Student Life and Career Development Takes on COVID-19 With Innovation
The Hennepin Technical College (HTC) Student Life and Career Development (SLCD) team continually works to understand the changing needs of students. This year, students were clearly struggling with COVID-19 related transitions, and moving programming to low-barrier virtual options while continuing to meet and assess defined cocurricular outcomes was the top priority. SLCD adapted to engage students using the D2L platform. To encourage engagement, the team offered gift cards to students as incentives to participate in leadership development, student success activities, and career preparation. As a result, SLCD saw an increase in engagement from 100 to over 500 students per month. In addition, 439 students registered for two virtual career fairs. The team created new, innovative practices that are proving so successful and convenient for students that many changes will remain in place even after the COVID-19 crisis ends.
Innovators
- Stephen Harper, Coordinator, Student Life and Career Development
- Jese Ledbetter, Coordinator, Student Life and Career Development
- Laura Otieno, Coordinator, Student Life and Career Development
- Susan Schmitz, Director, Student Life and Career Development