High Tech and High Touch:A Sure Bet Strategy for Training Advisors to Use Advising Technology

Chris Farren, Roland Shook, Faye VowellWestern New Mexico University2005 NACADA National Conference Code 377

First Steps

Review your advising mission Assist student in relating their needs, interests,

values, abilities and goals to their educational program

Address the diverse cultural and academic background of students while promoting academic excellence

Contribute to the development of mature, self directed students capable of thinking, judging, and making appropriate decisions

First Steps (continued)

Understand your advising model Developmental Intrusive Total Intake

First Steps (continued)

Determine your philosophy regarding technology use Students come first Easy access to information Responsibility to be an informed

consumer Appropriate safeguards in place Access to appropriate training

First Steps (continued)

Segment your training target audience(s) Summer Orientation Academic Support Advisors/SWAT

advisors Major Advisors

First Steps (continued)

Determine what each segment needs to know, do, and understand in order to fulfill its mission Summer orientation advisors help students select

courses for their first year and begin establishing a relationship

Academic Support and SWAT advisors work with freshmen students to make a good adjustment to college and with undeclared student to select a major.

Major advisors work with upper classmen to progress in their educational goals and personal development and get ready for their first job or graduate school.

First Steps (continued)

Determine what kind of technology is available or necessary to enhance this mission

Using this information, develop a core curriculum and training schedule

Summer Orientation ASC Advisors Major Advisors

Compass Test Compass Test

Web Registration Web Registration Web Registration

Overrides Overrides Overrides

Excel Excel

Degree Audit What if scenarios Degree Audit

Discover program

Advising Space Advising Space Advising Space

Document Imaging Document Imaging Document Imaging

Degree Plan Degree Plan Degree Plan

Major Declaration Major Declaration Major Declaration

Anecdotal Entry Anecdotal Entry Anecdotal Entry

Drop/Add Drop/Add

Email Email

Banner

Training Considerations

Audience Segment Level of skill: Novice, Intermediate, Expert Goal of Training: Exposure, Practice,

Mastery Kind of Training: Informational, Relational,

Conceptual Topic(s)

Example: ASC Advisor Training

Audience Academic Support Advisors Level of Skill Intermediate Kind of Training Relational Goal of Training Importance of collaborative

advising Closing the circle Exposure, Practice, Mastery

Topics Relationship between student, advisor, and faculty member

Electronic communication Use of Advising Space

Example: ASC Advisor Training

Collaborative Advising From the Latin com – with, + laborare,

to work

1. To work together: especially in reference to literary, artistic, or scientific work.

2. To co-operate with the enemy: to be a collaborationist

Webster’s New World Dictionary

MUSTANG

EXPRESS

STUDENT

FACULTYADVISOR

Email

Calendar

Course Materials

Course Chat

Bulletin Board

Email

Transcripts

Financial Aid

Billing Information

Degree Plans

Registration

Advice

Intrusive Advising

Email

Program information

Student Records

Progress toward

Degree

MUSTANG

EXPRESS

STUDENT

FACULTYADVISOR

Email

Calendar

Course Materials

Course Chat

Bulletin Board

Email

Transcripts

Financial Aid

Billing Information

Degree Plans

Registration

Advice

Intrusive Advising

Email

Program information

Student Records

Progress toward

Degree

Example - Degree Audit Training

Audience Major Advisors Level of Skill Novice Goal of Training Exposure, Practice, Mastery of

Straightforward Degree Audit Kind of Training Informational Topics Using the CAPP degree audit program

for a student with an established major and minor

Using CAPP to do “what if” scenarios Handling course substitutions

Advising Basics II:  Degree AuditFriday, 30 September 2005

Martinez Computer Classroom

Degree Audit Training Agenda  2:00     Overview and

demonstration of the degree audit program 

2:30     Using the scenario provided, practice doing a degree audit and print out your results 

3:00     Using the scenario provided, practice a “what if “ scenario and print our your results 

3:25      Fill out evaluation

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

Step 1. Log on to Mustang Express using your user name and password

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

Step 2. Select the Advising Space tab

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

Step 3. Select the CAPP program from the Faculty Services section.

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

Step 4. Select the Degree Evaluation Option under Student Information

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

Step 17. The first part of the screen is a Program Evaluation. Pay attention to words and numbers in red. These are potential problem areas. If a student is not finished with all the requirements for a degree it makes sense that these areas should be highlighted in red.

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

Step 20. The next part checks General Education Requirements. BE CAREFUL! You must pay attention to the “And” and “Or” logic. A red “No” doesn’t necessarily mean they have not meant the requirement.

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

Degree Audit Program - CAPP

There may be some courses that end up in “Free Electives” or were used in the upper division count that you want to count towards a major or minor. If so, fill out a course substitution or degree plan change form (on paper) and turn it into the Registrar’s office. The substitutions/waivers or any other adjustment will be put into BANNER by the Registrar’s office for an official degree audits.

Lessons Learned

Solicit input from the target audience regarding what they would like or need to learn

Suit the training to the audience Start with fundamentals—nothing is

too simple to include Just in Time/Just for You training is

ideal

Lessons Learned

Create simple yet complete handouts to take for future reference

Understand that people learn at different rates and have different learning styles

If there are several ways to do something, teach one way—the simplest way

Lessons Learned It takes more time to practice than you

think Involve the end users in the design of

new technology and the training on new technology

If you use your IT people to train on the technology, remind them that advisors want to know how to drive the car, not how it was built

Lessons Learned

Have IT staff available during training session when problems arise

Obtain feedback on the efficacy of the training session and training manual

Make sure the participants have the necessary passwords and permissions by having them RSVP 24 hours prior to the session.

Lessons Learned

Have a list of “practice” names for non-advisors or new faculty who have yet to be trained.

Have trained people available to assist participants

Keep computers off during the training presentation

Lessons Learned

Have a comfortable setting Have a sign up sheet for participants

and an evaluation form Have the participants introduce

themselves

Next Steps—Nobody rises to low expectations

Certification as a master advisor Different levels of competency Monthly training sessions Training manual Hands-on outcomes assessment to

determine mastery Certificate and stipend