FAQs: Faculty/Staff/Visitors

What is SSD?  IHCC offers a Student Success Day ("SSD") on campus: regular classes are replaced by events and activities that help students become more successful.  Typically, 1000-1500 students attend. Everything is free.  SSD is on Tues. or Wed. of the 4^th-6^th week of the term.

What happens?  Many of the activities simply involve meeting with teachers one-on-one or in small groups, in their offices or other designated rooms.  A nationally-known motivational speaker offers two keynotes and a workshop to students, everyone gets free food, and some disciplines offer special workshops.  Individual faculty and staff presenters also offer over 60 classroom sessions, ½-1 hr. each, on a wide variety of interesting, useful topics.  Past SSDs, for example, have included these sessions:

How long has it been going on?  Is it always the same?  The first one was held in fall 2004.  Each fall, SSD focuses more on basics; each spring, on disciplines/careers.  Many faculty and staff presenters and volunteers help almost every semester.

Does everyone have to participate? Faculty decided to move one of the official exam days to SSD, so it is a no-classes day with teacher contact.  This means if you usually have classes, office hours, or other contact time on SSD, please cancel normal classes 8 am-7 pm, ask your students to attend SSD, and maintain your own contact time. You may, at your own discretion, also do so on the day before or after SSD.  (For details and exceptions, see "Do I have to cancel classes?" below.) 

Do you have to cancel classes on SSD?  Yes, unless your classes are accelerated, off campus, or online.  Evening classes cannot start until 7 pm.  If you need a room for a small group, email roomreservations@inverhills.edu because your normal classroom may be reserved for SSD, especially if it is in Heritage Hall or Business 8 am-7 pm (or Fine Arts 9:30 am-12:30).

What if you don't usually teach on that day? If you have no regular contact hours that day, you don't need to attend.  However, you can cancel classes the day before or after, take the day off, and then be available on SSD—and require or encourage your students to attend.  It is teacher participation in particular that helps SSD become bigger and better each year.

What should you do on SSD?  You may schedule office hours to visit with students about their progress, meet in small groups to help them be more successful in class and beyond, or volunteer to participate in SSD events.  You also may require your students to replace their normal class time by attendance, or even go to additional activities that relate to your class and their needs, or give them extra credit for doing so.  They can see you in your office, work in small groups, and/or attend individual or keynote sessions.
            Volunteer to present a ½-1 hr. session.  Suggest new sessions your students might find helpful.  Help your department develop a basic, disciplinary, and/or career-oriented session.  Suggest names of IHCC or off-campus community or organization people who may make great presenters.  For more ideas, see the link called "How To Be Involved."

How can you verify that students attended?  There is a "Student Planner Form" that students pick up at registration in the HH lobby.  This planner has spaces for signatures by session presenters.  Students who need proof of attendance may ask presenters after sessions to sign the appropriate line for the time period and session.