Abstract Draft 2

Making Sense of Student Support at a Distance: A Program Chair's Explorations and Self Analysis
Are my thoughts and actions facilitative of student support or spoonfeeding? Are my explorations genuinely addressing student concerns or not? How am I making sense of providing student support at a distance? In my first year as a fulltime faculty member of pioneer distance institution in the Philippines, I was given the task to manage the Associate in Arts Degree, an undergraduate program with the biggest and most diverse student population of the UP Open University. Three years after, I see the need to reflect on my practices in fulfillment of my responsibilities. This study narrates my journey into understanding my role as program chair alongside exploring varied ICT platforms in order to address student concerns. Using an autoethnographic research methodology, I shall attempt to analyze and examine my actions through a careful analysis of student queries, email correspondence, bloglike narratives, virtual community forum posts, and letters to staff and direct supervisors. In doing so, I hope to critically examine my experiences and evolving disposition in program management and contribution to student support initiatives. This qualitative study constitutes my ongoing struggles and journey as a junior faculty member in an academic organization equally determined to address student concerns at all levels. It hopes to contribute to the university's community of practice by giving voice to a program chair's struggles, evolving identity and understanding of what it truly means to support students.