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Tenure Portfolio - Student Service

Student service is an integral part of being a faculty member. You cannot teach without

students. I believe an effective faculty member establishes and cultivates relationships with

students or groups of students. These relationships should emulate professional mentorship and

may continue as more formal mentorship after the student graduates. During my time at GRCC,

I have supported students and student initiatives in the community, at the college level, and

individually.

Community Level

Supporting students in the community can happen in and out of the classroom. In the

classroom, I intentionally created an environment that fostered the development of a community

of learners (Mair, 2016). As a community of learners in the classroom, my students eagerly

supported each other’s learning and readily engaged with each other during small and large

group activities. The promotion of collaborative learning supported the accelerated development

of relationships amongst the students. In some cases, these relationships became friendships that

still continue.

Outside of the classroom, I support and advise our Student Occupational Therapy

Association (SOTA) to engage in projects to promote occupational therapy in the West Michigan

community. My role is not to dictate what or where they engage with the community but to

provide guidance on completing the task professionally as they represent the college, the OTA

program, and themselves as future professionals.

College Level

At the college level, I support students as the faculty advisor for the SOTA

organization. In addition to community activities, the SOTA organization also participates in

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activities on the GRCC campus, including Science Day and other activities that introduce the

various college program to current and future students. As the faculty advisor, it is my

responsibility to promote student involvement in these activities and attend them alongside the

SOTA group.

Other student service activities at the college level include establishing and maintaining

relationships with community partners. Our community partners provide our students with

hands-on learning opportunities during classes or may become fieldwork sites. During my time

at GRCC, I have established or expanded numerous community partnerships, including some

that are integral to our program and student learning. These partnerships include the Ready for

Life Academy, Matthew’s House Ministry, Methodist House, Olivia’s Gift, HealthBridge

Rehabilitation, The Oaks/Paragon Rehabilitation, Dimondale Nursing Center, and

Comprehensive Therapy Center, to name just a few.

Individual Level

Individual student support occurs in various environments and at varying stages of the

student’s educational experience. I support students through student advising by giving advice,

easing anxieties, and answering questions ahead of their entry into the OTA program. I also

mentor students during their tenure in the program and sometimes formally and informally after

graduation. I am regularly asked to complete reference requests and often asked to consult on a

pediatric client or a client in need of assistive technology.

Learning and Impact

Participating in student service activities has also provided me with learning

opportunities. Some examples of these are as follows:

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I. Leadership transition for the SOTA group: Observation and discussion with the initial

class I worked with resulted in a delay of the leadership transition to the next

group. Delaying the transition allowed for one semester of both groups working together

before the previous class turned over SOTA leadership to the next class. Changing the

cycle in this way has increased consistency with the group and maintained momentum

from class to class.

II. Supporting the students as they work in the community has allowed me to establish

relationships with a wider variety of community agencies. I am embracing each of these

opportunities as they arise. This may mean attending meetings, providing support or

service such as completing a student or technology consultation or providing an in-

service or training for the facility. These relationships expand the reach of the program

and our ability to engage or influence community activities to benefit the learning needs

of our students.

III. On an individual level, I struggled initially with understanding the degree pathway

students took toward participating in our program. I specifically struggled with

understanding transfer credits and class substitutions. To increase my knowledge to

advise students more effectively, I asked for mentorship from the program director. Also,

I worked with the program’s administrative assistant to learn the processes and

paperwork entailed in entering the OTA program.

These are just a few examples of learning opportunities and implementation impacts throughout

my time at GRCC. All of these examples are evidence of the didactic nature of student service.

Reflection
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Limited research exists on student-teacher relationships in higher education, but there are

numerous books on the power of positive relationships and mentoring (Hagenauer & Volet,

2014). Historically, higher education has been an individualistic learning environment instead of

an environment concerned with collaborative and cooperative learning. Yet, our students come

to us from lives and K-12 learning experiences that embrace diversity and emphasize

cooperation and collaborative learning. Embracing diversity, cooperation, and collaboration in

higher education provides an opening to deepen student-teacher relationships. These

relationships may be integral to student retention and degree completion (St. Amour, 2020). As

faculty, it is essential to be mindful of the feedback we receive from students to ensure that we

meet their needs as humans and not just as students.

I enjoy all of my student service activities, but I treasure the individual student

relationships most of all. I believe there is such power in empathic listening and helping

individuals believe in themselves. I think that creating a culture of acceptance and expectation is

paramount in supporting the transformation of our students into confident practitioners. The

students may need to trust us before they can trust themselves (Van Maele & Van Houtte,

2010). One of my favorite traits of a community college is that we accept everyone. Everyone is

worthy. Everyone can be educated. Everyone can change their lives and their futures. We are

the lucky few who get to help.

Meeting Tenure Expectations

I believe I have met and exceeded the requirements for tenure under the category of

student service. As evidenced by my faculty performance evaluations, I more than meet the

required hours, and as evidenced by the artifacts provided, I have been able to have a substantial
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impact on the Student Occupational Therapy Association, which in turn has had a broad impact

on the community.

References

Hagenauer, G., & Volet, S. E. (2014). Teacher–student relationship at university: An important

yet under-researched field. Oxford Review of Education, 40(3), 370–388.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2014.921613

Mair, J. (2016). Empowering and transforming a community of learners via a student-centered

approach to campus dialogue and deliberation. New Directions for Community Colleges,

2016(173), 111–119. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.20196

St. Amour, M. (2020, April 3). As times and students change, can faculty change, too? Inside

Higher Ed. Retrieved April 30, 2021, from

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/04/03/faculty-face-uphill-battle-adapting-

needs-todays-students

Van Maele, D., & Van Houtte, M. (2010). The quality of school life: Teacher-student trust

relationships and the organizational school context. Social Indicators Research, 100(1),

85–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-010-9605-8