Nanook Navigator and Student Success Spotlight: Cassandra Kendall
Cassandra Kendall
The Nanook Navigator and Student Success spotlight for January is Cassandra Kendall. Cassandra is a math tutor, coordinator, and DEVS instructor at the Developmental Education Department in the UAF Community and Technical College.
Why are you passionate about UAF students and their success?
UAF offers wonderful opportunities for students to build a strong educational foundation and work towards a career path they’re interested in. Our students have so much potential and I enjoy being part of a team that creates a safe environment for our students to learn and grow. Each semester, I get to see students’ growth, resilience, and confidence, even during difficult times, and it is amazing.
Favorite part about being an instructor, coordinator, and math tutor?
All of my roles at the university have allowed me to work closely with supporting students and creating an environment for them to be successful. Each role allows for a bit of a different perspective of offering support to students, but all together, I feel that I have a stronger understanding of what students need when they take foundational math and writing courses. I also love being able to interact with students and see and feel their “aha, that makes so much more sense now!” moments!
What is your favorite feature in Nanook Navigator?
One of my favorite features is being able to look up a student and learn a little more about them. I can see what courses they’re taking, look at their support team, and check if there are alerts from other instructors (progress reports!). With all my current courses being asynchronous so far, I also like being able to see a picture of my students and remove some of the barriers that strictly online courses can create.
How long have you been utilizing Nanook Navigator?
As an instructor, I've actively been using Nanook Navigator since the fall of 2020. As tutor coordinator, I've been using Nanook Navigator since the summer of 2021 as the Debbie Moses Learning Center piloted some of the appointment and availability features.
Tips, advice, or ideas to support other Nanook Navigator users or student success practices?
Explore Nanook Navigator - click around, read the support materials that can be found on the website, try the SMS feature that allows you to text students so they get the message right away instead of hoping they check their email. There is a lot Nanook Navigator can offer to support students.
Nanook Navigator and Student Success resources
Newsletters and past spotlights
For more information about Nanook Navigator, contact Jessica Skipper at jrskipper@alaska.edu.