BUILDING THE PDP COMMUNITY
PROFESSIONAL STUDENT SERVICES AND OFFERINGS
As mentioned in our previous newsletter, a big focus of our 2016/17 academic year has been to create a more connected and engaged certificate community. One way we have tried to accomplish this goal is to expand our offerings with co-curricular activities and opportunities outside the classroom. Co-curricular engagement is extremely important to creating culture and developing community, and the PDP team recognizes the need to provide opportunities for our students and alumni to take advantage of all that Graham and the University of Chicago has to offer.
In Autumn Quarter 2016, the Professional Development team began offering student services and additional resources for current students and alumni. This includes events, workshops, seminars, and webinars focusing on important skills like networking, interviewing, resume writing, and negotiating. We also offer lectures that expand beyond the classroom and dive deep into diverse subjects. To sign up for any of our events, please visit the Professional Student Experience web page. Alumni are welcome to attend any and all of our events!
Additionally, the PDP team also offers one-on-one career advising. PDP students can schedule career advising meetings to discuss job searches, networking, resumes, and interviews as well as academic advising meetings to make sure their coursework matches their interests and career aspirations. Additional career resources can be found on our Dean of Students web page as well.
Our focus on student services stems from a desire to help students succeed both in and out of the classroom, and we encourage all students, alumni and instructors to participate! If you have suggestions for events, workshops, or lectures, please email Karine Bravais at kbravais@uchicago.edu. If you’d like to lead a workshop, host an event, or create a customized opportunity, we’d love to hear from you!
TECHNOLOGY UPDATES
ZOOM
The upgrade to the new video conferencing platform, Zoom, officially kicked off in January. While training is still offered, all online instructors have been using Zoom to conduct their virtual class instruction, known as synchronous sessions. Zoom was selected among other web conferencing platforms because of its clean and modern interface, intuitive design, easy screen share and video functionalities as well dependable video technology.
DESTINY SOLUTIONS
This spring, the professional development programs and all non-credit offerings at the Graham School have transitioned to Destiny One, a comprehensive, student-centric platform that will improve the enrollment experience.
Current students, future students, and alumni will benefit from a variety of web-based self-services, including:
- Online enrollment, drops, and transfers
- Automated waitlist functionality
- Access to student profiles, enrollment history, historical financial information, and course grade reports
These are just a few of the features that will be available once we go live with Destiny One this spring, and others will be rolled out in the summer and autumn. Please stay tuned for more information, which will be available through our website, weekly PDP emails, as well as other communication channels.
Any questions about Destiny Solutions can be directed to Mike Niederpruem (mniederpruem@uchicago.edu).
CANVAS
Canvas, our new Learning Management System (LMS) will be implemented throughout the summer and autumn 2017 as an alternative for Chalk, our current LMS.
Click here to watch to learn more about Canvas
AGENDA
Note from the Program Manager
News and Updates
New Team Members
Tracey Dewland: the Steady Learner | Student Profile
Victoria Gustafson | Integrated Marketing Instructor Interview
10 Facts on Arvind Ramanathan | Graham Staff Profile
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