ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION THE ROAD AHEAD: DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACADEMIC PLAN As an institution, Northern College is known for its caring environment and high-quality programming. Our small size defines our relationship with students. This year saw the development of an impressive academic plan—a thorough and highly-collaborative project. The purpose of the academic plan is to provide a ‘road map’ for the integration of program delivery with Northern College’s Strategic Plan. Articulation of this academic plan enhances program delivery while supporting faculty to ensure student success. This academic plan addresses how successful learning is incorporated with three key elements: 1) graduates/students; 2) educational philosophy; and 3) faculty development. Individual learning journeys will be supported through the implementation of this plan. Implementation of the academic plan is ongoing and will be evaluated yearly.
SOS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS: EARLY INTERVENTION One main tenet of the academic plan highlights the fact that we are here for students. They are central to all that we do, and as such, represent our core purpose. To help students succeed, an early intervention system was developed over the past year to identify learners experiencing challenges in their studies. As time is of the essence to assist those who encounter difficulties as they learn—and since a crossfunctional approach is needed to be impactful — this seamless early-intervention system is fully integrated with the College’s online student records and allows faculty to ‘alert’ the Student Life Advising team when a student needs help. In this way, it represents a faster and more efficient way to help learners. The introduction of this early-warning system helps us be proactive in student success scenarios. The implementation of this detection tool demonstrates the way in which the organization continues to build on new and exciting opportunities to reach out to students before they are in dire need of assistance. In responding to students’ needs in this way, the organization can set the student up for greater success, now and into the future. PIVOT TO ONLINE LEARNING As our institution progresses to meet the needs of the fourth industrial revolution—automation and the integration of artificial intelligence—the need for our faculty to be digitally competent grows. This was accelerated in March of this year when the organization had to quickly pivot, and did so successfully due of the impact of physical distancing restrictions resulting from COVID-19.
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