What is First Generation?

First Generation (n):  A student whose parent(s) has/have not attended post-secondary school in Canada.

Algonquin First Generation (AFG) Program

Simply put: It is a virtual tool kit based on existing Algonquin services and an e-mentoring model to enable you to reach out to a potentially at-risk student segment in an innovative and effective way.

What We’ve Done

It started with MTCU funding for First Generation research and a vision. We formed a small team of external consultants and experienced Algonquin

mentorship providers to explore e-mentorship models over 6 weeks. The team’s findings/recommendations are presented here for internal

consultation, direction and integration with existing Algonquin recruitment, retention and student support initiatives.

Phase 1 Research

We conducted an external scan looking at post-secondary best practices and academic research, focusing on specific content areas: Academic, Employment/Vocational, Healthy Living, Mental Health, and Financial.

We reviewed potential processes: Equity & Access, Training & Development, Performance Evaluation, and Metrics.

Who Are First Generation

Meet Joe. He’s 19 and has lived in Canada for 4 years. Joe wants to go to Algonquin College. He isn’t sure what to expect and neither is his mother. It’s 10:30am on a Sunday

and they’re trying to figure out what to do; can you help?

“First Generation” refers to a student whose parent(s)/guardian(s) has/have not attended a post-secondary institution in Canada. This includes students from many cultural and socioeconomic demographics, such as Aboriginal, low-income, rural, newcomers to Canada, etc.

Many require assistance in making the transition to college, understanding how post-secondary education works, and learning work habits and life skills to be successful.

Who Are First Generation

Meet Jane. She’s 27, single and has a beautiful little boy. Jane works 20 hours a week and has returned to college to get a better job. It’s 12:30am and she’s worrying over

her workload and money problems; can you help?

First Generation students are less likely to complete college.

MTCU has identified First Generation students as an important segment needing additional support to successfully complete a post-secondary education.

ACAP is proposing a College-wide approach to harness Algonquin’s existing strengths and provide a comprehensive and synergistic resource for First Generation students.

Meeting First Generation Needs

There is a need for programs to improve retention and help First Generation students succeed.

The AFG program provides an intuitive and interactive online interface — a powerful portal capable of guiding students to answers and resources, when they need them.

Such a program would help make Algonquin the college of choice.

Not one size fits all — nurturing successful students with innovation and care.

Meeting First Generation Needs

AFG program will help students enjoy and benefit from a successful college experience with online interactive, staff, and structured peer-to-peer mentoring.

Concept is a continuum of care — recruitment through retention to employment in their field of study.

Meeting First Generation Needs

College is a developmental process and First Generation students often require additional assistance with the hurdles they face.

AFG goes beyond providing information; students are empowered to solve problems on their own.

AFG is focused on nurturing more resilient students.

Best-in-class: Portland State

After implementing the Students First Mentoring Program (SFMP), Portland State University conducted a study1 which found:

A targeted one-year mentoring program can successfully impact low-income, First Generation students’ academic success.

Program year expertise development is associated with the superior academic performance of First Generation students who participated in the SFMP intervention.

Online delivery of mentoring support services can be as effective as a combination of online and in-person mentoring for First Generation students.

1. The study examined the academic performance and experiences of the 2006-2007 SFMP cohort, along with those of two comparison groups of students over the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 academic years.

Best-in-class: Portland State

The SFMP study measured three indicators of academic success:• Retention• GPA• Yearly average credits earned

The positive effects of SFMP participation (with respect to all indicators above) continued through the first year post program participation, and the positive effects on retention continued through the second post program participation year.

Best-in-class: First Scholars

First Scholars is a not-for-profit that works with Universities to increase the percentage of First Generation graduates.

A key aspect to their program is providing customized student support.

They currently work with 4 universities and are adding 3 more in 2011.

Best-in-class: LSE

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has had success with their Student Mentoring Scheme.

This program is open to all first year undergraduates and uses video and social media to engage with that segment.

It is featured as a recruitment tool, and the structured mentoring program is promoted as better preparing mentors for employment.

Best-in-class: University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield has a well-established First Generation student program and an innovative way of communicating financial needs/issues throughout the post-secondary journey.

Best-in-class: Algonquin

The AFG program will build upon existing Algonquin services and programs, and best-in-class First Generation programs.

By developing the social media component, online triage mentorship, and continuum of resources, Algonquin will be breaking new ground in the provision of student care resources.

A (prospective) student comes to the AFG portal seeking information. Our goal is to transform that visit into engagement and nurture that student.

Algonquin First Generation e-Mentoring Program:Strategic Concept

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AFG e-Mentoring Program 101

• A learner-centred technology that integrates Algonquin's support for First Generation students.

• Mental Health • Healthy Living• Financial Resiliency • Academic Support &

Resources • Vocational Career • Employment Support

Program Breakdown: Content Modules

Program Breakdown: Personalized Toolbox

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AFG Portal

ContentModules

PersonalizedToolbox

E-Mentoring, Avatars

Blackboard Collaborative Space

www. .com

Fatima’s Story

Smart Integration

AFG program will complement and integrate with existing Algonquin programs and services.

Goal is to build on existing expertise – not to duplicate existing resources.

Smart Integration, Smart Systems

Developing the AFG portal will help to hone how all services fit and work together to provide a platform for linking services from a process perspective.

Could be developed into a comprehensive one-stop online resource linking multiple services: students, professors, Student Support Specialists, support staff, etc.

Objectives of AFG Initiative

Reach out to First Generation students. Provide interactive student support tools to

nurture academic success and resiliency. Monitor and measure program activity and

success.

AFG Program Impact

Increase student recruitment. Improve student retention. Facilitate employment of graduates. Strengthen links with alumni. Facilitate student engagement and connection.

Building a Collaborative Community of Support

Rose is a Police Foundations student with a full-time job working nights. She saw a video that talked about e-mentoring on the AFG website. She followed

the link and found that there was an e-mentoring group specifically for students working full-time. She joined the group and really appreciated the chance to vent, share ideas and the group support. Someone suggested she

check out the time management tools and webinars available on the AFG website.

The result of the AFG Program working with the Algonquin community of staff and services is a comprehensive support and resource network.

Building a Collaborative Community of Support

Jintang is an accounting student having some problems keeping up with all of his courses. He went to see the Business Student Support Specialist who recommended he join a study group. The SSS further suggested that Jintang

check out the AFG website to find a study group that fit his needs and schedule.

The AFG will provide a valuable toolkit to help Algonquin support services reach out to connect with potentially vulnerable segments of the student body.

The AFG program also provides more resources for First Generation students to tap into.

Building a Collaborative Community of Support

Henry is a Building Construction Technician who often went the AFG website to get help with his job search. Feedback from an online discussion group, getting his resume proofread, and using the online interview tool prepared

him well.

Online activity will be monitored to determine how the AFG portal is being used and measure its effectiveness.

The system will automatically monitor activity and red flag anything that may warrant investigation.

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Community Outreach

Webinars, available to the public, could focus on topics of interest to specific communities.

Access to career planning tools could be a valuable resource for guidance counsellors.

Such tools are both informative and promotional, with significant recruitment value.

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Community Outreach

Parents and community members could sign up for a monthly e-newsletter.

Parents and community members could view and contribute their comments to webinars, FAQ, blogs and discussion groups that are accessible to the public.

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Normalizing the College Experience

Following the excitement of starting college, students can feel overwhelmed, even isolated.

College is about learning new skills in an applied way, and students need to acquire new models of learning.

Mentoring helps to accelerate students' integration into the wider context of the college community.

First Generation students will be able to create their own avatars.

Imagine a student going online with what they feel is a unique problem, to find a talking avatar identify their problem, understand the situation, and provide specific resources to solve it!

Those resources could include:• An online tool to manage the

situation (financial planner, bus travel planner, etc.)

• Links to appropriate information• Registration for peer mentoring• Online requests for avatars

Mentoring 2.0

Meet Joe’s avatars. His sister nags at him to get his assignments done on time and he has a dietician who

gives him nutrition and meal planning advice. Can you

guess which avatar is “Joe”?

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Avatars - 24/7 Navigators

Avatars help students navigate through the online resources in the AFG webportal.

Avatars can also make it easier for students to navigate their first year at college.

With Next Gen, avatars are a means of self-expression and identity development, which is part of the college experience.

Building Mentorship Models

Portland State University’s Student First Mentoring Program facilitates First Generation success by identifying important campus adjustment issues and opportunities, and then linking those to specific campus resources.

Their program has received much praise and been modeled by proactive post-secondary institutions across the United States.

Reach Out Not Drop Out

• A goal of AFG is to increase retention and keep students in college working towards their diploma.

• Students (both mentee and mentor) have a tendency to reach out to and listen to their peers.

• There is great value in both formal and informal mentoring.

Who is a Mentor?

Today, mentors can be any experienced individuals who go out of their way to help other persons (mentees) reach important goals.

Planned mentoring initiatives are increasing in number and sophistication.

Building Mentorship

Engaging First Generation students, both as mentees and mentors, will help the program to grow, as well as improve student recruiting and retention.

• Draw from Algonquin's existing mentoring programs and initiatives.

Student mentors could get credit for helping via Gen Ed credit.

Student Life Cycle Model

FAQs, blogs and peer counselling support developed around the student life cycle can help First Generation students through typical issues:• Moving? Here are points to consider and checklists you can use.• Where are nearby religious/cultural centres to connect to?• Where do I pick up my OSAP cheque?• How do I get a job?

Questions and issues from simple to serious can be addressed through this easy access and then be directed to appropriate resources so that the student can take action.

Anil’s Story

Anil is looking for information about finances on the Algonquin site, which leads him to the AFG site.

There he finds the answer to his question as well as a tool that helps him calculate a budget to live on

his OSAP until the end of the semester.

He thinks this is pretty cool, so he tries it out. While he is calculating his finances, an avatar invites Anil

to join the Blackboard site attached to the AFG website. The avatar tells him there are more tools

and the chance to discuss his issues with peer mentors. Anil joins the Blackboard site.

The Student Success Specialist in Business, where Anil is taking Marketing, is alerted to Anil's visit, and so is the site’s mentoring coordinator. Both engage Anil and offer pointers to other resources related to finance, and respond to his questions and comments. Has he seen the video of Rob who had lots of financial problems last year but has beaten them?  Does he know there’s a peer group discussing financial problems going on now in Blackboard?  Are

all his questions answered by the FAQ.

Anil’s Story continued…

The mentoring coordinator suggests a face-to-face meeting with a peer mentor, who assists Anil as he explores his finance issues. Anil chooses to enroll in

the Gen Ed Mentee support course, and will receive a credit for it!

Talking to people on the site, Anil discovers that he can use Blackboard in new ways. Peers point out helpful tools for

studying and for managing things in the toolkit section of the AFG site. He tries out Evernote, which

is a web-based repository for virtually anything. Someone referred Anil

to the book Moolala which is on the site in eBook format; so he downloads the book onto his iPod and reads it as he rides the

bus to Algonquin.

There are other tools that he likes on the AFG site -- Anil posts some of his discoveries to his Facebook page and joins the AFG group on Facebook. As a

result of his comments, five of his friends come to the AFG website and the process begins for them.

Anil Pays It Forward

A semester later, Anil has developed a kit of tools with which he is comfortable and that he can use on

computers and his iPod, because most of the tools are mobile apps. His marks have improved because he has

learned that he can use strategies and tools to master his problems, and he has made a number of new contacts

through groups and Facebook.

The next year, Anil takes a mentoring course as his Gen Ed option and part of the work in that course is playing the role of mentor on the AFG website. So, he becomes a mentor to help new people coming to the AFG website and contributes what he has learned about tools and strategies back to new

students following him down the same path. And so on, and so on , and so on…

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This was intuitive for Anil, but the underlying technology is complex.

Underneath the simplicity: AFG is an interactive online portal that integrates social media, online development tools, avatars, e-mentoring and existing Algonquin services and programs to provide a continuum of care to create a nurturing and successful College experience for students.

Building Integrated and Sustainable Mentoring

e-Mentoring is efficient, effective and sustainable. Mentoring one-to-one with trained counsellors is

not a feasible model large scale. AFG helps to develop a community of both formal

and informal peer mentors.

Prepared for Growing Demand

The AFG program integrates several forms of mentoring and support to help existing services meet growing demand.

A triage approach allows proper treatment in a timely manner.

Providing easy and approachable access to support will assist more students, and pre-empt many situations form reaching a crisis level.

What’s Good for First Generation, Is Good for All Students

The AFG program could generate positive systemic effects:• developing process efficiencies• improving inter-department communications • facilitate dealing with greater demand for

Student Support Services

First Gen Meets Next Gen

The evolution of Internet technology greatly affects teaching and students.

In order to effectively reach out to (prospective) students we need to play in their sandbox.

A structured approach to social media opens a new line of communication that can form long-lasting virtual relationships.

First Gen Meets Next Gen

Regardless of the students’ age, socio-economic status or place of origin, the Internet and social media is the most effective, pervasive and cost-efficient method of reaching out to and engaging First Generation students.

Algonquin Students’ Internet Usage

A study of Algonquin students, conducted in 2009, found the following: 85% use social networking 79% have at least one laptop 42% have smart devices 42% prefer e-books 52% want more online learning materials

Students’ Internet Access

Even back in 2007, it was clear that college students have easy access the Internet.

Current anecdotal information shows that convenient access (personal laptops and handhelds) is virtually 100%.

Location Ever Used Frequently Used

Home 98.8% 94.3%

School 95.1% 57.6%

Library 88.7% 27.6%

Friend’s Home 93.6% 21.9%

Work 54.2% 15.0%

Cybercafé 30.3% 1.0%

This study looked at 405 college aged studentsCanadian Journal of Learning and TechnologyVolume 33(1) Winter / hiver 2007College Student Internet Use: Convenience and Amusement

Facebook

Usage rates show that all market segments use Facebook.

Facebook has the ability to increase one’s social network, which is particularly attractive to many First Generation students

The most pervasive and effective means to develop virtual relationships.

From late 2010, information taken from www.checkfacebook.com.

YouTube

71 percent of Canadian Internet users, or 17.6 million people, visit YouTube every month. (Only 55% of American online users hit the video site every month.)

Digital Journal reports that the age group in Canada that uses YouTube the most is between 18 and 24; they spend an average of 360 minutes viewing videos every month.

Hosting videos on YouTube (in addition to original host location) will increase awareness, traffic and AFG website ranking.

From 2010, taken from blogs.marketwatch.com/Canada.

LinkedIn

Usage metrics show more engagement with LinkedIn as individuals age:• This is partly due to the high number of

employers using LinkedIn as a recruitment tool.

• Teaching graduating students how to create a profile and to use LinkedIn effectively will help to connect them with future employers.

• Should be used in conjunction with existing College programs and tools, such as Whyhire.me and Workopolis Campus.

From www.chessplains.com/2011/01/22/popularity-of-linkedin-website-and-usage-stats/ and LinkedIn Ad Platform.

Blogs

Linking to/from Blogs from other social media, Blackboard and the AFG website will increase awareness, traffic and search engine ranking.

Blogs offer a more personal, testimonial form of content presentation from a student perspective:

• Top ten tips, etc.• Students and graduates share their experiences• Relationships and networks are formed

Twitter

Although Twitter typically does not contain rich content or information, it is a powerful vehicle for informing and referring.

It has great potential to create awareness and lead to other AFG program virtual destinations.

Blackboard

This is the most legitimate academic online tool available exclusively to students: • Online mentoring• Avatars who will answers questions • FAQs• Videos• Discussion boards/blogs with “Grad Lounge” for 

(student) mentors• Articles• Ability to email anyone in the course through

Blackboard

Online Tracking

Using software such as Google Analytics and Radian6 we can monitor social media activity, name mentions, website activity, etc.

This will provide valuable insight into how the program is unfolding, and what actions to take to make real-time improvements.

Proposed Next Steps

1. Internal Stakeholder Collaboration Seek Vice-Presidential support and introductions

to their academic and administrative departments.

Consult with Academic Departments, Student Support Services, and Students’ Association.

Proposed Next Steps

2. Deeper Understanding of First Generation Needs Literature review (First Gen, Web 2.0, online

service delivery/design principles, multicultural considerations, etc.).

Primary research with First Generation students (focus groups, survey/questionnaires, interviews, etc.).

Proposed Next Steps

3. Design Pilot for Launch Internal steering committee Project charter with specific outcomes for

stakeholders Develop e-mentoring model and demo Technology integration and prototyping Consult with ITS, SIS, tool developers Implement pilot Evaluate pilot/recommendations

Fulfilling the Vision

Assisting students in their first year at Algonquin and continue to engage with them through to the completion of their study, and beyond.

Nurturing resilience and empowerment in First Generation students.

Fulfilling the Vision

Pioneering a new level in engagement with students by developing an online interactive portal linked to social media and an e-mentoring program.

Providing a full continuum of interactive resources from prospective student to graduate.

R3: increasing Recruitment, Retention andRe-engagement.

Fulfilling the Vision

As illustrated with some best-in-class examples from the US and UK, Ontario is not at the forefront in First Generation programs, e-mentoring or tapping into social media.

Opportunity to build on positive results of Aboriginal initiatives and position College as a leader in student accessibility.

AFG e-Mentor Program Champions

Any program needs leaders to take up the charge and help make it a success.

Our champions will come in many forms: videos, avatars and real living, breathing people.

Are you going to be an AFG Program Champion?