Name Tag: Hello, I'm... Blank for someone to write their name
Toni Dimella Engaged Pedagogy, Online Learning, Technology, Universal Design for Learning

Name Pronunciations and Preferred Names Available in Blackboard Courses

By Celena Kusch

Name Tag: Hello, I'm... Blank for someone to write their name

We know how important it is for us to be the ones who determine how we would like to be recognized and addressed by name. We invite you to use the name pronunciation features in Blackboard to share your preferences with your instructors and classmates. Pronunciations and preferred names help us to acknowledge and demonstrate respect for each other within the Spartan Family. Helping your students to customize their Blackboard presence can help them feel more at home in all their classroom learning spaces.

Find instructions for using these new Blackboard features below:

Instructors will see pronunciations and preferred names in the roster, discussions, gradebook, messages, and wherever you can find names throughout your course.

table with chairs and flowers on table
Toni Dimella Social and Emotional Learning

Relationship Matters: Casual Conversation as Pedagogy

The Spartans’ Table initiative is BACK!

by Dave Marlow

When you sit down together at the Spartans’ Table, you belong.

Belonging is a primary factor in student retention (Costello, et al., 2022). Students who feel connected to their university are more likely to persist in their educational goals. Interacting informally at the Spartan Cafe in the Campus Life Center or at PerkUp in the Library may encourage at-risk students by giving them a personal connection, allowing them to see your human side, and opening up opportunities for them to ask questions or share information that they would avoid in more formal settings (Tinto, 1975). The Spartans’ Table program provides opportunities for faculty and staff to share a meal or coffee with students, and CAIFS will pick up your tab.

A casual conversation with professionals contributes to students’ career readiness as it offers them experience in soft skills (Guerin, 2015) and social intelligence (Ganaie and Mudasir, 2015) which are critical to success in nearly every career field. The rapport enabled by such conversation also contributes to students’ success in disciplinary content (Granitz, et al., 2009).  Finally, connections to campus matter greatly in the student experience (Cuseo, 2008) – especially for students like ours who work multiple jobs, spend little time on campus and view their on-campus time as a necessity rather than a pleasure.

Good things happen when we talk to each other. Sodexo and the Provost’s office, together with the CAIFS team, offers all faculty (adjunct, non-tenure track, and tenure track) and staff (e.g. advisors, students affairs staff, etc.) will buy lunch or coffee for both you and your students up to twice per semester (sign up on the Spartan’s Table website).

ALL faculty and staff, full- and part-time, are welcome to join students at Spartans’ Table!

Research suggests part-time instructors and staff have a powerful impact on students.