Staff Spotlight: Reba-Anna Lee
To kick off the new year, we’re spotlighting our Assistant Dean of Distance Learning, Dr. Reba-Anna Lee! In the blog post below, Reba-Anna shares a behind-the-scenes view of her daily work with Distance Learning.
How long have you worked here? How did you come to join the DL team / get involved in distance education?
I have worked on the SPS Distance Learning team since November 2015. Previously I was working at a liberal college in New York’s Hudson Valley region. I wanted to continue working with adult students.
Describe your typical “Day in the Life.”
I start my day by reading email and educational news. I often have 20-30 emails a day. Some days, this will take an hour or so. I am not a morning person, so most of the time I read through my email but may not reply until I have my morning cup of coffee. The majority of my meetings take place between 11AM to 3PM. The types of meetings vary greatly, from check-ins with my staff to project status meetings with external parties. Currently, I am on the UPCEA annual conference and the EDUCAUSE Horizon Report panel, among other projects.
The late afternoon is for replying to emails and prep for the next day. I always save the last 15-20 minutes of my work day for worrying. This is so I can leave work problems at work. I reflect on all the things that happened that day that might take up room in my brain later and actively worry about them and/or make a plan for how to address them. I have been doing this for almost a year, and it has really helped me to keep “work at work.”
Reba-Anna’s diligent Work From Home coworker, Nameh.
What’s something about your job that might surprise readers?
There are several aspects of my job that readers may find surprising. First of all, I attend a lot of meetings! I find that I use a lot of the high school teacher strategies and techniques (active listing/scaffolding of ideas/checking for understanding) I learned as a classroom teacher for 10+ years.
What’s your favorite resource or tool that not many people know about?
I am definitely old-school when it comes to tools. I love using Excel and color coding. I think simpler tools are often overlooked.
What’s the most unusual job you’ve ever had? Did it give you any interesting takeaways?
I was a dog groomer for 3 years while I was a literature and composition adjunct at Argosy University and finishing up my doctorate. I enjoyed dog grooming because I love animals, and there was a lot of on-the-spot problem-solving. My main takeaway is that clear and direct communication can resolve issues before they arise.
The Distance Learning team is part of the Northwestern School of Professional Studies (SPS). To keep up with news, staff spotlights, online education insights and more, subscribe to the DL newsletter (The DL Digest), follow us on our departmental LinkedIn, and check out the rest of the Distance Learning blog!