Enterprise story.

Laura Sweeney

Enterprise Story 10

December 7, 2009

PSEO Students clueless.

Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student’s are not educated enough on what the campus has to offer. The
students are clueless to Desire2Learn (D2L), metnet, the library, the
cafeteria, the bookstore, and the student advising office.

PSEO is popular this year more than any other year before. “Cost of universities systems now are so expensive and more
students are attempting non-traditional options,” said Kim Nelson, a counselor at Anoka High School. “We do not have a cut off number for students,” said Ashley Weatherspoon, the PSEO admissions coordinator at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC). With that said more and more students are getting confused with the everyday life at the college.
“I didn’t have a clue on what I was doing for my online class,” Melissa Zeman
said. When PSEO students are registered for their classes they should be taught how to use D2L and metnet. The tutorial to
explain online courses and how to go about using the website is not
mandatory. Students tend to procrastinate so their first time signing in is
typically the first day of class. The tutorials should be mandatory so
students are not confused when they first sign in.
“I’m a traditional student and I found it pretty confusing on how to work D2L
for the first time. Being a procrastinator I almost missed my first day of
class because of the fact that I didn’t know how to login,” Brian Smith said.
After his friend taught him how to login to D2L he found it easy and stressed
over nothing. Although D2L may seem like it would be easy to login because of
the “helpful information” on the side, many students get confused. Of the 12
students surveyed at the Coon Rapids campus, nine agreed they didn’t know
what to do the first time they clicked on the Disire2Learn (D2L) button. That being said when students register for classes the first time they should be taught what to do.
Students at ARCC are required to make up a metnet
account. When making this account they are assured this email address is
where you will receive messages about class cancellations, assignments,
registration dates, payment deadlines, etc. Katie Sweeney said that she was
annoyed that she had to remember another e-mail address; she didn’t
understand why she couldn’t just use her original one. Although the sign up
page says you can have your student number as your username they usually give
you a name based on your last name with random numbers. Many students often
forget the name and have to send the information to their account that
they use on a daily bases. Of the 12 students surveyed five said that they liked
using the metnet account and can easily remember the username. The students also said that it was very useful and liked it more than the e-mail they had been using before. Seven students said that they didn’t like using the metnet account and thought the username was just another pointless thing to remember. Also they found they account was not useful and barely used it at all. When signing up, students are told to be given information about class cancellations and assignments, isn’t that what D2L is for? Also couldn’t the school just e-mail students on their everyday e-mail about registration and payment deadlines instead of putting students through the confusion of another?

“I’ve been a student here for two years and I still don’t know how to use the library,” Bri Zeman said. If a traditional student doesn’t even know how to use their own library how can you expect a PSEO student to know? Not many people go to the school website to know when the library is open. Many students get confused because the hours are not on the door of the library. Tina Licari, a PSEO student, said that she is too scared to go into the library because she doesn’t know anything about it. Even regualar students don’t know how to simply check out a book. Do you show them your ID card or just give them your ID number? The library states on their website, as an integral part of the educational process, the mission is to provide curriculum resources and access to broader materials and instruction about a variety of learning resources. Students should be given a tour of the library so they can feel welcomed and be able to check books out for their classes.

“Lunch at a hospital is basically the same as at ARCC,” Tyler Sweeney said. Most PSEO students’ don’t eat lunch there but it would still be nice for them to know for the future. Students should be given an example of what it is like to eat at ARCC. Brenna Morgan, a PSEO student, said that when she is out of high school and in college for real she will probably never eat in the cafeteria because she doesn’t know how it works. All you do is get you food and pay at the checkout. This is different than at high school because you don’t have a lunch account; you have to bring cash everyday if you plan on eating there.

The bookstore is a big issue for PSEO students because this is where they will get what they need for their classes. Three out of eight PSEO students that were surveyed said they knew how to get their books without being helped. Five students said they didn’t and needed help. “I felt like a child in a candy store, there were so many books and I was just helpless,” Tina Licari said, “I didn’t know where to find my books, the numbers on the bottom of the books screwed me up. I had to ask someone for help. I wish I would have known what the numbers meant below the books so I could have found my books myself.” When the new students are given their classes I think they should be told that the class number and teachers name is on the cards below your class books. You can get many things at the book store. They offer students, faculty, and staff at the college, items to support your academic career and school spirit. The book store is where you buy books and sell them back; it is a nice place to know about for your classes.

The student advising office is a place where you can get counseling services and advising services. At the counseling services office there are specially trained faculty to help with many personal problems. At the advising services office there are specially trained staff members who assist students with academic planning, academic and career information, and academic success. This will come in handy when PSEO students are feeling over whelmed and need someone to talk to, or if they have a question they need an answer to they will have someone who can answer it. Katie Sweeney said she didn’t even know of the student advising office until this year. Of the eight PSEO students that were surveyed, eight said they didn’t know what or where the student advising office is.

Not only should PSEO students get a tour and help on D2L and metnet, so should traditional students when first registering for classes. They are missing out on some very important things going on at ARCC and they shouldn’t be.

Cites:

http://anokaramsey.edu/resources/studentAdvising.aspx

http://anokaramsey.edu/resources/Success/Library/CoonRapidsLibrary.aspx

http://www.arccbookstore.com/coonr/site_about_us.asp?mscssid=5C6613A8B9E94D7EBBBB1631B0EE17DD

Melissa Zeman-PSEO student

Tina Licari- PSEO student

Brenna Morgan- PSEO student

Katie Sweeney-Traditional student

Tyler Sweeney- Traditional student

Brian Smith- Traditional student

Bri Zeman- Traditional student

Kim Nelson- Anoka High School consular

Ashley Weatherspoon- PSEO admission coordinator