catalyzing change, building community and creating identity through digital storytelling

Catalyzing Change, Building Community, and Creating Identity through Digital

Storytelling

#CACUSS2014 and #RyersonSA

Sessional Outcomes

● Participants will:o Learn the basics of two theories for managing transition and change o Learn how a platform for storytelling will help them navigate large

scale or small scale change at their institution o Audit their own departmental practices with regards to storytelling o See how their own engagement in the session can be used to tell a

story and share learning

Tweeting Encouraged

● #CACUSS2014● #RyersonSA

Agenda

● Context - What is #RyersonSA?● Theories of Change

o Schlossbergo Kotter

● #RyersonSA and Digital Storytelling● How Digital Storytelling has addressed

transition at Ryerson● How can this be applied elsewhere

Context

● History● The birth of “Student Affairs” at Ryerson● Who are we?● What do we do?● Why a new approach?

Theories

● Schlossbergo Transition Theory

● Kottero 8 Steps to Change

Schlossberg

● Transition any event or non-event that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions and roles.o Events can be expected (graduation/retirement) or unexpected

(separation/dismissal)o Context = one’s relationship with the transition and the settingo Impact = degree to which one’s life is altered

Schlossberg (cont`d)

One’s ability to “cope” comes from 4 S’s1. Situation2. Self3. Social Support4. Strategies

Kotter’s 8 stages

● Create Urgency● Form a Power Coalition● Create a vision for change● Communicate the vision● Remove obstacles● Create short-term wins● Build on the change● Anchor change in corporate culture

Why #RyersonSA?

● In Schlossberg we noticedo Individuals did not have much control of the situationo Self-doubt and lack of identity o Social support was challenging given our physical

proximity and lack of time to gathero Strategies

Committees, social opportunities, but how to carry outside of those moments in time

Why #RyersonSA?

● The creation of an online and intentional digital community and the advent of a digital storytelling culture within student affairs would help us overcome the challenges

Utilizing Kotter’s theory

● We asked:o Using the vision for Student Affairs how can we

create buy-in? How can the blog and hashtag communicate the

vision (explicitly and implicitly)?o How can we remove the obstacles noted above?o How can we utilize the digital sphere to continue to

tell the story of change?o How will it be anchored in a budding culture?

RyersonStudentAffairs.com

● More than just our blogo A place for staff to contribute to the growing student

affairs dialogue Ideas, insights, learning, reflection

o A place where we can get to know and recognize each other Staff spotlights, Staff announcements

o A place where anyone on staff can contribute their story or have that story highlighted

● We encourage authenticity in voiceo If you are bringing it to work then it might make a

good post

#RyersonSA (The Hashtag)

● Coupled with the blog the use of the hashtag has expanded our physical community into the digital realm

● Has seen major uptake from staff across the department

RyersonStudentAffairs.com Statistically Speaking

● Approximately 3.3K hits by 1.4K users● 5.8K pageviews● An average of 2 pages per session● An average session duration of 2:20● 62.3% returning visits● 37.7% new visits● 62% readers accessed website via social media (48.71% Twitter vs. 47.34 % Facebook)● 25.9% accessed website directly● 11.4% readers accessed website via organic search (search terms included: "cannexus

2014", "holistic learning theory", "ryerson experience with academic llcs", "what opportunities does the arts have for students?")

#RyersonSA Stats

What are we tweeting?

Successes

● Community Building● Breadth of topics● Content● Reach● Cultural Change

o Affinityo Pride

● Personal voices and authenticity

Challenges

● Educating on how to write an impactful post● Long-Form Blogging intimidating to some● Blasphemers

o non-social media folks● Folks reluctant to share so publicly● Dialogue

Tour the Site

http://ryersonstudentaffairs.com

What’s next...

Using storify we are going to pull tweets from this session into our next blog post.

www.storify.com/???

#RyersonSA

Roadmap● Pre-Existing Conditions

o A call to action/a reason/the “why” (in the case of Ryerson, this was change - intention to build community to navigate this change)

o An Executive Director who is eager to innovate (maybe list #RyersonSA values?) and comfortable with staff being in the spotlight

o Ryerson as a campus (enabling a unique web presence, authentic voice, etc.); an environment conducive to this type of project

o In-house expertise● “Created” Conditions

o Emphasis storytelling and authenticity during PD sessions/trainingo Modelling behaviouro Encouragement and promptingo Seeking stories

● Financial Resourceso Domain + Hosting (Ryerson went with GoDaddy.com) ($50-100/year)

● Human Resourceso In-house expertiseo Dedicated editoro Time & energy put into design and writing, editing, etc.

● Processeso Editorial calendar

Moving Forward

Creative Unit

Community Manager

Questions?

@IanCrookshank@HamzaK