planning, conducting, & presenting an academic advising self-study shannon dobranski, ph.d....
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Planning, Conducting, & Presenting an Academic Advising Self-StudyShannon Dobranski, Ph.D.NACADA 2014
Overview
• What is a self-study?• When or where would a self-study be useful?• Who might help?• What are some strategies for completing the
study?• How might one promote and use the self-
study?
So what is a self study?
A self study is not an assessment
Assessment: the continuous process of gathering information to determine and improve progress toward specific outcomes (Aiken-Wisniewski et al., 2010 Robbins & Zarges, 2012 Troxel, 2008)
Assessment
A self study is not an evaluation
Evaluation: the process by which individuals, teams, or practices are judged often with the use of specific ratings (Robbins 2009, 2012)
Evaluation
But. . .
A self study may anticipate an assessment process or evaluation.
“Start with the end in mind.”
Aiken-Wisniewski et al., 2010
For the self study, focus on PDOs
• Concentrate on process/delivery outcomes (PDOs)
• Save student learning outcomes (SLOs) for a future assessment
A self study is . . .• A formal report grounded in strategic and
consistent consistent data-gathering• An opportunity to identify common practice
among disparate or remote professionals• A non-evaluative “snapshot” of professional
practice
Why might a self study be useful?• To educate administrators• To appeal for funds or resources• To connect practice to vision/mission• To reveal practice in a satellite or hybrid
advising model
Center for Academic Success/O
UE
College of Sciences
Biology
Chemistr
y
PhysicsMath
EAS
College of Engineerin
g
CEE
ME/NRE
CHBEAE
ISyE
Scheller College
of Business Administ
rationIvan Allen College of Liber
al Arts
ECON
INTA
HTS
LMC
PUBP
ALIS
College of
Computing
CM
CS
College of
ArchitectureARCH
ID
Decentralized Advising at Georgia Tech
Center for Academic Success/O
UE
College of Sciences
Biology
Chemistry, Biochemistry
Physics, Applied Physics
Math, Applied
Math
EAS
College of Engineering
CEE
ME/NRE
CHBE
AE
ISyE
ECE
Scheller College of Business
Administration
Ivan Allen College of
Liberal Arts
ECON
INTA
HTS
LMC
PUBP
ALIS, GEML, IAML
College of Computing
CM
CS
College of Architecture
ARCH
ID
Reflection 1
• What questions might a self study answer for your home institution?
Preparation
• Establish clear objectives• Seek guidance• Select participants
Where would I start?
• Establish objectives for your study:– To gather data about different advising practices– To learn more about the student experience– To discover resource inequities in different
advising units– To identify best practices
Whom might I consult on campus?
• Institutional Research• Office of Assessment• Larger on-campus advising network• Any unit that has completed a self study
Whom might I consult off campus?
• NACADA– Clearinghouse– Assessment Institute
• Webinars– Innovative Educators– Academic Impressions
• Professionals at other schools• Completed self studies
Tip from experience!
• Make the study a team effort – Identify stakeholders– Cultivate buy-in– Share the labor– Make each other accountable
• Get consistent help from students or staff– Transcription and data entry
Reflection 2
• Identify two campus partners you might consult to help plan the self study.
• What stakeholders might participate in your self study team?
Execution
• Gather statistical information through surveys• Gather detailed and anecdotal information
through interviews• Organize and categorize• Summarize parts and whole
Execution: Survey
• Vet your survey with assessment or institutional research team
• Test the survey on actual advisors• Don’t reinvent the wheel: use automated
survey generators like Survey Monkey, SurveyGizmo, Qualtrics
Tip from Experience!
• Consider the best audience for different types of questions
• Consider separate surveys – Comprehensive to capture everybody’s
experience– Selective for authoritative information
Reflection 3
• Will your survey be selective or comprehensive?
• Will you need more than one survey for multiple audiences?
Execution: Interview
• Schedule appointments early• Send an email with an overview or agenda
and a request for any specific materials• Meet advisors in their work space• Take pictures• Stick to a standardized script, ask follow up
questions as warranted
Tips from Experience!
• Consider starting with face-to-face interviews and then moving on to statistical data
• Summarize interview findings and follow up immediately
• Look for “low-hanging fruit” that can be addressed with immediate action
Reflection 4
How might you select and categorize information for a face-to-face interview?
Student Experience Advisor Experience
Orientation Hiring
Registration Training
At-risk performance Assessment Processes
Change of Academic Standing Professional Development
Execution: Organize Information
• Keep materials organized as you go• Enter hand-written information into
spreadsheet or database
Analysis
• Identifying trends– How do practices align/differ?
• Following up• Determining needs– What are best practices?– Why doesn’t everybody engage in best practices:
awareness or resources?
Delivery
• Draft the report– Consider the audience– Keep it lean
• Revise the report– See it again with fresh (and different!) eyes
• Include visual aids and personal testimony• Present information intentionally• Include appendices with details
Promotion
• Present information to different stakeholders• Spread the word• Anticipate next steps
Audience Format
Provost, Dean, VP Report, executive summary
Advisors Report, town hall
Institute Research Report, meeting
Students Report, meeting
Reflection 5
For the stakeholders you identified in reflection 2, determine a format and occasion for presenting the study.
ReferencesAiken-Wisneiwski, S. (Ed)., (2010). Guide to Assessment in Academic Advising (second edition). [Monograph No. 23]. Manhattan, KS: The National Academic Advising Association.
Robbins, R. (2009). Evaluation and assessment of career advising. In Hughey, K. Burton Nelson, D., Damminger, J. and McCalla-Wriggins, B., (Eds) Handbook of Career Advising (chapter 12). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Robbins, R. & Zarges, K.M. (2011). Assessment of Academic Advising: A Summary of the Process. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web Site: www.nacada.ksu.
Troxel, W.G. (2008). Assessing the effectiveness of the advising program. In V.N. Gordon, W.R. Habley, and T.J. Grites, Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook (2nd edition) (pp. 286-295). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
