Low tech solution: crowd sourced communication

Several groups of my comp 2 students chose campus communication as a key problem facing students. Last days to drop, deadlines for enrollment and other key dates pass and too many students remain oblivious. Email is an obvious solution – but leads us to a bigger problem: students don’t check their school email account. Need to survey students as to why: is institutional spam an issue – or just inertia and habit? In NYC, some helpful and anonymous citizens have chalked/ spray painted useful info on the sidewalk in places it might do the most good. Don’t know if that’d work in our situation – but it reaffirms the idea that people are inherently good.

The message board flat screens do OK – but they are limited in how much they can show and chances of timing. We need additional modes of communication for students. My classes suggested making posters a couple times a year – for only the most important info. TOO MUCH INFORMATION DROWNS THE CRUCIAL MESSAGES IN A SEA OF IRRELEVANT DATA.

The School website – default homepage on all campus computers – is not useful. It is designed for strangers to the school. Those enrolled are assumed to log on to a password encrypted page – but that’s too much work when you aren’t aware that you need information – and on shared computers …. no one does it. We need an public accessible message board / student oriented web page – with quick links to ANGEL, Billington Library, Student Engagement, etc. It should be updated with key up-to-date info.

THAT should be the default homepage on all instructor/ classroom / lab computers.

All the above suggestions come from my SP 2010 comp 2 classes.