Be A Programming Powerhouse!

1. Be A Programming Powerhouse!

2. Presentation Overview • How to Program • Types of Programs (Active, Passive, & Educational) • Programming Creativity

3. Why Do We Program? • To help residents interact • To build community • To keep students engaged outside of the classroom • To develop the student holistically • Holistic – emphasizing on the development of the whole person (spiritual, physical, mental, etc.)

4. What Is Programming? • Any event or activity which you plan for a specific group. • Programs can be active or passive • Active programs – interact with residents • Passive programs – bulletin boards, flyers, newsletters, etc. • Large scale programs can involve speakers, special guests, etc. • Small socials can help students interact with each other and learn basic information about other residents.

5. Programming Powerhouse Tip! Create programs/interactions that your residents are interested in!

6. Types of Programming • Active Programs • A type of program that requires participation from residents. • Residents physically attend the program and learn from a hands on activity. • Passive Programs • A type of program that is displayed in your hall/floor. • Conveys information in a logical, interesting format in which no active participation is necessary. • The key to passive programs – residents are able to absorb the information at their own pace.

7. Seven Steps to Effective Programming • Programming can be difficult. It can also be easy, especially if you put some thought into your programs. • You need to be excited in order for your residents to be excited! • Try to be intentional – get to know your residents and program to their needs/wants.

8. Step 1: Assess the Needs & Interests of your Residents • Methods to program for your residents: • Informal conversations – ask your residents 1:1 about his/her interests, etc. • Survey – create a paper or online survey for your residents. • Voting – present topic ideas and have your residents vote on what program to have for the floor/community.

9. Step 2: Designing the Program & Goal Setting • Once you have picked a program topic, think about how you will design and implement the program. • This should include exactly how the program will run, who will present the program, how long it will take, what supplies you need, etc.

10. Step 2: Designing the Program & Goal Setting • Goal setting – think about what you really want your residents to gain from attending the program. • Example: you may want your residents to understand how to wash his/her laundry.

11. Programming Powerhouse Tip! Don’t forget to complete a Program Proposal prior to the program and discuss it with your Hall Director! **Please check with your HD to see if they require any more or less paperwork**

12. Step 3: Planning the Program • Get the details set! • Do you need funding? Have you talked about this with your Hall Director? • When will the program take place? • Where will the program take place? • Will you facilitate the activity or do you want a faculty or staff member to present? • What type of publicity will you need? When will you post information about the event?

13. Step 4: Publicity • This can be the most important part of the planning process! • Be sure to include the date, time, and location of your program. • Be creative! • Try personal invitations under his/her door. • Use a floor Facebook group to invite them. • Hang flyers on bathroom stalls (in community style buildings) or ask to write in dry erase markers on the mirrors in the bathrooms. • Use random shapes, textures, etc. to create flyers – • 8 ½ x 11 flyers are BORING! Use your Imagination! Use different publicity methods for every program! Please be green! Use recycled paper when possible!

14. A Program Powerhouse Tip! If you don’t publicize well, the best planned program will fail!

15. Step 5: Motivation • Let your residents know WHY they should attend the program. • Help them understand what the program is about! • Reward students who help with the program and thank them for attending. • Be Enthusiastic!

16. A Program Powerhouse Tip! Sometimes just being a great RA who residents want to help out will motivate them to attend programs; however, other times it takes more to get your residents to attend a program. Don’t use your programming requirements to guilt your residents into attending programs – they won’t always want to help you out!

17. Step 6: Program Implementation • Be prepared! • Make sure all of the details are set. • Be there early! • Meet the presenter, if you have one. • Make sure any equipment works BEFORE your program starts.

18. A Programming Powerhouse Tip! Don’t stress if your program doesn’t go as planned! It’s okay if you have to modify the program based on how many residents attend. Be ready for problems…they may occur! Even if you know the program isn’t going perfectly, your residents shouldn’t know that. Stay calm if problems occur!

19. Sign-in Sheet • For every program that you complete you MUST have your residents sign a “sign-in sheet.” This sheet must be turned in when you complete your program. Often times it is in turned in with your program evaluation.

20. Step 7: Evaluation & Follow - Up • It’s important to know what did and did not work. • Find out what people thought about the program. • Did the presenter feel it went well? • Did the participants learn what you hoped they would? • Did they enjoy it?

21. evaluations are required for your programs!! This form should be filled out AFTER you have completed your program and turned in with your program sign-in sheet!!

22. A Programming Powerhouse Tip! If participants were not happy, they will feel better if you follow-up and get feedback! A bonus – most residents will be more willing to attend again if they feel like you listened to their feedback.

23. Program Creatively We all have the ability to be creative, however the stress and daily grind of a hectic life can dry up our creative juices. Hopefully the following information will help you get in touch with your creative self…

24. Program Creatively • Blank Stare: For a moment, just try staring at a blank wall --- you may be surprised with the result. • Go Left-Brained: Do something logical for a while such as balancing your checkbook. The different activity will help you go back to the right-brained task with a fresh perspective. • Play with Words: Take someone’s name and come up with an adjective for each letter can help you think a bit differently.

25. Program Creatively • Change Your Filter: Try to see things for what they could be --- for example a piano with wheels doesn't have to be just a piano it can also be the world’s heaviest skate board. • Make Comparisons. In his well-known Creative Whack Pack, Roger von Oech invites readers to try all sorts of techniques, including making comparisons. He gives the example of comparing a cat and a refrigerator. Both come in a variety of colors and have a place to put fish! Think about the similarities between two other seemingly dissimilar objects to help you think outside of the box.

26. Resource Room • As an RA you have access to supplies in the Office of Residence Life’s resource room for your floor decorations and program flyers. • Your staff will be allocated time during training to work in the resource room.

27. Paper • Paper is expensive • White paper is the cheapest • Color paper is more expensive • The bright colors are the most expensive we have • Make sure you watch which printer you are printing to (Q2) as well as the drawer • University letterhead is expensive and should not be used for decorating purposes • Construction paper • Will only be purchasing brown & black • Die-cuts • Try to fit as many on the sheet of paper as you can • Please make sure to recycle paper • Reuse paper from the recycle bins to make your die-cuts (the back side is just as good as the front side)

28. Educational Programs • Turning Social Programs into Educational Programs • Okay, so you have the social program concept down. Now, how do you make them educational? • Add in an Educational Component! • Example: Multicultural Program • Play Cultural Bingo – encourage residents to learn names of floor members and complete the sheet. • Example: Passive Display • Have a brief discussion about the topic – hand out candy for the residents who participate! • Example: Floor Dinner • Talk about ways your residents can go green.

29. Programming Resources • ResidentAssistant.com • ResLife.net • Rahelper.com • Your Hall Director • Other R.A.s!

30. Final Thoughts • Programming can be difficult, and sometimes, even after you put in a lot of time and effort, your residents won’t attend your program. It is important to then get feedback from your residents on what they would like to do with the floor community. • It’s not about the number of people who attend! Even if only one or two people attend the program, if they enjoy it and learn from it, they will tell other residents…and eventually more will come. It takes time!

31. You have successfully Completed this Module! Don’t forget to take the Programming Module Test online & Forum Posting!