Certifications and Programs
Of all the essential competencies that Valencia educators should adhere to, LifeMap was always the one that I felt the least comfortable with. In retrospection, I think that this was due, in part, to my own bias in thinking that college students are adults and should be capable of knowing what to do and how to do it. However, several years in the classroom taught me that this is not always the case. As a result, I felt like I needed to expand my understanding of this competency and chose to focus on the LifeMap Certification courses offered through our Teaching and Learning Academy. What I learned in those courses not only changed my thinking toward the importance of LifeMap and the skills it seeks to help instill in our students, but made me want to work harder to ensure that my students are truly prepared for their life’s journey beyond just my courses. I began to understand that my role goes beyond just a teacher of the life sciences and its content, and that I needed to help my students become more well-rounded, life-long learners. As such, I began focusing on helping my students improve how they study, regardless of the courses they are taking. Then I learned about metacognition and the importance of helping students become more mindful of their own learning and the things that do and do not work for them. This has now led to my current focus on helping my students, especially those that are younger, develop a growth mindset so they can more effectively overcome any challenges they are likely to face in the future. If, like myself, you think that LifeMap is an essential competency that you can or want to improve upon, I highly encourage you to consider the LifeMap certification. It has change my outlook and has had a positive impact on myself and my students.
The LifeMap certification program is true to its name! It was an uncommon experience which helped me view the definition of academic success from my students perspective. I was very happy with the way the certification is set up. First, I learned all the essential keys to the LifeMap concept and then in the capstone project I could use the aspect of my choice and work to formulate a research project to improve my students' ability in the area of my selection. Going through this certification change the way I advise my students and the path of student success.
I have been at Valencia College teaching online courses for about 12 years now and have always known about the life map program. However, I thought of it merely as some sort of career planning tool offered to students. It wasn’t until I went through the Life Map Certification program that I learned the full nature and extent and depth of this program. It offers a major life skill learning experience and tools for incoming students. It is also an opportunity for faculty as well as student success coaches to create relationships and contribute to the lives students in profound and meaningful ways that go beyond just teaching a subject.
I think every graduating senior in high school should come to Valencia no matter what their overall plans are, just to experience the Life Map program… it introduces life skills like that carry over into their lives not just their careers. I wish I had been exposed to such a program when I was growing up.
Using the LifeMap courses as a guide, I created tools to help my students better manage their time. The tools were used for a semester long project to help students plan their future using the LifeMap tools on Atlas. Since most students wait until shortly before deadline to begin, I created a time management outline and status report for them to use. The tools kept them focused on deadlines and helped ensure completion prior to semester's end. Students were required to update the status report throughout the semester. The update requirement encouraged questions on the project scope and ways the students could develop ideas. This was a significant and positive departure from previous semesters where students would simply throw something together at the last minute. The results were almost astonishing. The quality of the projects improved tremendously with a huge improvement in grades. So much so, that when assigning this project going forward, these tools will be required.
LifeMap allowed me the opportunity to enhance student learning by giving me the tools that would help them expand their scope to an understanding that learning is a life-long journey. Being a part of the cohort gave me the opportunity to collaborate with other colleagues while exploring the seven LifeMap indicators and then choosing which indicators I could effectively apply to my courses and teaching style. I chose time management as a skill that I could implement in my classroom. I feel strongly about teaching students the importance of organization through keeping a routine calendar that tracks their daily schedule throughout the semester. Students gained valuable insight into their daily lives and routines and how they were managing their time. Time management is a skill students can carry with them throughout their life. When you know what is ahead of you it makes accomplishing the task more manageable, and when you are hit with a curve ball, you still have a plan that will allow you to stay focused. When students and professionals know their agenda and what is in front of them, it makes life feel a bit more manageable, because you 'see' the task and can map out a plan. This is Lifemap, learning how to help students become better students, but also life-long learners with a plan, time management skills.
When I decided that I would complete the LifeMap certification I did not realize that I would be able to transform how I teach my courses in such a positive and natural way. LifeMap courses are designed to help instructors look at the way they are teaching with new lenses. These courses give you a chance to redesign and reshape your curriculum so that the delivery to our Valencia students takes on a very unique opportunity for a learning-centered environment. The faculty members that take the time to facilitate the courses are dedicated to being the best mentors that they can be to help guide each participant to have the best experience possible for the courses. The length of the courses by design allow the faculty participants to take the time to try out new strategies to implement in their classes, and then also allows the time to rethink and replay the new curriculum strategies while discussing the strategies with colleagues. LifeMap certification will enable you to think about ways to improve your courses to better serve our students at Valencia.
The joy of the two-year college is that, as faculty, our primary focus is on teaching. When faculty are hired, however, the focus is on degree and content knowledge. Many of us struggled to become great teachers by imitating what our best professors had done and hope that the parallel works. LifeMap is a fantastic way for teaching professionals to come together, to be quite intentional about the work, and sharing proven ways to become great teachers. We learn what is important for the learning and share the best techniques (both successful and failing). And in the end, it is the students who benefit the most because they get exactly what the two-year college proffers: great instruction in a small classroom setting. Oh, and it is a lot of fun too!
In the LifeMap Certification courses, I refamiliarized myself with Valencia LifeMap Tools, such as My Career Planner, My Education Plan, My Portfolio, My Job Prospects, and My Financial Planner. Furthermore, Fundamentals of LifeMap covered the 6Ps: Place, Purpose, Pathway, Plan, Preparation, and Personal Connection. While students explore the 6Ps in-depth in their New Student Experience Courses, discussing these tenets gave me a deeper understanding of my role as faculty and mentor. The Infusing College Success Skills course informed my pedagogy and interest in teaching growth mindset because we looked at Goal Setting, Motivation, Critical Thinking, Reading, and Success Skills.
The principles of LifeMap form the foundations of the New Student Experience program, which Valencia developed to give students the best start to their college careers. In earning my LifeMap Certification, I not only join and support this conversation, but am given the opportunity to deepen my connection to students. The courses associated with LifeMap Certification highlight and demonstrate the existent tools as well as how I can implement them in my courses. These professional development courses have also grown my understanding of how faculty can also act as adviser. Before pursuing this certification, I felt underprepared to guide students through their college pathways. Now, my knowledge of Valencia College resources will greatly benefit my students because I can guide them to the LifeMap tools and send them to the appropriate support services on campus, such as the Writing Center, the Math Depot, or Career and Program Advisers.
The knowledge and implementation of said knowledge is vital to our continued college-wide work in inclusion and equity because these resources are essential to creating the circumstances under which everyone can learn.
As a developing faculty member the LifeMap Certificate is a perfect way to integrate College Success Skills into my current practice. As a New Student Experience faculty, College Success Skills is at the heart of our curriculum. Being able to reflect, infuse and advance through the LifeMap tools as a faculty member you can tailor the outcomes to best meet the needs of your students. Throughout this certification you have the freedom to focus on what will help you achieve a deeper meaning of what LifeMap means to you. Being able to develop professional relationships throughout the certification courses to me had the most impact. Learning and growing in the Valencia community is what LifeMap stands for.
After my certification I had the honor of being a LifeMap Faculty Mentor – I enjoyed engaging with faculty on their Capstone Projects. It is great to continue to learn from my fellow LifeMappers.
Taking the courses for LifeMap Certification helped me see that much of what I already do in my classes is in the ethos of LifeMap. It was nice to understand this competency better and learn that perhaps I was “doing LifeMap” more than I realized. This became more apparent to me due to a random encounter with a former student, here on East campus, during the same semester I was taking one of the LifeMap courses. The student asked for my opinion about her next step, and I gave her some thoughts… mostly guiding her to come to her own conclusions. Later, during a LifeMap course discussion, when I shared this with other participants, they helped me see that simply being aware of aiding the student and this chance encounter helped the student gain confidence. The classes and conversations within the LifeMap Certification did point to changes I needed to implement and aspects of LifeMap I could more clearly emphasize to students. The LifeMap project I created remains a part of my classes to this day.