This week’s webinar will be presented by Joe Paul on Thursday September 18^th from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm (EST). Register here.

Joe Paul was born in Brooklyn, New York, partially raised in Miami, Florida and is the fifth of ten children who come from Haitian immigrant parents. Joe experienced many of the social ills that continue to plague American society at the tender age of thirteen when he was forced into independence. Joe experienced homelessness, growing up in foster homes and group homes and child abandonment. Although he experienced trials and tribulations early on in his journey, he was determined to finish his high school education against all odds.

After graduating from Miami Central Senior High School, his desire to further his education inspired him to apply to colleges and universities with uncertainty. Although his parents have the equivalence of an eighth grade education they maintained the wherewithal to encourage him to take advantage of his American education; an opportunity that was not afforded to them. He became the first person in his family to earn a college degree when he graduated from Florida State University where he reserved the honor of leading more than fifteen clubs and organizations including Student Government Association as well as serving as one of the few African-American Homecoming Chief in the history of the university. Joe Paul is a former National Brother of the Year as well as Assistant Vice-President for the Southern Region for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

After graduating from Florida State, Joe moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career. He quickly found out that most actors in Hollywood are starving artist so he had to figure out a way to survive. He found solace once he was introduced to the Real Estate industry where he found a passion for helping others to achieve the American Dream of homeownership.

During this time, Joe continued to pursue another passion close to his heart; to inspire others through his touching testimony by motivationally and inspirationally speaking to others and through his writing. This passion encouraged him to leave the daily grind of the corporate world which inspired a move to the Washington DC area where he currently resides and runs his company. Joe Paul has been recognized by community, educational and business leaders including public servants as an outstanding citizen through dozens of awards and recognition.

Currently, he is the CEO of Motive8 corporation; a motivational speaking and corporate training organization. He is also a Professional Speaker, Certified Life Coach, and Blogger through www.JoePaulSpeaks.com. He is the author of “Morning Cup of Joe” and a devoted philanthropist. He respectively served as a board member of The Urban League and currently serves as a board member of the DC Seminole Alumni Association. He is a former national board member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the MLK Foundation and is a current member of the NAACP Washington DC Branch and The Florida State Society of Washington DC. He is also the Founder and Senior Advisor for the “Toys for Boys” Initiative as well as the Chief Proprietor for The Haitian heART Gallery nonprofit organization where he raises funds through showcasing and auctioning Haitian art with the ultimate goal of building schools focused on the arts and humanity in Haiti.

Week 4 blog posts focus on the topic of Job and Career Exploration. The posts for this week are provided by NOVA Online Counselor, Christy Jensen.

During week two of the leadership common experience you learned about the importance of understanding self in the college environment. Self-assessment is also a key element in helping an individual identify an occupation or career that will be satisfying and fulfilling.  All NOVA students have access to FOCUS 2 – an interactive, self-guided career and education planning system that can help you with the following:

• Select a major/program based on your interests and aspirations
• Discover occupations matching your personal preferences and attributes
• Map out your career plans, present and future
• Make informed career decisions

The “Self-Assessment” section of FOCUS 2 includes assessments in the areas of work interest, personality, skills, and values. After responding to a few questions, you can begin to identify occupations/careers that are consistent with your work interests, personality, skills, and/or values. Be sure to follow-up with me by email or another NOVA career counselor if you have any questions about the assessments or to discuss your results. Students using FOCUS 2 for the first time will need to create an account. This is a simple, quick process. Learn more and get started with FOCUS 2.

While there are many resources available to help you explore career options, two additional ones I would like to highlight are your instructor/professor and the Exploring Career Options webinar.

During week three of the leadership common experience Instructor Hatheway shared – “If this course is in an area that you are considering pursuing as a career, ask your instructor for her/his insider knowledge, tips, resources, and so on. Teachers are nothing if not passionate about their subjects and desirous of helping students develop into the professionals they want to become.” This was an excellent suggestion as your instructor/professor can provide you with a first-hand look at the field. Not sure where to begin the conversation? Two questions to get started – How did you get started in <insert area/field of interest>? What advice would you give to someone interested in getting started in <insert area/field of interest>?

The Exploring Career Options webinar is a 45 minute webinar that focuses on using various online resources to research career options.  The relationship between programs of study at NOVA, college majors, and career options are discussed.  Resources presented provide information on nature of work, educational requirements, job outlook, and wages. When you register for the webinar you will receive several handouts that should be helpful to you with your career exploration. Request a free copy of a recorded session.

What occupation/career resource did you find most helpful? Why? What questions do you have about exploring career options?

The Importance of Faculty Rapport

Check out the below entry from one of our NOVA Online instructors on his thoughts about the importance of building rapport with faculty.

Just before I started teaching my first online course I was worried about how well I’d be able to reach my students, both as a teacher and as a human being. Would Pun Dog be able to get the kind of help he needed in as clear a way as would happen were his instructor guiding him through his struggles with math in-person? And, more, could the teacher put him at ease by giving him a friendly tone through potentially cold screens full of text, unaccompanied by a friendly smile? Taken together, I worried that I couldn’t develop the sort of rapport I’d enjoyed with students I taught in the classroom.

As an online student you may have the same concerns, so I’m thrilled to say that all of my fears turned out to be unfounded. In fact, after that first course I went to a baseball game with one former student and met another for coffee when I was visiting NYC. Students shared photos of their children, we wrote back and forth about shared interests, etc.

All of this made for a fun class, but I’m certain it also lead to greater student success; when everyone has a sense of connection, even in a virtual classroom, there tends to be more of a sense of support, of presence, of caring, and so on, all of which serve to put everyone at ease and trust that their instructor is here to make you succeed. So having a strong student/teacher rapport is possible in an online environment, and also very beneficial.

Now, a lot of this is on the instructor, but I have found that my students, too, help create a harmonious relationship between them and myself. If you are proactive in creating a bond with your instructor, you just may find a better experience in your classes. Here are some ways you might try:

• If you are asked to respond to your peers in discussion forums, go beyond the minimum reply and really push yourself to be expressive and helpful… this always opens my eyes and warms me towards the student. Similarly consider responding to those who comment on your work, including your instructor. Having a true back-and-forth doesn’t just have to happen in person.
• Ask questions, be it in the question forum or via email. We want to know when you need help and, not being able to read body language/facial expressions, being able to do so can be difficult online. And asking us also makes us feel connected to you.
• Use your sense of humor (when appropriate, of course), share some of your outside interests, etc.; it is possible to have fun and express ourselves online, and it’s a great way to get your peers and instructor to feel they have a genuine connection with you.
• If this course is in an area that you are considering pursuing as a career, ask your instructor for her/his insider knowledge, tips, resources, and so on. Teachers are nothing if not passionate about their subjects and desirous of helping students develop into the professionals they want to become.

So there you have it… rapport with your online instructor is a vital component of a good experience, and you have the power to help bring it about. Trust me, it makes these classes so much more rewarding.

-Will Hatheway

NOVA Online Adjunct Instructor of English

What questions do you have about creating relationships with your NOVA Online instructors?

Understanding Self in the College Environment

Within week two of our Leadership Common Experience, we want to build on last week’s theme of success in an online education environment. We discussed important things to keep in mind when you are in the classroom and also how to stay engaged with other students and the college outside of the classroom.

An important aspect to also explore that can be an integral part of your college success is understanding yourself, your strengths, weakness, likes, dislikes, habits, how these qualities can effect your success perusing your education. What are ways you can be proactive and prevent these potential  stressors and obstacles from effecting your overall educational goals?

A great way to begin doing this is self-reflection.  Think about a typical day, the responsibilities you have and how much time  and energy is spent on each. How does your online education fit into this?  Will it drastically change your day to day routine? Are there other areas in which you spend your time that you can improve?

Here is a great article about Toxic Habits that Drain your Energy. Time and Energy work hand-in hand within your overall quality of life and this article gives some great everyday examples on how we can often lose this time and energy around things we can’t control.

How do you see your online education fitting into your personal day-today routine?

What are some other ways that we might mismanage our time and energy?

Looking for motivation as an online student and developing your personal leadership skills?

Our first webinar is this Thursday, September 4th from 6-7pm!

This webinar will be presented by NOVA/NOVA Online alumni Joshua Anton.

Register for the webinar here!

Check out Joshua’s Bio below!

Like many student leaders, Joshua Anton faced his own set of adversities. On February 10^th, 2009, the day after his 18^th birthday, Mr. Anton was asked to leave home while still a senior in high school. This event would change his life forever. Working 3 jobs and attending school full-time, he completed high school on schedule and later in that same year began his new life as a student at Northern Virginia Community College.

As a student leader at NOVA,  Mr. Anton helped to develop the Loudoun campus Student Government Association as its first President, served as a Student Ambassador, and Vice President of Marketing for Phi Theta Kappa. Mr. Anton would also work with future Attorney General, Mark Herring to develop a bus route in the Loudoun County Community that would provide enhanced public transportation to NVCC Students. As a student leader and alumnus, Mr. Anton worked with his fellow student leaders to leave behind many sustainable events that would continue to impact students, NOVA Cram Week (Free Tutors and Pizza before Finals) NOVA’s Got Talent (America’s Got Talent for NOVA) and the Loudoun Leaders League (student leadership conference promoting sustainable leadership)

In June 2012, Mr. Anton transferred to the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce. Building on the foundation he developed at community college, Mr. Anton would venture into leadership once again, but this time through a sustainable product development competition co-sponsored by Unilever Corporation and the student organization Enactus. Mr. Anton and his team developed plans for an innovative disposable men’s razor called the “Ax Defiant” that if implemented will reduce a percentage of the 2.5 billion razors added to landfills annually.

The team won the U.S. Round of the competition and moved forward to become the representative of the United States in a global competition in Singapore. In this competition, 10 teams around the world proposed marketing strategies to Unilever Executives for their Lifebuoy brand. The theme of this competition was centered on designing innovative solutions to get children to wash their hands more often throughout the day resulting in saving 2 million children’s lives annually.

Mr. Anton’s professional endeavors have included numerous entrepreneurial related projects, including a social media consulting firm, yOptimize, a student textbook company called A.I. Textbooks; authoring a book named “Investing: Blunt and to the Point” that provides students with guidance on investing; and co-developing a mobile application for Apple iPhone and Android that prevents students from “so-called” drunk dialing. That application known as “Drunk Mode” is currently available in seven languages.

Mr. Anton has given numerous formal public speeches at local high schools, elementary schools, and community colleges regarding topics on his life story, leadership, entrepreneurship, and his community college experience.

 We look forward to “seeing” you there!

Student Success Skills and Engagement Outside of the Classroom

In the first post this week about student success, we referenced tips and strategies to help you as an online student within the virtual classroom, but what about success and engagement outside of the classroom?

One topic that is very important to promote your own personal success and develop strong leadership skills is personal resiliency and life skills. Now what do you think we mean by this?

Here are some examples:

– Learning to take responsibility for your actions, positive or negative.

-Acknowledging when you make a mistake and understanding you might not always get to chance to rectify it .

-Building your own support system whether family, friends, co-workers, peers when faced daily stressors.

By not only identifying how these skills can effect your personal success but also developing these areas within yourself, you will be better prepared for personal challenges that may arise. Throughout this Leadership Common Experience, we will be sharing topics and proving resources for you to further develop these abilities.

Here is another great article we wanted to share that talks more about this topic. Read it here.

A great way to further build on this idea in an educational environment is engagement with the college and other students. We want to highlight  this since it is just as important to be engaged  outside the classroom as it is inside the classroom

The National Survey of Student Engagement measures student involvement in co-curricular events and activities, and the effect they have on students. According to this survey, the more involved students are in an institution, the more invested they will be. This can also lead to higher grades and the more likelihood they are to persist to the next semester.

As on online student, it can be hard to find ways to keep connected with your college and peers outside the classroom since you are not seeing them face to face.

1) Follow NOVA Online on social media- NOVA Online is on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and  this blog to provide daily/weekly updates about important academic dates and deadlines, virtual and in-person events as well as programs such as this to promote your success as a student.

2) Connect with NOVA Online on Google+: By creating a Google+ account through your student GMail, you will have access to +NOVA Online and connect  with other online students, join some of our student interest group and attend online events such as Google hangouts.

3) Share your own ideas for engagement-  Have a great online event idea? Looking to connect with other student interest group we might not offer? On behalf of NOVA Online Student Life, we want to hear your ideas and help you create ways for you to be engaged with NOVA Online and other students. Contact elistulife@nvcc.edu to share these with us!

Do you feel engagement is important outside of the classroom? Is there anything that we forgot? Let us know here!