Dr. Jeanette Ruiz, from the Department of Communication, speaks in this video on the topic of Simple Strategies for First Year and First Gen Students.

Dr. Ruiz is an Assistant Teaching Professor for the Department of Communication at UC Davis, specializing in strategic communication with a specific interest in emerging practices and concepts in digital and social media. Currently, she is investigating student success outcomes in diverse, higher education populations and serves as the First Gen Initiative Faculty Lead. She is also a proud UndocuAlly and CAMPOS Scholar. 

Most recently, Dr. Ruiz was a recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to teaching in communication. 

Dr. Ruiz teaches various courses, including Interpersonal Communication Competence, Introduction to Mass Communication, Introduction to Communication, Strategic Communication in Public Relations, Race and Media, Thinking Like a Social Media Strategist, and Empirical Methods in Communication. She has presented on the importance of instructor presence, best practices for remote teaching, strategies for designing equitable online learning environments, and online universal design features. 

Many thanks to Dr. Ruiz for speaking on Simple Strategies for First Year and First Gen Students.

Workshop description: We can assume that every course includes students new to our institution and/or program(s). Dr. Jeanette B. Ruiz (Department of Communication) will provide straightforward tactics instructors can implement with minimal effort. These simple strategies work to maximize the academic success of all students, including First Gen students. Remote instruction practices will also be discussed.