Raftr Blog

Higher Ed, Student Affairs

5 Tips on How to Balance Your New Career in Higher Ed and Graduate School

Sep 22, 2021

To put it simply, you are on cloud nine. You just got hired for your dream job in higher education and were accepted into your dream graduate program. Congratulations! So, what happens now? While balancing a career in higher education and graduate school is no simple task, it certainly isn’t impossible. There are definitive upsides to working while in graduate school, such as acquiring less debt down the road. Not to mention, you will have the advantage over a person with similar education but lacks your firsthand work experience in higher education. With extra self-discipline and advanced planning, you’ll ace…

Higher Ed, Peer Leadership

8 Strategies for Building the Power of Belonging at Your University for First-Year Students

Sep 09, 2021

The first year of university can be a challenging transition for students. There’s an increase in responsibilities, a brand new social environment, and often no safety net to soothe related anxieties. This difficult adjustment period can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, especially without robust on-campus support. It’s a problem that’s increased over the pandemic and one that must be addressed at the beginning of the academic year. Implementing dynamic strategies helps foster a sense of community and social belonging for first-year students. In doing so successfully, you’ll create an environment where students feel welcome and safe, therefore setting…

Product Updates, Support

Raftr Support: September 7 Update

Sep 07, 2021

All platforms: Enabled the Faculty Persona Introduced Secret Channels (ie: invite-only membership and hidden from non-members) Some improvements: Updated Search results to include Joinable Channels (ie: non-member Public or Private Channels from your member Rafts) Updated sort order for Rafts' Channels pages: member Channels at the top of the list, sorted by recency of activity; followed by Joinable Channels, sorted alphabetically Updated the Home All page to include Rafts and Channels that do not yet have activity Updated the activity preview text for Rafts on the Home All page Continued metrics updates Updated text in Cross-Posting section of Content Management…

Higher Ed

10 In-Person and Online Welcome Week Activity Ideas

Aug 25, 2021

As students prepare for the new academic year, universities are gearing up to welcome new and returning students this Fall 2021. The pandemic, specifically the Delta variant, has been a cause of concern for many universities as they decide between predominantly in-person activities or hosting virtual events online. Whether your college leans toward one method, we wanted to help your team plan for a hybrid. Here are ten welcome week activity ideas you can execute for your students who prefer to participate on campus or for your students who would like to join in the fun remotely. 1) Food Fest…

Product Updates, Support

Raftr Support: August 17 Update

Aug 17, 2021

Android: Introduced new Home page "Don't Miss It" section with content from member Rafts All page with a list of all member Rafts and non-default Channels with previews of recent activity, and which is sorted according to recency of content (default/ Everyone Channel messages are included on the Rafts, rather than on a separate line item) Chat, Events, and Posts feeds for member Rafts Channel invites can be found via the three-dots menu in the feeds header Contextual create prompts for each feed Updated app-level feeds Events feed is now all (member and non-member) Rafts Former Posts feed is now…

Higher Ed

5 Ways to Ease College Students’ Apprehensions About Studying Abroad

Aug 12, 2021

College students have a bucket list of goals to accomplish during their university journey. From social to academic, they can range in all areas, including joining Greek life, earning an internship at their dream company, and residing in another country for a semester. These are all attainable, but there’s no denying that the pandemic has become a roadblock, especially for studying abroad. As more universities open this fall, offices of global engagement/international education’s study abroad programs will also return this upcoming school year. According to the Forum on Education Abroad, over 40% of organization respondents said they plan to resume…

Higher Ed, Student Affairs

10 Podcasts to Help Higher Ed Professionals Stay Up-To-Date

Aug 04, 2021

While we hope everyone in Student Affairs and Higher Ed is getting some well-deserved rest and relaxation this summer you might also be looking for ways to stay informed on trends, tips, and advice, as well as stay connected to your Higher Ed community. With a little help from our Higher Ed Co-op, we’ve compiled a list of Higher Ed related podcasts that you can stream at your leisure to help get back into the work mindset and prepare for the new school year: SA: Voices from the Field As a Student Affairs professional, your experience significantly differs from your fellow…

Product Updates, Support

Raftr Support: July 27 Update

Jul 27, 2021

Android: Replaced Topic icons with emoji Improved navigation on Rafts Some improvements and fixes like including a button to return to most recent messages any time you scroll further back in chat history updating placeholder text in Search bars updating font - as part of cross-platform update to use the same font on all platforms updating notifications to Raft and Channel admin about join requests and member suggestions to now open the requests screen directly iOS: Introduced new Home page All page with a list of all member Rafts and non-default Channels with previews of recent activity, and which is…

Higher Ed, Wellness

Wellness Break Checklist: 10 Wellness Break Ideas for Higher Ed Professionals

Jul 27, 2021

Throughout the pandemic it’s been even more difficult for higher education professionals to distinguish work hours from personal time. While technology has equipped us with the convenience to work digitally from home, it’s also blurred the lines of when to reply to that latest email from your director or respond to that request from your colleague’s recent Slack notification. Think about it, when it’s your lunch break at home and you hear your phone or laptop get a work notification, how often do you opt to check it right away versus waiting until your lunch break is over? We’re all…

Higher Ed, Wellness

8 Strategies to Prioritize Student Well-Being Through Your Campus Portal

Jul 22, 2021

The pandemic has been hard on everyone, especially students. Not only were schools concerned about student safety on campus, but another major concern at the forefront was also around the mental health and well-being of students. With most students going fully or hybrid remote learning this past year, this approach isolated students away from their typical social interactions with their classmates, faculty, and campus. In a recent report, 58% of students reported feeling signs of distress more than usual. From feeling unhappy, depressed, or losing sleep over worrying, students are experiencing many more challenges when it comes to maintaining their well-being. In…

5 Tips on How to Balance Your New Career in Higher Ed and Graduate School

8 Strategies for Building the Power of Belonging at Your University for First-Year Students

Raftr Support: September 7 Update

10 In-Person and Online Welcome Week Activity Ideas

Raftr Support: August 17 Update

5 Ways to Ease College Students’ Apprehensions About Studying Abroad

10 Podcasts to Help Higher Ed Professionals Stay Up-To-Date

Raftr Support: July 27 Update

Wellness Break Checklist: 10 Wellness Break Ideas for Higher Ed Professionals

8 Strategies to Prioritize Student Well-Being Through Your Campus Portal

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