A UIS Faculty Development Workshop

Dr. Karen Moranski

September 13, 2011

How do you define academic advising?

Why is advising important for you and your students?

What are the challenges/barriers to good advising?

What changes are happening to advising at UIS?

Questions to Ponder

Advising

Is integral to fulfilling the teaching and learning mission of higher education.

Helps students learn to become members of their higher education community, to think critically about their roles and responsibilities as students, and to prepare to be educated citizens of a democratic society and a global community.

Engages students beyond their own world views, while acknowledging their individual characteristics, values, and motivations as they enter, move through, and exit the institution.

National Academic Advising Association. (2006). NACADA concept of academic advising. Retrieved 9-29-09 from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Concept-Advising.htm

The Broad Mission of Advising

http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Concept-Advising.htmhttp://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Concept-Advising.htmhttp://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Concept-Advising.htm

The National Academic Advising Association offers a three-part concept of advising:

Curriculum (what advising deals with)

Pedagogy (how advising does what it does)

Student Learning Outcomes (the result of advising) (See Handout on NACADA’s Concept of Advising)

NACADA’s Concept of Advising

Retention and timely completion are key metrics in national, regional, and state measures of success.

Retention increases tuition revenues, which help us fund new initiatives, faculty positions, services, etc.

A reputation for excellent advising helps us recruit students.

Excellence in Academic Advising is Important to UIS

For the Student: Essential to academic success

Encourages persistence and involvement in the college experience

Ensures timely completion of degree requirements

For the Faculty: Constitutes a recognized professional responsibility

Creates valuable connection to students

Boosts enrollment in courses and declaration of majors

Excellence in Academic Advising is Important to Students and Faculty

Research shows that frequent, meaningful contact between faculty and students, focused on academic, intellectual, or career-related topics, is associated with greater student involvement, motivation, and degree completion rates.

Research on Advising and Student Success

Required Area of Professional Competence for Tenure and Promotion

Article 3 Professional Evaluation &

Advancement

Article 9 Professional Responsibilities

Appendix 6 Guidelines for Program Administrators

Appendix 12 UIS Portfolio Guidelines

Academic Advising as a Professional Responsibility

A central concept in the NACADA philosophy of advising

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh offers the following description of advising as teaching:

Advisor and student interact.

Student = active learner during advising.

Advisor has expertise the student needs to acquire.

Advisor = guide through body of knowledge. The “forest” vs. the “trees”

Relevance to society & other disciplines.

Advisor = evaluator of student learning.

Student = independent learner after advising.

Advising as Teaching

Understand the importance of academic advising

View advising as an opportunity to acclimate and engage students

View advising as an area of professional responsibility and competence

Are knowledgeable about academic policies and student support resources

more….

Effective Advisors…

Are proactive and ready to provide guidance Demonstrate respect and sensitivity to

student needs and concerns Are cognizant of key dialectical tensions Neutral vs. prescriptive Encouraging vs. discouraging Judgmental vs. nonjudgmental

Maintain an appropriate balance between upholding policies & advocating for individual students

Effective Advisors…

Pre-admission

Initial entry

Semester-by-semester

As needed

Prior to graduation

When Does Advising Occur?

Advisor assignments

Initial Assignment Undergraduate Academic Advising Center

Major & Minor Departments

Faculty

Online Coordinators

Student Selection Changes in undergraduate advisor assignments

happen in the academic units

Graduate Degree Program and/or Academic Advisor form

Formal Foundations of Academic Advising

Documentation UIS Catalog Degree Audits

FERPA and Educational Need to Know

Fairness

Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

Legal & Ethical Considerations

An Advising Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a university student. He (for back then they were all men) lived on the campus and walked to the library and went punting for fun. He would meet weekly with his professor for one-on-one discussions of readings, academics, and life. His professor also lived on campus and they ate in the same commons (though, of course, the professor sat at a separate table).

Advising structures differ widely from one

institution to another.

King (2006) identifies seven common structures for advising that run the gamut from faculty only to professional advising only.

Many institutions, including UIS, have a “shared” model in which faculty and professional advisors both have responsibility for student success.

Structure of Advising at UIS

The Undergraduate Advising Center serves

Freshmen

Sophomores (except CPAA)

Undeclared students

Students moving from CAP Honors to the general population

Faculty advisors needing assistance or advice regarding graduation requirements

Structure of Advising at UIS

Faculty Advisors serve

Undergraduate students and graduate students in academic programs and students interested in joining those academic programs. Undergraduate advising includes advising for general education and ECCE.

Students who need mentoring in major coursework, in a specific career path, or in negotiating the path to graduate school

Structure of Advising, Cont.

Foster a professional culture and procedures

Maintain centralized student files

Develop formal advising guidelines & procedures for routine review

Develop program-specific supplementary forms for advising

Consider group advising program for peak periods

Best Practice Guidelines: Department Level

Develop user-friendly technologies to support and

supplement the personnel process

Distribute advising loads equitably and monitor over time

Implement graduated advising loads for new faculty, with mentoring

Keep track of common advising and petition issues

Develop sample forms for students and faculty

Consult as needed

Department level continued . . .

Educate advisees

Develop a communication strategy

Create atmosphere of mutual trust and respect

Personalize the degree

Take time to listen

Avoid judgment

Adopt a developmental perspective

Best Practice Guidelines for Faculty

Be aware of and act in accordance with policies & guidelines FERPA, confidentiality

UIS Catalog

Seek consultation as needed

Exercise care in handling petitions Make sure you have the information you need

Forward denials as well as approvals

Document rationale for decisions

Be consistent & fair

Admit mistakes and be responsive in resolving them

Best Practice Guidelines for Faculty continued…

Petitions are designed to deal with exceptions to

academic policy. Petitions increase with changes to curriculum at the

institutional or departmental level . . . and UIS has experienced a substantial amount of both.

Petitions often decrease when policies are clearly spelled out in the UIS Catalog.

Petitions need to be clearly worded and carefully researched.

Petitions can originate with the student in consultation with an advisor or with the advisor on behalf of the student.

To Petition or Not to Petition . . .

Common petitions:

Changes of Catalog Term

Exceptions to General Education or University Requirements

Overloads

Request for Upper Division Credit

Transfer Credit Acceptance

To Petition or Not to Petition . . .

Students in transition

Transfer students

Students on probation

Students with personal or emotional concerns

Advising Scenarios—What Would You Do?

Campus Senate Resolution 40-18 approved changes to the

General Education Curriculum that will take place in Fall 2012: Freshman Composition courses will be 3 hrs. instead of 4.

The Freshman Seminar becomes part of the Gen Ed Curriculum.

The ECCE Elective will end, reducing ECCE from 13 hours to 10.

Students will be able to choose how to complete ECCE requirements: they must take 2 of 3 categories for 9 hours(U.S. Communities, Global Awareness, and Engagement Experience) + 1 hr. of Speakers Series.

Changes in Curriculum

The Undergraduate Advising Task Force (2010-11) made

a series of recommendations regarding advising structure:

Shared model of advising should be more deliberate and should involve collaboration between faculty and professional advisors (the “dual” model = advising teams).

Advising should be limited to faculty and professional advisors.

Faculty Personnel Policies need to better define and reward excellence in advising and provide accountability measures.

Changes in Advising Structure

UIS College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Petition Guidelines UIS College of Business & Management (Karen Headrick, Maureen Dowdy, Dyanne Ferk)

Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) Handbook Recommended Four-Year Course Schedule for the BBA BBA Requirements Guide & Worksheet Management Degree Plan Worksheet, BA Management Degree Guidelines

Criminal Justice Department (Professor Beverly Rivera)

Planning & Advising Guide, BA General Education Requirements Guide for First-Year Students General Education Requirements Guide for Transfer Students

Resources: UIS Supplementary Forms

Psychology Department

(Professors Marcel Yoder & Carrie Switzer)

Concentration-Specific Advising Forms

Commonly used petition templates

http://www.uis.edu/psychology/students/forms/index.html

Undergraduate Academic Advising Center

(Carmalita Kemayo, Mae Noll, & Tarah Sweeting-Trotter)

Freshman Advising Guides for Each Major

4-Year Advising Guides for Each Major

Transition Form from UAAC to Major

http://www.uis.edu/advising/

http://www.uis.edu/psychology/students/forms/index.htmlhttp://www.uis.edu/advising/http://www.uis.edu/advising/http://www.uis.edu/advising/http://www.uis.edu/advising/

UIS Office of Records & Registration Undergraduate Academic Advising Center

http://www.uis.edu/advising/

Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) http://www.uis.edu/registration/records/studentRecordPolicy.html

The Mentor: A Free Electronic Journal on Academic Advising, from Penn State’s Center for Excellence in Academic Advising http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/

Buck, J, Moore, J., Schwartz, M., & Supon, S. (2001). What is Ethical Behavior for an Academic Advisor? http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/010109jb.htm

Advising-Related Web-Based Resource links http://www.psu.edu/dus/ncta/links.htm

National Academic Advising Association http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/Research_Related/definitions.htm

Clemson University Resources http://www.clemson.edu/advising/advisors/knowadvisee/interview.htm

Resources: Online

http://www.uis.edu/advising/http://www.uis.edu/registration/records/studentRecordPolicy.htmlhttp://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/cover.shtmlhttp://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/010109jb.htmhttp://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/010109jb.htmhttp://www.psu.edu/dus/ncta/links.htmhttp://www.psu.edu/dus/ncta/links.htmhttp://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/Research_Related/definitions.htmhttp://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/Research_Related/definitions.htmhttp://www.clemson.edu/advising/advisors/knowadvisee/interview.htmhttp://www.clemson.edu/advising/advisors/knowadvisee/interview.htm

Gordon, V., & Habley, W. R. (Eds.). (2000). Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook. San Francisco, CA and National Academic Advising Association, Kansas State University: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Hunter, McCall-Wriggins, White (eds.) Academic Advising: New Insights for Teaching and Learning in the First Year, NACADA, 2007

Resources: Books