how, combined with a freedom to create, resulting in a thriving, mutually supportive ePortfolio community. Later, Brody and host, Jeff Yan, discuss emerging trends in how students and graduates are approaching portfolios for career development, and how students can use portfolios to better themselves and improve the world. “I think if we give ourselves the freedom to learn and explore, our world would look a lot different”

While many encounter problems in the world and think “Someone should do something about this,” Sam Ascencio is one of the select few who says “Why not me?,” then rolls up his sleeves and gets to work. Drawing on valuable life lessons and guidance from his father, Sam left behind a semi-professional soccer career to pursue a degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where he created “Q’onnections, a mentoring program for LGBT+ students. Inspired by his own journey of coming out as genderfluid while adjusting to college life as a first generation student, Sam felt a strong desire to provide support and affirmation to peers in similar situations. With the help of faculty mentors, Sam tapped into empathy, determination, and a magnetic personality to take Q’onnections from a longshot goal to a permanent program with a full-time director and fifteen paid mentors.  In this installment of Digication Scholars Conversations, Sam elaborates the process of creating Q’onnections while sharing his philosophy on mentoring and advocacy. “It’s about opening the doors for the people and letting them pick which door they want to go into, and even if they come back a little hurt and a little scarred, you’re there to comfort them and keep pushing them.”

While many encounter problems in the world and think “Someone should do something about this,” Sam Ascensio is one of the select few who says “Why not me?,” then rolls up his sleeves and gets to work. Drawing on valuable life lessons and guidance from his father, Sam left behind a semi-professional soccer career to pursue a degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where he created “Q’onnections, a mentoring program for LGBT+ students. Inspired by his own journey of coming out as genderfluid while adjusting to college life as a first generation student, Sam felt a strong desire to provide support and affirmation to peers in similar situations. With the help of faculty mentors, Sam tapped into empathy, determination, and a magnetic personality to take Q’onnections from a longshot goal to a permanent program with a full-time director and fifteen paid mentors. In this installment of Digication Scholars Conversations, Sam elaborates the process of creating Q’onnections while sharing his philosophy on mentoring and advocacy. “It’s about opening the doors for the people and letting them pick which door they want to go into, and even if they come back a little hurt and a little scarred, you’re there to comfort them and keep pushing them.”

(Part 2/2) J. Elizabeth Clark, Professor of English at LaGuardia Community College, is a poet and author of children’s and young adult literature. In our conversation with Liz, she shares that she’s an avid scuba diver with a strong interest in teaching about science, climate change, and the ocean through her writing. Liz is a pioneer for ePortfolios at LAGCC and has served as a member of LaGuardia’s ePortfolio team for nearly 20 years with an “interest in the role of technology and how it is changing how and what we write (and read!).” Hear how she and other professors at LaGuardia use portfolios as a way for students to build a library of ideas to repurpose and recapture them, the importance of anti-racist pedagogy and labor-based contract grading which places a positive, more inclusive approach to how students receive their grades.

(Part 1/2) J. Elizabeth Clark, Professor of English at LaGuardia Community College, is a poet and author of children’s and young adult literature. In our conversation with Liz, she shares that she’s an avid scuba diver with a strong interest in teaching about science, climate change, and the ocean through her writing. Liz is a pioneer for ePortfolios at LAGCC and has served as a member of LaGuardia’s ePortfolio team for nearly 20 years with an “interest in the role of technology and how it is changing how and what we write (and read!).” Hear how she and other professors at LaGuardia use portfolios as a way for students to build a library of ideas to repurpose and recapture them, the importance of anti-racist pedagogy and labor-based contract grading which places a positive, more inclusive approach to how students receive their grades.