Instructor Completes Advising Academy
Edgecombe Community College instructor Ryan Cox has completed a yearlong Advising Leadership Academy hosted by the North Carolina Community College System Office.
Ryan Cox, Criminal Justice department chair at Edgecombe Community College, recently completed the Advising Leadership Academy hosted by the North Carolina Community College System Office.
During the yearlong intensive training, participants were required to attend four professional development sessions and complete a yearlong Moodle course. Moodle is the primary course management system used for the delivery of online and hybrid courses.
In addition, participants created an advising project assessing an area they would like to improve at their institution. As his project, Cox created a blueprint for a new faculty advising orientation. “I thought that an orientation for new faculty may help ease the anxiety for advisors and hopefully prevent any advising reluctance or apathy,” he explains.
Cox added that he focused on an advising orientation for new faculty for several reasons. “First, I came to ECC from another institution where I wasn’t responsible for any advising, so I thought the Advising Leadership Academy would help to erase the advising rust I had accrued from being away from it.
“Second, I was curious as to what kinds of practices were going on in the state and what new trends and ideas other institutions are implementing. I’ve always been a firm believer in advising and its tremendous importance in providing the best possible educational experience for students.”
Cox joined the ECC faculty in January 2021. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western Carolina University, a master’s degree in criminal justice from Keiser University-Ft. Lauderdale, and a graduate certificate in sociology from Appalachian State University. In addition to his role in the classroom, he is active in the life of the college. He cochairs the Distance Learning Committee and is a member of the Moodle Support team.