Advice

If I was hired by Baruch College to use new media to improve the college, my suggestions would center around helping the systems in place to run more efficiently. One major issue that many students encounter is not being able to register for the classes they want to, when they want to. Sections tend to fill up extremely quickly, especially with professors and classes that are high-in-demand and held in high regard.

One way to resolve this would be to create an extension of CunyPortal, in which, student can request classes they want in advance. Using this service would provide a lot of data on what classes and professors are most wanted, so that the registrars office would know how to proceed. For example, if most sections of Psychology1001 during the morning and afternoon time slots are requested, then they might want to look into providing more sections then. This could save students from the frustrations of having to come in on days/hours that are not very feasible, or even having to wait till the following semester.

Another way to improve Baruch College would be by integrating more new media tools and services that encourage more engagement from students. I have noticed that, in most classes, participation and involvement from students is quite limited. It would be valuable to have class structure be less focused on standardized exams, and more on creative methods of testing. For example, blogs are a great way for students to retain information because it allows them to spend time being creative in applying knowledge from the classroom. The circumstances in which we learn shape the way we feel towards the subject. Thus, blogs lead to a more positive educational experience.