To facilitate student learning in the classroom and beyond, CTLI is spearheading a collaborative project between Student Advising, Career Development, the Learning Café, the Buchanan Library, the Learning Experience Design team, and faculty members.
Integrated specialists—librarians, academic strategists, career development specialists, and academic advisors—provide resources, host discussions, send timely email reminders, and provide other student supports from within course modules of the learning management system (LMS).
As demonstrated by an extensive literature review, student support services work best when they’re integrated into learning environments (Dadgar et al., 2013).
Integrated specialists are uniquely poised to both proactively engage with students and respond promptly to student queries. They bring a wealth of expertise in information literacy and research, writing and study skills, and academic advising. In collaboration with faculty, integrated specialists determine how to best support student learning in a specific class and help students integrate into a wider campus learning community.
Integrated support specialists: Librarians, academic strategists, and academic advisors who are included in Canvas course to provide relevant and timely help to students.
We believe that meaningful stakeholder engagement is essential to any good initiative. Below is a list of engaged stakeholders. (Classification based on CTLI engagement framework and IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum)
Our promise: We will keep you informed about the project and decisions that are made.
Our promise: We will consult with you to ensure your viewpoint is heard and considered when making decisions. We will communicate how this input and feedback influenced the decisions made.
Our promise: We will work directly with you to ensure your viewpoints and concerns are reflected in the decisions made.
Our promise: We will partner directly with you throughout the project and decision making process. We will create joint solutions or recommendations.
Our promise: We will abide by the decisions you make.
Project Lead: Tatiana Kloster & Ina Baczuk
My interest in joining the Integrated Supports pilot stems from the great success in previous terms of incorporating an Integrated Librarian to support writing students in their research. Not only have designated class librarians assisted students, but they have also been instrumental by curating collections of relevant background readings. It makes perfect sense to extend the support network by connecting these same students to other areas of expertise, including advising and academic strategies.
I have witnessed first-hand the positive and far-reaching impact that integrated supports have on Lethbridge College students. For example, the integrated librarian function offers the opportunity for our students to connect with a knowledgeable and helpful librarian, who not only is aware of the course research paper or assignment but is able to assist students in accessing and navigating the Lethbridge College database as well.
The integrated strategist invites students to meet with them to discuss and break down assignment instructions, identify and prioritize course assessments, and develop skills and tools to assist students throughout their post-secondary journey.
The addition of the integrated advisor makes this the “sweet suite” of student support at Lethbridge College! Having direct advisor access enables our students to connect with an advisor who is familiar with courses and program requirements.
Add the integrated librarian, the integrated strategist, and the integrated advisor supports together, and you have an incredibly strong, versatile, and multitalented team that is ready, willing, and more than able to assist students.
We are launching an entire online community for our online School of Justice Studies students. In the past, I have included support specialists in my individual courses. When given the opportunity to include an integrated librarian, academic strategist, and academic advisor into the community we were building for our online students and instructors, it was a natural fit. Through integrating student supports and offering a variety of resources in this Canvas-hosted community, we are hoping to further connect our non-traditional students to Lethbridge College.
LC data (Student Success Inventory, 2021)
Dadgar, M., Nodine, T., Bracco, K. R., and Venezia, A. (2013). Integrating student supports and academics [PDF file]. WestEd. https://www.wested.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1370976401resource12962-3.pdf
Student Success Inventory. (2021). Summary and Planning Report for Lethbridge College.
Located on the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Lethbridge College is committed to honouring the land from a place of knowing. We honour the Siksikaitsitapi as both the traditional and current Land Keepers of this area, and we welcome all First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and non-Indigenous peoples who call Blackfoot territory their home.
