Student Success Through Computer Applications

Student Success Through Computer Applications, another great session at StemTech 2010, demonstrated how you can use various computer applications and free online resources to engage students. Some of the tools were well known to all, such as YouTube and Wikipedia. Heith Hennel of Valencia Community College uses these (and many more) tools in common sense ways to get students excited about learning and to encourage bonding with other students.

One innovative method of teaching students about employability is for students to make surveys about good customer service conduct and then collect information. The student becomes a "secret shopper" and records answers about his/her service received in a specific business. This exercise not only teaches the student a skill like Excel or html programming, but it can teach the student about becoming a better employee.

Hennel also discussed an activity with Excel to learn about retirement saving while also learning about formulas in a spreadsheet. Students were surprised to see the impact that earlier savings might have on their future financial wealth. Both activities, customer service surveys and retirement calculators, show relevancy in learning. Students who are engaged in interesting and relevant activities will be more likely to succeed in college.