1. Campus Tours, Field Trips, and Guest Speakers
Making the Most of the Resources at Your School
Suzanne Berryhill
ACA/Biology Instructor
Southwestern Community College
ACA 111 and ACA 122 instructors are targeted
ACA 115, ACA 118, and ACA 121 may find general value
ACA 120 and ACA 220 may learn value of guest speakers
ACA 112 is not applicable

2. The important in the different1
Using outside resources encourages student learning
Students become engaged further when provided with expert knowledge
Guest speakers and Field trips offer 1st hand experience and perspectives with immediate value
Adds variety to the classroom routine
Demonstrates that Learning is collaborative
Make sure the guest speakers topic (or field trip destination) fits the content of the syllabus in that time frame

3. Identifying Resources: Should every resource be used for every ACA?
Financial Aid
Library
Tutoring
Career Center
Work based Learning
These resources are chosen because they have the largest impact on the student, and are often included with so many other resources during orientation that students miss out on important information.

4. A Few Resources at Southwestern Community College
Library
Learning Assistance Center
Peer-tutoring
Student Support Services
Career Services
College Success Coaches
Financial Aid
Online
Blackboard
Smarthinking
NCLive

5. Identifying Resources: What to choose?2
Is it helpful to the student?
Is it difficult to locate?
Would students know to use the resource without guidance?
Is the resource over or under utilized?
What is the impact of using the resource?
Guest speakers are important in ACA classes because it gives students face to face recognition from support services. –Alison Carter, Mathematics Instructor
It is important who you choose for impact so that students are not overloaded or overwhelmed.

6. Identifying Guest Speakers: How to pick the best fit.1
How big is the space?
How comfortable are you about the resource?
Comfy? Maybe talk yourself
No Clue? Guest Speaker!
Can you find someone willing to speak?
Many of the people that work in these resources are willing to speak if given the opportunity
Many of the people are happy to come to you!
Some are just as willing to speak to your groups at their location-Campus Tour!
It is unreasonable to expect all instructors to be experts in all resources, especially when part-time. It is better to know who to utilize and refer students too, and bring them into the classroom. Maybe even have them assign homework!

7. Guest Speakers
Invite speakers from different resources to your classroom
Make sure to give multiple date options!
Ask how long the speaker needs to present (15 minutes? Entire class?)
Make sure to put guest speakers “in order” of student need
Learning Assistance Center
Tutoring/Student Support Services
Financial Aid
Library (mini-field trip)
President of College (if available)
Career Services
Why have the president of the college? It depends on your president, and his focus. AT SCC our president, Dr. Don Tomas, not only graduated from a community college, he had quite a few years lost in a misspent youth. I have Dr. Tomas speak when my students don’t realize how lucky they are that they have the ability to attend college. I want my students to take advantage of the resources they are offered.

8. Value your Guest Speakers3
Advance Preparation:
For the speaker
The students
And you!
Fit the objectives with the speaker’s purpose
Speaker should be essential to course objectives
Ask the speaker to teach, not just speak.
“If that doesn't happen, the students will have little incentive to take advantage of what guest speakers can bring to a classroom, and the guest speakers won't understand what they can contribute.” (Lang, 2008)3

9. Value your Guest Speakers
Arrange in advance: the earlier the better
Make sure the guest speaker is integrated with the course
Give the speaker an idea about the topic
Ask the speaker what resources they need to complete the lecture
Make sure to allow plenty of time
Remember to thank the guest speaker
Evaluate student learning.
Show syllabus

10. Campus Tours Day 1 of ACA-Take a Tour!
Do a virtual tour online of the resources your campus has to offer. Don’t go in depth, just mention the existence and say “So and so will be here later to discuss this with you”
Then, walk your students around campus showing the location of each resource

11. Southwestern Community Colleges Virtual Tour

12. Campus Tours and “mini-field trips”: When to leave the classroom
How large is the resource’s space?
Would students benefit from visiting a physical location?
Is it easier on the speaker to stay in place?
Every semester, I have Tracy Musick, our librarian, give my ACA students a tour of the library
We learn how to work NC Live and find online library resources
We walk the stacks to locate different types of books
We visit the conference room and study areas to encourage students to work in the library

13. Before you go: campus tours
Prepare your students and get them excited by calling the tour a “mini-field trip”
Prepare students to be respectful
Make sure the location has room for X number of students
Meet at the resource
Walk students who are nervous about getting lost
Remind students that this resource is for them, so they should give their full attention to the resource, even if they have used it before, they may learn something new. Since the location is on campus, arrange for students to meet there, while offering to be at the classroom 15 minutes early to walk students who feel they may become lost

14. “Mini-Field Trips”-The Library: Bibliographic Instruction Workshop Request Form
Description of Bibliographic Workshops
Request Information
The length of workshops is generally 30 minutes.
Discuss SCC ID and Library Account Registration
How to use library catalog, search other NC Community College libraries, and order through Inter-Library Loan
Demonstrate how to use NCLIVE to access databases and find articles (I use at least two databases relevant to the class, assignment, or topic.)
Discuss other library resources
If workshop is in library, a short tour may follow the presentation.
If there is time and the instructor wishes, students may spend remainder of class on computers applying the skills they just learned. May also utilize the conference room after the tour or presentation.
Ten laptops are available for workshops in the library conference room.
Please give a two week notice in order to be more likely to get first choice of workshop date. 
Faculty Name: Suzanne Berryhill
Address:
Phone Number: or
Class (Title/Section): ACA 122 SD1
Number of Students: 12-15
List 2 Possible Meeting Dates with Times: August 29 or 31 at 5:20
Class Location: Library Conference Room (Includes short library tour.)
Is there a topic or assignment related to the workshop? If so, please attach or the assignment. No, getting to know the college
Are there any specific needs for this workshop? NO
This is the form that our librarian uses to schedule tours.

15. After the tour:
Ask students how they could utilize the resource in the future. At SCC we use a sheet that asks the following:
Where did you go?
When did you go?
What did you learn? What does the resource offer?
How could you use the resource again?
We have students answer these questions for 4 resources, including, but not limited to visited resources in class

16. Field Trips: ACA 122
Instead of just talking about how to apply to college, arrange a college tour!
Show students how to arrange a tour to visit a campus they are interested in by arranging a visit to a university close to home.
At SCC, our students all take campus tours of Western Carolina University. It’s only 3 miles away.
Have your tour guide focus on resources available to students living off- campus-a “transfer tour”
See if the University will offer said transfer tour for students who are coming in as sophomores and juniors.
I realize that not all colleges are this close to a four-year college or university

17. Before you go: field trips
Arrange transportation: Should your students carpool? Use a college vehicle?
Make sure someone is on location to meet you!
Remind students that the field trip is required, some students don’t always see the value…make an assignment based off the field trip and/or make the field trip itself a grade
Make sure that accommodations are available for students who need them (wheel chair access, etc.)

18. After the Field trip Ask: What did you learn? What did you like best?
What did you like least?
Would you consider this college?
How could you apply what you learned on this tour to other colleges and tours?

19. Universities and Four-year Colleges Near Southwestern Community College
Western Carolina University
University of North Carolina Asheville
Mars Hill
Warren Wilson College

20. What resources do you have?

21. Sources
most-out-of-guest-experts-who-speak-to-your-class/
Lang, J. M. (2008). Guest Speakers. Chronicle Of Higher Education, 54(31), C2-C3.
Southwestern Community College at