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.

Contact Me!Shannon DobranskiDirector, Center for Academic SuccessGeorgia Tech

shannon.dobranski@gatech.edu