Got a question about FOL? Ambassadors are here to help

Fanshawe's getting the red-carpet treatment this year as FanshaweOnline Ambassadors are helping students navigate the electronic learning management system.

From September 4 to September 14, FOL Ambassadors will host two sessions each day — from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. — at various locations around the London campus. (For a schedule and a list of locations, check out the news item on FOL and the widget on the FOL homepage, or ask at the Information Booth in F building.) They'll be armed with laptops and the knowledge to answer any questions new or returning students may have about using FOL. One Ambassador at each event will be mobile, walking around the area with a tablet to answer any quick questions from students who are rushing to their next class.

Each student who gets help from the Ambassadors is entered into a draw. During the final event, an iPad 3 and gift certificates to retail stores on campus will be given out as prizes for the draw.

“We're targeting first-year students who are here for the first time, but we also want to catch students who are returning to Fanshawe and perhaps will be in a class where there is a tool that maybe they haven't used before,” said Catherine Spence, an administrative assistant in Fanshawe's Learning Systems Services department. She, along with educational technologist Kyle Stewart, coordinated the Ambassador program. “That's an opportunity for them to ask the Ambassadors (about that tool) ... They have a chance to have an interactive experience where the Ambassadors are right there and they can walk them through that tool and explain it to them. Even students who have already used FanshaweOnline will have the benefit of asking the Ambassadors some questions.”

In addition to asking questions, students are encouraged to bring their feedback about FOL and the Ambassador program to the Ambassadors. “We listen to the students and we incorporate that feedback,” Spence said. “It also helps us decide the direction we're going with FanshaweOnline.”

If you're a returning student, you may recall seeing FOL Ambassadors on campus in January. Last year, the Ambassadors sat at tables outside the Oasis and in F building outside the bookstore, waiting for students to come to them. With more time to plan September's event — and with some help from Fanshawe's Marketing department — Spence and Stewart wanted to make the program more dynamic and attractive to students. “This is going to try to grab students' attention first,” said Spence. “Then they're aware of us and what our service is, and hopefully they'll bring any questions that they'll have about FanshaweOnline to the Ambassadors and it can be responded to immediately.”

Stewart said he and Spence are looking to continue to grow the program in the future. The second phase of the program is to reach area campuses, and the third phase will see online expansion.

If you're looking for help with FOL after the Ambassador program has ended, check out FOL's own Help feature by clicking the Help button located in the top right corner of the website. This section features full videos to help guide you through any issue you may encounter. If that doesn't answer your question, Stewart suggested asking friends and instructors, or contacting the Helpdesk at 519- 452-4430 ext. 4357, helpdesk@fanshawec.ca or in room E2030.

The FOL Ambassador program will also run in January during the first two weeks of the Winter semester. If you're interested in volunteering for that event, or if you'll be returning to Fanshawe in September 2013 and want to help out then, contact Stewart at kjstewart@fanshawec.ca or Spence at cspence@fanshawec.ca.