(Part 2 of 2)

As the Director of Academic Peer Advising and Coordinator for Strategic Initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences at Oberlin College, Nathan Carpenter is a leader of campus ePortfolio programs and efforts. Nathan recently sat down with Jeff Yan for a two-part Digication Scholars Conversation covering the many facets of his role at Oberlin. In Part 1, they discuss the two programs Nathan leads: the Peer Advising Leaders (PALs) program, and the Sophomore Opportunities and Academic Resources (SOAR) program. Nathan explains the benefits of peer-advising as a supplement to traditional academic advising. “I think it can be really helpful to see someone who was in your shoes not too long ago, and to know that they have a real understanding of the holistic experience.” He also introduces the concept of a “River Journey,” an idea used in the SOAR program to help students visualize their path through higher education and beyond. In Part 2, they discuss Oberlin’s recently launched integrative concentrations, combining coursework with real world experiences, and they speculate on the future of digital communication in higher education. “I think that one of the new frontiers probably at all levels of education, including higher ed, is going to be thinking about how communication and collaboration can happen in a truly constructive way in a digital space.”