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ATD Blog

Connecting Students (theory) With Our Local ASTD Chapter (practice)

Tuesday, October 2, 2012
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For those of us who teach in “applied disciplines,” one of the most attractive benefits of working at an urban university is the countless relationship-building opportunities with industry professionals throughout the city. Despite having a relatively small faculty, the HRD program in which I teach manages to host a few events each semester to keep us connected with local professionals practicing in our field. Our program tries to leverage these opportunities because networking and relationship-building not only help our students find local jobs, they also keep our faculty up-to-date on current issues challenging practitioners.

For instance, just last week, our student organization pulled together a networking night with board members from our local ASTD Chapter. We met at a centrally located restaurant in the heart of the city; there was plenty of food and time to mingle. Three ASTD Chapter board members presented on three different topics—in an informal roundtable format. We spent about 20 minutes at each table, listening to the board members talk about networking, social learning, and generations in the workplace. They shared tips and tricks that they had collected over the years. The students and faculty asked questions and shared their stories from their own experiences.

One of the local ASTD board members emphasized the importance of networking, leading with the statistic that 80 percent of jobs are never posted in a public forum. She told a personal story of how, following a career break, she was able to change career paths when she returned to work because of who she knew in the HR world. She also described her methods for following up with people in her networking circles. Finally, she left time for participants to practice 30-second introductions—the elevator speech, if you will. This activity gave the students an opportunity to practice and receive critique on how to improve their networking spiels.

The social learning roundtable was led by a local ASTD board member who is independently employed. In the spirit of her topic, she provided URLs to her handouts. She spoke about trends that she’s following regarding the use of social media platforms to facilitate learning and development inside organizations. I was particularly intrigued by this roundtable because she introduced me to some technologies that were new to me. I think it helped students think about how everyday social media applications have implications for workplace learning and development.

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I attended the generational issues roundtable during the last rotation. There was a particularly interesting dynamic during this session because we somehow ended up with just two participants at the roundtable—me and one of our advanced graduate students. So, between the two of us and the local ASTD board member who was hosting the roundtable, we represented three different generations. The ASTD board member was a Baby Boomer, I am a part of Generation X, and the graduate student was a Millennial. We had a fabulous discussion about the typical characteristics of each generation (to which the three of us generally conformed), how the generations can work together effectively to achieve organizational goals, and our personal experiences in the work environment.

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Overall, the event was a huge success! Both our graduate and undergraduate students found value in attending. Students benefitted from hearing first-hand from industry professionals about topics that are interesting and relevant for their own career interests.  I think there is a lot to be said for the ASTD Chapter board members reinforcing some of the things that instructors have taught in the classroom setting. It was rewarding to see the students making connections between their classroom learning and the guest speakers’ stories.

These are the types of collaboration and events that give students an opportunity to see their textbooks and assignments come alive.  It gives credibility to information coming from faculty, and builds the students’ confidence that they are getting a relevant education. Most important, these types of events connect scholarship to practice—as faculty and local HRD practitioners continue to build partnerships that support the growth and development of our students.

About the Author

Tomika W. Greer is assistant professor and undergraduate program coordinator in the human resource development program at the University of Houston’s College of Technology. Since 2011, she has actively engaged with ATD through writing blogs, writing articles, and serving on award committees. Prior to earning a PhD in HRD, Greer spent 10 years in various instructional technology, training, and development roles in a variety of industries. Her research and publications focus on trends and challenges associated with career transitions and development for women and marginalized groups; implementation and outcomes of “family-friendly” organizational policies and programs; and curriculum, pedagogy, and outcomes of academic programs in HRD.

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