DigiComm + CSD
Digital Communication Consulting
JMU's Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Program trains students to develop specialized technical skills for addressing disorders of human communication; however, it can sometimes be difficult to showcase these skills in an easy to understand format. Students in CSD's Graduate Speech Language Pathology (SLP) Program are addressing this challenge by creating online portfolios. Dr. Susan Ingram, with the assistance of Dr. Carol Dudding, started this initiative in her CSD 581 course through a partnership with JMU's Digital Communication Consulting (DigiComm) and its Media Fellows program. DigiComm tutor Katie McVicar ('17) is guiding Ingram's students through the creation of their online portfolios through video tutorials, class presentations, and online resources.
According to Dr. Ingram, the SLP program was interested in having first year graduate students compile a composite of their educational journey. "We wanted them to think about how they were going to present what they've accomplished," explained Ingram. "When I received an email from DigiComm about their media fellowship program, I thought it looked like a great match to accomplish this." With the support of CSD Academic Unit Head, Dr. Cynthia O'Donoghue, Ingram applied for a Media Fellow for her CSD 581 clinical course.
"Katie has been instrumental in helping students showcase artifacts that may be unique to our department" - Dr. Ingram
DigiComm's media fellow program works by embedding peer tutors into classes to help the students and instructors with semester-long digital assignments, such as online portfolios. McVicar has been assisting the SLP students by giving presentations on personal branding, basic graphic design, offering one-on-one tutoring hours, and posting a series of video tutorials that explain the popular web builders Wix and Weebly.
"I made a website for the class where I post my screen capture tutorials, how-tos, and different guides and advice for the students to watch, so I'm not always in the classroom" said McVicar. "That's a little bit different for me, as I'm used to standing in front of the class, but it's been a really cool challenge for me to create and edit these videos."
As Ingram describes, the videos are perfect for the students' busy class schedules by giving them the chance to learn the content on their own time, watch the videos as many times as necessary, and build the portfolios at their own pace. "She has been great at teaching and guiding the students" Ingram exclaimed.
Value of the CSD Portfolios
"A portfolio isn't just about posting the really visual things you have designed, it's about showcasing your experience," said McVicar. "It's taking those essays, or internships, or clinical fellowships and presenting them in a way that makes you stand out and guides impressions of you." As McVicar explains, these portfolios add value to the SLP students by giving them a platform to explain their expertise, as well as teach them additional skills in web design. "The portfolios really show our experience in this diverse field," said SLP student Kendall Harrington ('18). "We don't have a whole lot of experience with making websites of portfolios yet, but Katie [McVicar] makes the project feel very possible to do." As the students explain, this can also be valuable for job interviews. "Having a website tells people exactly what we do," said SLP student Christine Helms ('18). "We can send the link to potential employers in advance, facilitating that positive first impression."
Because the portfolio initiative is new for the SLP program, McVicar has helped the department as they define the project, such as by attending CSD council meetings. "This [initiative] is new for us too, and we don't know exactly how we want to execute this, so Katie [McVicar] has been a great link between faculty and students," said Ingram. "She's helping us organize the online portfolio content."
"I'm certain Katie [McVicar] did not know she would be wearing all these hats, but she has been instrumental in helping students showcase artifacts that may be unique to our department," Ingram added. The portfolio projects will be continuing into the students' second semester in their course. Ingram also hopes to continue the project for future SLP students, through maintaining the Media Fellowship, using McVicar's videos, and even introducing the project to CSD's 4-year doctoral program. "I love what Katie [McVicar] has been posting, and the fact that she has availability to meet with students outside of class," added Ingram. "Within both her videos and face-to-face interactions in class, Katie [McVicar] shares her knowledge, and her energy, and has served as a motivator for our students."
