Taking Long Night Online Part 6: Implementation and Assessment
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Part 6: Implementation and Assessment
This final blog outlines the processes we underwent in the days leading up to the event to make sure LNAP was successful for the attendees and the collaborators.
Southwestern University | Dr. Jennifer Marciniak
In order for seamless LNAP implementation to occur, we had two major goals: Prepare for attendees to be successful, and prepare for collaborators to be successful. To make sure success for both parties occurred, we underwent and/or created the following:
Program Run-Through A few days before the event, the collaborators and their respective teams gathered online for a run-through of the entire event. This run through with Zoom/RingCentral was integral to smooth functioning as it allowed space to make sure all technology worked. Due to COVID-19 closures, Southwestern had just started using Zoom/RingCentral, so it was new to everyone. Due to the run-through, we spotted mishaps with transitioning into break-out rooms and issues with video that would have been awkward the day of the event.
FAQs and Guidelines A week prior to the event, we sent out a working Frequently Asked Questions document to all faculty, staff, and students. This document included the schedule and detailed information about the event, the link to enter the event, and where to go for certain assistance. The document was prepared in Google Docs so we could update the FAQs as we learned more about the navigational strategies students needed. In addition, we created a Day-Of-Event Guidelines document for the consultants about how to communicate with students about session details.
Amped Up the Marketing We sent out email and social media reminders to faculty and students every week for a month prior to the event. A week prior to the event we sent out various reminders in our Campus Notices listserv and our institution’s app once per day. The day of the event we sent out social media and app notifications on the hour three hours prior to the event and then hourly throughout the event. Notifications during the event were specific to the growth in attendance and what sessions were about to begin. We did it this way to entice students who might be wary of coming blindly into a virtual event. It allowed them to know what to expect, and that they would not be the only one in attendance.
[Image Description: SULongNight Instagram post one day prior to the event.]
Flexibility with Programming Even though you may think you are fully prepared, there will always be an unanticipated situation with programming. Even after consulting the students within our respective program, none of the collaborators anticipated the need for breakout rooms that function solely as study rooms.Two sessions into the event, a student in attendance approached us to create a study room for those who just wanted to study together. This room became one of the most well-attended rooms of the event outside of the Career and Professional Development sessions.
Final Assessment and Reflection We had three main takeaways from the event:
Have a Sense of Humor There will be slip-ups. There will be tech issues. There will be situations that require a cool head even when you are hot under the collar. Take a breath, laugh about it, don’t take yourself too seriously, and move forward. Students will understand.
Keep the Music Going Music is key to keeping the energy up. We wish we’d had a music track playing under the breaks between sessions while we conducted the raffles. We initially thought this was unnecessary as we assumed students probably had their own music going on their end. However, our assumption was wrong, and our event feedback told us as much.
Gamify Sessions The sessions that were trivia or competition based had better turnout. This does not mean that all writing center and tutoring sessions needed to be gamified. However, word-play and language oriented games can be intellectually stimulating as much as fun.
Nevada State College | Dr. Rachel Herzl-Betz, Hannah Guenthoer, and Brittany Cox
In the final days, we were worried about all of the same things as Southwestern. Plus, we wondered if anyone would come. We’d put in the work, but it was still possible that we’d be hosting a party for ourselves. Things largely went smoothly and we can attribute that success to two key choices:
The Survival Guide: Events team leads, Hannah and Brittany, created a guide to the event and distributed it to everyone working during the night. It served as a combination training doc and mid-event cheat-sheet. The Survival Guide included the following sections:
Links to every activity during the night
Contact information for team leaders and support staff
Pre-event preparation advice: “Is your computer charged?” “Do you have water and a snack?”
A breakdown of each assigned role
Extra projects and ways to contribute during down time
The first part of the guide is visible below and we would be happy to share the full doc with any interested centers.
[Image description: screen capture of google doc titled “Survival Guide to a Remote LNAP”]
Aggressive internal communication: As many centers have realized, remote communication and planning is its own adventure. We chose lots of repetition, which ensured that everyone working during LNAP was on the same page. Since we couldn’t schedule a full-team run-through, we scheduled cranium cafe and YouTube Live practice sessions with program collaborators. We also reached out to individual specialists to make sure they felt confident in their assigned roles.
For next time:
We were largely pleased with our event turnout and engagement. We had more than 50 participants, which matches the numbers for our first face-to-face LNAP back in 2014. For this fall, we would like to build on our learned strengths while expanding the event to include more cross-campus collaboration. As the event develops, we’ve chosen to focus on two principles:
Build on simple, fun interaction: Our successful programming highlighted community engagement. The YouTube Livestream space was easily our most popular resource; it gave writers the chance to connect and create writing goals while choosing their own level of public presence. They could type, add an emoji, or simply be present with friends.
Similarly, we saw an enthusiastic response to our low-cost giveaways. By checking in, scheduling a session, or using social media, participants could win prizes courtesy of the Writing Center team, including a hand-drawn avatar, a developmental edit, or a personalized hype video.
[Image description: screen capture of a website section titled “Enter our giveaway.” The section includes information on how to enter and images depicting the prizes.]
In both cases, participants looked for opportunities to connect that were personal and relatively direct. We want to maintain that spirit, even as we expand on the number of ways writers can engage.
Add Opportunities (with care): For Fall 2020, we’re working with three new campus programs to add resources without complicating our mission. For example, we’ve partnered with Blue Sage Writer’s Guild, the NSC creative writing group, to host a late-night open mic. This will create a new way for writers to engage, but participation remains simple, and the focus is still on community.
By contrast, we’ve guided potential collaborators away from ideas (like mock exams) that may have worked in live versions of the event. Face-to-face participants may be game to run through the PRAXIS, but our remote participants really just want to connect
Conclusion:
We hope this six-part series has provided the details you need for a successful virtual event. We could leave you with specific advice to carry into your own events, such as:
Practice and test-run all of your technology
Create a marketing plan
Think carefully about faculty outreach
And so on . . .
However, our real recommendations are more broad than any to-do list: focus on community, keep it simple, and do a few things well. Southwestern and Nevada State both succeeded when we narrowed our focus and left some opportunities on the drawing board. As organizers, it can be tempting to look for flashy, exciting activities, but our communities were most drawn to simple, direct connection.
In that spirit, we leave you with a few questions to help guide your process this year:
What do students and writers on your campus value?
What does your center value?
How have those values changed in the past year?
What resources and support does your campus need?
Where do you see those values and needs in your event’s mission?
How can you meet your campus community where it is right now?
Good luck with taking your Long Night online!
Author bios
Dr. Jennifer Marciniak is the Director of the Debby Ellis Writing Center at Southwestern University. She earned her PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Louisville and began her writing center career at Berea College. She is from South Texas, and her research interests focus on oil and gas worker literacy practices. She was a first generation college student, and has personal and professional interests in working-class studies.
Dr. Rachel Herzl-Betz is the Writing Center Interim Director and an English Instructor at Nevada State College. She earned her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and began her writing center career at Carleton College. She’s originally from northern Wisconsin, and her research focuses on the intersections between disability, writing center studies, and educational access.
Hannah Guenthoer is a first-generation, undergrad tutor studying Criminal Justice with a minor in counseling at Nevada State College. She has been working at the Writing Center since 2018 and has been on the Events team ever since. Hannah’s research focuses on identity, queer bodies within writing center spaces, and training regarding microagressions based on one’s identity.
Brittany Cox is an undergraduate student as well as a peer tutor within the Writing Center at Nevada State College. She is currently working on completing her Bachelor's in Criminal Justice with minors in both Psychology and Counseling. She was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has been employed by the NSC Writing Center for just over a year now! Her interests are in queer studies, anti-racist work, and social justice issues.