NACADA National Conference Presentation: ACCEPTED!

Just wanted to update readers and let them know that I will be presenting my Social Bookmarking Presentation against at the NACADA 2009 National Conference in San Antonio, TX. If your professional development budget allows, make sure that you try to attend.

Feedback from the proposal evaluators was positive. Read on:

• I can imagine that this concept will get used by many advisors, once they figure out how it works.

• I liked the idea of presenting the idea and how to implement the idea. I liked that the presenter will talk about the positives and negatives and time requirements of implementing the social bookmarking account

• Social bookmarking is an interesting twist on serving all advisees, particularly undecided students. I would imagine this presentation would focus mostly on "how to," but the literature introduction will also be helpful. The proposal was very thorough.

• Interesting topic! Hopefully the information would be relevant and pertain to the available majors or graduate programs available at the institution.

• I think that this is an excellent topic to introduce to the advising profession. Many other educators utilize social bookmarking, etc for their professions, and it would be a great learning tool for students & advisors to use to support developmental advising.

• Creative concept and would help those advisors who are wanting to use and/or learn to communicate with today's students. Hands-on info.

I will be tweaking the presentation a bit to reflect the comments from those in Saratoga Springs, NY. Thanks again to all who provided feedback! It is so awesome to see advisors embracing technology!

Historical Foundations of Academic Advising: Handbook series (Part 1)

Throughout the next few weeks (and most likely into the summer) I am going to be "reviewing" the book Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook (2008, Gordon et al.). Essentially what I will be doing is presenting the big ideas presented in each section and annotating each with Internet resources. My hope is also to brainstorm with readers to see what is missing from the literature, what questions we still need to answer, and generally critique the information presented within the handbook. 

Without further ado...

Chapter 1: Historical Foundations of Academic Advising (pp. 3-16  )

Defining "academic advising"

• "Situations where institutional representatives give insight or direction to a college student about an academic, social, or personal matter...the nature of this direction might be to inform, suggest, counsel, discipline, coach, mentor, or even teach" (p. 3). 
  
•  Is Academic Advising a Form of Teaching?
• Recommended Academic Advising Definitions & Role Statements (U of Wisconsin @ Oshkosh)
• The College of New Jersey Definition of Academic Advising

The 3 Eras of Academic Advising

• 1st Advising Era ( 1636-1870) "Higher Education before advising was defined" (p.3 )   
• 1. Electives did not exist; coursework was the same for all
• 2. Residential experience; students eat, sleep, study, and worship together
• 3. Focused on a classical curriculum (e.g., Latin, Greek, Math, Religion)

4. In loco parentis roles for president and faculty

5. 1870's ushered in a rigid, formal period for higher education

6. Many rules, regulations, and punishments for students 

7. Faculty no longer spoke with students on an individual basis

8. Rebellions rose up in response to discipline

9. Elective system is created in response to these rebellions

a. More student flexibility

b. Better faculty interaction improved student relations

c. Increased usage of seminars and laboratories

d. Initiated the need for academic advisors

10. Faculty responsibility shifted to research and service more so than advisement

• 2nd Advising Era (1870-1970) "Academic advising as a defined & unexamined area" (p.5)

1. Critics of the elective system wanted to ensure that students could properly navigate it
2. Daniel Gilman (Johns Hopkins) used the word "advisor" and laid out the responsibilities of the role. 
3. 1920's-Rise of freshman counseling; faculty advisors
4. 1930's-1940's-Student support systems in place
5. 1949 "Student Personnel Point of View" SPPOV: Student as a whole, attention to physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellness, responsible participant in own development, not passive recipient of imprinted economic, political, or religious doctrine or vocational skill.

• 3rd Advising Era (1970's-Present) "Advising as a defined and examined activity" (p.7)

1. NACADA created 1977
2. Relevant research articles sprung up
3. Various advising models

A. Faculty-only: No advising office

B. Supplementary Model: All students given instructional faculty member. Advising office provides general information. 

C. Split Model: Specific groups advised by advisors & rest assigned to academic units or faculty.

D. Dual Model: Each student has 2 advisors. Faculty for major requirements and advisor for general education, procedures, and policies. 

E. Total Intake Model: Staff advises until specific requirements are met. Afterwards students are transferred to faculty or academic subunit. 

F. Satellite Model: Each school, college, or division has its own approach to advising.

G. Self-Contained Model: Advising staff works with students from the date of enrollment to graduation. 

Development of Institutional Types

• Liberal Arts Colleges

1. Undergraduate Focus
2. Early colleges were shaped by aristocratic traditions and served the wealthy, white, males
3. Where we get the faculty-only model & still remains the primary example

• Normal Schools

1. First was in Massachusetts; teaching teachers how to handle classrooms in real-life settings
2. Many have become four year teacher colleges, liberal arts colleges, and then universities (e.g., Eastern Michigan)
3. Advisement by the faculty & the president (Enroll students in classes only)

• Historically Black Colleges & Universities

1. First was the Institute for Colored Youth (Philadelphia)
2. Morrill Land Grant (1862): Federal lands given to the states to open colleges that would train Americans in the applied sciences, agriculture, and engineering. 
3. Second Morill Land Grant Act (1890): States could make schools open to both blacks and whites or allocate money for segregated black colleges to serve as an alternative to white schools (Led to 16 exclusively black schools); Plessy V. Ferguson

• Community Colleges

1. 1901- Joliet Community College
2. 39 % of students attend community college

• Research Universities

1. Includes undergraduate but focuses on graduate students in mission and programs 
2. Tenure is based on grants and publishing; little emphasis on teaching
3. German Model: Teaching, Research, and Service
4. Morrill Act of 1862: Research needed to grow food, build machines, and improve & protect society

• For-Profit Universities

1. Economy is now knowledge-based
2. University of Phoenix
3. Pay taxes and have investors
4. Top-down management approach
5. Emphasize learning over faculty research 
6. Convenient locations and times
7. Market driven curriculum

Looking to the Future

• "The future of advising as an examined activity will depend on how well advising theory, practical, and research can define and study advising constructs" (p. 13).  
• Theory-"Explanation of how something works";"Allows one to describe a process and to predict future events under given circumstances" (p. 13).
• Advising Practice-"Interaction between an intitutional representative and a student that is intended to give students insight or direction about an academic, social, or personal matter" (p.14). 

Vlog: Saratoga Springs NY Region 1 Conference Day 1

NACADA Tech Seminar: Day 1

Clearwater isn’t everything that I thought it would be… I was expecting more “things to do” but really this is a one-trick pony town…the beach. Not that that’s bad but I somehow have already managed to get a sunburn… Had lunch @ a fantastic place called the Clear Sky Café…brie BLT sandwich. Then spent some time on the beach and eventually wandered over to the Faculty/Team Leaders meeting.

The team leaders all seem great and come from a variety of backgrounds. It's nice to be able to interact with those who are at different types of institutions and share knowledge. The faculty members are also fantastic! NACADA is blessed to them them leading this seminar. Charlie Nutt, Executive Office NACADA, even made an appearance!

After the meeting, we all headed over to Crabby Bills for some seafood. I think I know why Bill is Crabby...the food was sub par at best. I had the chance to speak with Randy from DePaul and Ginger from Ozark Technical College extensively over dinner. Great conversation and ideas are starting to flow already.

One thing that George Steele brought up at dinner with how his center is using a FAQ's page to answer the commonly asked questions of his center. This would be a great way to reduce the email load on advisors (i.e., they don't need to reply to the same question over and over again) and provide instant answers to student questions. It seems that this type of FAQ would be ideal but I would love to hear if any other centers are using something similar to this.

That was it for today, but tomorrow is promising to be productive! 

Be sure to check out the 2009 Tech Seminar Hub for all of our information. 

NACADA Book Review Opportunities

I just found out that NACADA offers members the opportunity to review one book per year for their professional development journal. More information can be found here.

My belief is that since we as academic advisors always express the value of lifelong learning for our students, we ourselves should take advantage of these opportunities whenever possible.

Take a few minutes and give back to the organization while at the same time working on your own professional development.

Hiatus & NACADA Activities

First of all, apologies for the hiatus in posting. I was completing my comprehensive exams to get my master's degree so much of my time was occupied reading Pasacarella and Terenzini (1991, 2005). Hope everyone is still with me!

Secondly, I wanted to post a little reminder about some upcoming NACADA events that really have me excited!

Advising 2.0: Utilizing Technology Effectively for Campus-wide Advising

Being held February 12-13, 2009 in Clearwater, FL. the Technology Seminar is promising to be an exciting and informative event. I will be attending (Thanks to a NACADA Region 1 scholarship) and blogging at the event. It is my hope that readers will jump on board with comments and thoughts so that I can ask any questions you may have.

Some of the topics to be covered include: Social Networking Sites (i.e., Facebook, Ning), Wikis, Using Web Based Surveys, Blogs and Microblogs, Confidentiality, Web 2.0 and advising, Photosharing, and Making Connections Between Tools.

Faculty members include George Steele, Eric Stoller, Karen Thurmond, and Laura Pasquini.

You still have time to register! Come join us in Clearwater, FL. for some web "surfing" and sun.

NACADA Regional Conferences

Regional conferences are a fantastic way to network with your colleagues, but also stay close to your home-base. I would encourage everyone to check out their nearest Regional meeting and attend if at all possible.

I will be attending and presenting with one of my colleagues at the Region 1 Conference being held in Saratoga Springs, NY on March 11-13, 2009. My presentation is going to be on the use of social bookmarking as a tool for major and career exploration.

Many of the other Regions are still looking for proposals. I would encourage everyone to submit an abstract of something that your working on and get involved head-first with the organization. There is nothing more rewarding than sharing your work with others!

Anyone have any good presentation tips for me? I am all ears.

NACADA Annual Conference

NACADA is going deep into the heart of Texas for their next annual conference. I am looking forward to this one since I have never had the chance to go to Texas. I have submitted by Social Bookmarking proposal to the conference as well, but haven't heard anything yet about it being accepted or not.

The last Annual conference that I went to, Chicago, was amazing! There were so many great sessions and opportunities to network. All of my notes from those sessions are on the blog if anyone would like to look them over. That's actually how this blog got started--as a repository for notes and other professional development activities.

Finally, look for an upcoming post on the new 2009 Horizon Report. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the document, it presents the technologies to watch for the upcoming year in
education.

NACADA Winter Seminar 2009 Here I Come!

NACADA Winter Seminar 2009 Here I Come!

First of all, I want to send a big thank you to NACADA for offering me a $500 scholarship to come down to Clearwater, Fl in February and talk about technology in advising. I would encourage others who haven't yet applied for any type of scholarship from NACADA to do so. You must be a member to apply and fill out a fairly simple application. 

TheTechnology Seminar  looks to be extremely informative with presenters Laura Pasquini, Eric Stoller, George Steele, and Karen Thurmond  serving as faculty members. The seminar schedule looks really intriguing and I am most  looking forward to participating in the social network and blog/microblog concurrent sessions. It is my hope that I will be able to spread the word about this blog as well as my application of delicious at the seminar. The application that I am most unfamiliar with, Twitter, will hopefully be discussed at length and I will come back with a better understanding of its applications. 

I would also encourage those who can't attend the conference but are interested in technology within advising to visit the Technology Seminar blog and participate with us. I will of course be blogging from the seminar and keeping everyone up-to-date on what's happening. 

Is there anything that I should be sure to ask about? Questions you want answered? Fire away and I will be sure to do my best to raise them. 

5 Utterly Essential Resources for Academic Advisors

What are your must read links first thing in the morning?

Academic advisors (and others in higher education) need to keep up on their news just as much as any other profession does.  Whether you are a new advisor or someone whose been in the field for many years, there are a few resources that everyone should have on their favorites list. If you are not already a member of delicious, you should consider joining up. Tomorrow I will be posting on exactly how to do that, but for now I give you my top 5 most utterly essential resources for those of us in the advising profession. 

1. NACADA

The professional organization for academic advisors.  NACADA (National Academic Advising Association) offers its members a myriad of professional development opportunities, a wealth of resources, and even a clearinghouse of publications. NACADA holds an annual conference each year as well as numerous regional and special interest conferences.  I encourage all readers to join as soon as possible and start gaining some tremendous opportunities. 

2. The Mentor

An academic advising journal, The Mentor, provides advisors the opportunity to read some of the most current research that is out within the field. They often have valuable tips on dealing with particular student situations as well as assessing some common advising tools. This resource also provides advisors with the chance to have pieces published and criqued by colleagues. I believe that we all have the responsibility to contribute something to our field and The Mentor allows us to do just that. 

3. The Chronicle of Higher Education

The staple higher education journal. Even though advisors deal with specific problems and issues every day its important that we understand the larger higher education picture that we are faced with. Each week the chronicle puts out a full issue (available online) and contains sections on technology, the faculty, money & management and much more. There is also a forum for interaction on their website and a daily news blog to help us stay up to date. 

4. Inside Higher Ed

Another journal that functions as an important news resource. Inside Higher Ed is much more concise than The Chronicle of Higher Education but provides valuable insight nonetheless. One of my favorite features is the digest of blogs listed on their homepage. Reading these will give advisors insight into the ideas of community college presidents, faculty members, and even some retired academic advisors. 

5. Alltop Education

A collection of the top education stories from around the web. This resource aggregates all of the education news from The Chronicle, Inside Higher Ed, The New York Times, a Student Affairs Blog and many more. When your short on time a quick glance at the headlines will give you the buzz of the day so that you are ready to discuss it at your next staff meeting.

What have I missed? I know there are many more resources floating around that I don't check on a daily basis. What's on your must read list? Do tell!

New Mandatory Advisement Process

After attending the NACADA conference in Chicago a few days ago, I came up with a new method to carry out my mandatory advising appointments. This is the pattern that I have been following for the last few days and it feels so much more rewarding than what I was trying to do before.

Meeting #1:
* Create index card with pertinent information
(Scholar? Person #, Major Interests, Things they've shared about themselves,
The Good News)
* Review fall 2008 schedule
(Need to resign anything?, Checkstops to resolve?)
* Tentative courses for spring 2009
(Review DARS, Reevaluate major thoughts, course schedule wizard, at least 3
tentative schedules- emailed to me)
* Check scholarship status if University Scholars student
* Statement of where they are as a student without quantitative words
* Schedule second appointment before they leave
(Give students a time frame for getting things done; feedback on this has been
positive and reinforced how essential it is)

Meeting #2:
* Review course selections
* Discuss registration process
* Show how to utilize delicious/ READY @ UB
* Read/Email feedback on statement that they wrote
* Discuss different learning styles (VARK Assessment)

I haven't had any second meetings yet, but I am sure that they will be informative to students. I like having them leave their appointment with a task, fish for their own knowledge, and then come back so that we can synthesize it together.

Using my students name often during an appointment has also put life back into my advising appointments. I really think that they are buying into what I have to say more so than previously. I also think that they view me as more of a professional when I outline goals and tasks for them to complete.

Finally, I have been following the index card method that was mentioned by Susan Kolls from Northeastern. Having a card with student information on it is so helpful to both me and the student. First, I get a chance to recollect on that student and their appointment while I am creating the card and in turn I can reference the card next time they come. I am hoping that showing them how interested I am in them as people will help us to establish a better relationship over the long term.

NACADA Session Notes

NACADA 2008 NATIONAL CONFERENCE NOTES OCTOBER 2008

B. Joseph White (President of University of Illinois) Plenary Session

* Stretch, Support, & Connect
* "Pit Stop" on the fast-track analogy- Races are won in the pit. You need a good team of people to change your tires, fill up your gas tank. Advising relationship is similar because we are the professionals who change tires and fill up gas tanks.

* Develop a personal relationship
E.g., Mannie Jackson- CEO of Fortune 500 company without a business major
"Find something and someone you can be passionate about. Enjoy the journey."

* Suicide Prevention
Required 4 mandatory sessions or else expelled
Student under contract with the university to be in good health when enrolled
(Interesting concept and would like to look @ more research on it)

* Advising for Resilience
Tell students how you have overcome obstacles/discouragement
Space between the stimulus and the response is the time for the choice

Session #1: Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me: Delivering News Students Don't Want to Hear

Resist the temptation to empathize with a student.
Own the bad news; don't blame (Staff members are working towards the institutional mission)
Give students news before the meeting via email so that meeting can be positive.
Send same email to everyone (and mention that in the email). (Don’t want students to fill singled-out.)
Accept responsibility for mistakes
FERPA Reverse Institution (More research on this; interesting)
Index cards on every student so you can refer to it for a positive message when needed. (Stealing this!!)
If you refer a student to someone else on your campus, do 2 things: 1.) Let that person know that the student is coming and 2) tell the student what they need to do when they get there
Teachable Moments- NOT always your job but students are your job and everything that comes with that
Keep in mind skill level and challenge level (not the same)
Alternate paths. "Why Philosophy is great as critical thinker, debater, rise to the top of resume pile because you are different and interesting”
When a student returns to your office after giving them bad news to try to find a way around the system: "What has changed since the last time we spoke?"
"This answer is not going to change."
If student wants to go above your head that's fine, but let the person know who they are going to see that you have "told this student that the answer is not going to change."
If you don't have a counseling background, don't try to be a counselor.
Collaborate with colleagues to organize a communication pattern if an issue with a student arises (via instant messenger etc)
Make sure that follow-ups are doable. Give students concrete assignments for their bad news... (e.g. Go to career services, meet a faculty mentor, run a degree audit). Thinking about it is nebulous to students; they absolutely must do!!!
End the meeting on a good note. *Have candy on your desk... take note @ beginning of the session to wrap up on a good note.
Understand that the dissonance in advising comes from the experience that the student receives & the expectation that they originally had
When confronted with parents who want to press the issue: "Can I speak to your child like you wish you could speak to them?" Ask the student why their grades are so low... what were they thinking. Etc.
(Analogy of medical students learning to give bad news to patients)

Session #2: When Dreams & Realities Collide: Helping Under prepared and Low-Achieving Students Face Academic Challenges

Sarah Keeley- Millennial article
Millennial have high expectations, are looking for definite plans, speed is more important than the end goals, sense of superiority, job ticket

No Child Left Behind has impacted higher education (walk away program)
Parental Involvement- Part of the decision making structure; they want accountability and assurance
Money provides pressure to get through quickly
**High SES parents more likely to intervene in advising relationship
Miller & Murry- Advising academically under prepared students
Student Success Model- Motivation, Purpose, and Commitment

Chickering's Vectors of Development
Path to Success
* Collaboration
* New techniques in choosing classes (sit in on a lecture during the previous semester)
* Review history. Define needs
Commitment to time
Create balance
Engaging the University experience

"Sense of Belonging"
Engagement, - Face book have friend in facee book send message to you about the experience

4 options for change- Student Success Model
* Change reaction
* Change reality
* Remain on same path
* Change path

On motivation: You have motivation if you came in today.
Ask the difficult questions

Make student accountable to you!
Write statement or description of himself or herself as a student (no quantitative qualitative data). Who you want to be as a student a year from now? We don’t want to be critical of our own behavior.
Teach them to turn off the world. List of places where cell phones won’t interrupt study on campus.
Record what you are doing and what works and what doesn’t.


Presentation tip: Gifts to correspond to presentation. Use business cards for the drawing.

Session # 3: 50 Ways to be a Better Advisor

1. Turn off your computer an hour a day
2. Go to class with a student.
3. Model collegial behavior for your students.
4. Do your part to destroy gender stereotypes
5. Use metaphors to convey your point
6. Avoid using clichés
7. Take a 20-minute vacation
8. Find reasons to appreciate your coworkers
9. Don’t worry! Worry is a misuse of the imagination
10. Tell a student about a job or class you had that you were very bad at.
11. Start your day writing a thank you note to someone
12. Eliminate tasks that contribute the least to your unit’s goals
13. Cope with, don’t ignore, competing priorities
14. Focus on essential activities
15. Work smarter, not harder
16. Make time for life outside of work
17. Beware of a false sense of activity
18. Keep situations in proper perspective
19. Assemble all available facts before making decisions
20. Weigh alternative decisions before taking action
21. Designate time to answer emails instead of having it up all day
22. If people don’t realize it’s not done, DON’T DO IT!
23. Tell students what they need to hear, not what they want to hear
24. The best training comes from your students
25. Use complaints to provide valuable feedback
26. Use voice and body o effectively provide support
27. Assume that no one can//will keep a secret
28. Pay more attention to people than issues
29. Never say, “I’m just an advisor” or “it’s not my job.”
30. Make it a rule not to start out a meeting or a conversation with an apology
31. Make sure to always give credit where it’s due, including yourself.
32. Teach students to fish
33. Personal enrichment is a necessary part of your career
34. Be loyal to your career, your interests, and yourself
35. Handle competitive situations with confidence and tact (I appreciate your feedback. Thank you!)
36. Welcome professional challenges
37. Never appear stressed in front of a student. Take a deep breath and ask yourself, “In the course of human events, how important is this?”
38. Your convenience and happiness are not part of the mission statement
39. Credibility is more important than you think, and easier to lose than you think
40. Never apologize for an idea that didn’t work, but always admit a mistake
41. Flexible people never get bent out of shape
42. Acknowledge your mortality.
43. Never confuse a memo with reality.
44. Don’t tell people their ideas are bad, unless you have a better one
45. Every appointment is a big thing for a student, whether it is for you, or not
46. Never go to more than 2 meetings a day or you will never get anything done
47. Laugh when it’s funny
48. Develop a high tolerance for ambiguity- you’ll be more satisfied.
49. Good ideas get lost like good pens- write them down
50. “Maybe” or “It depends” will work for every question
51. There are 2 ways to exert one’s strength: Pushing down or pulling up
52. YOU CAN’T CHANGE STUPID!
53. Smile while on the phone or while writing an email.
54. Use a student’s name more than once during an appointment
55. Photo of each student for his or her file.
56. Sometimes the dog really does eat the homework…
57. “Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.”
58. EMBRACE THE CHAOS
59. Follow the grain in your own wood
60. Life is choices; always choose to do what your will remember 10 years from now.
61. Change is good
62. It’s never too late to be who you might have been
63. Only the mediocre are always at their best
64. When dream turn to dust: Vacuum.

Session #4: Advising 2.0: Engaging Students with Collaborative Tools Online

ACE- Academic, Career, Explorer
Utilized the OReilly definition of 2.0
Made Ace a student in their system so that he could have a Face Book account etc.
Peer 2 Peer advice rather than advisor to student
UTSC- Approximately 10000-12000 students
Used volunteer and work-study students in order to get everything done (marketing, tech, answering etc) 3 students appox. 12 hours per week of work
Flickr photos didn’t have much traffic- changed the argument because they said that in order for a click to register the student must actually click on the larger image or else there is no tracking done
Made all of their videos in house using garage band and Imovie
Use of Delicious: Stated that students were not using (keep in mind they are in Canada) using less with students and more with staff, not utilizing in the same way that I am proposing
Google analytics for monitoring of site traffic
Wiki- stands for “What I Know Is” Hawaiian for “fact”
Utilized Student Voice Technology (Developed @ UB)

Session #5: Changing and Evolving Workplaces: Implications for Advising Students

Learning Agility
Planned happenstance
Other ways 2 win

Strengths Quest
What do you contribute to an organization?

College learning for the 21st century (Bibliography on PowerPoint looked interesting)

Session #6: What Should Harry Do? Student Development Theory in the World of Hogwarts

Theories, like statistics, can be misleading.
An investment in student’s own education assists with retention
Are we over programming first year students?
“Body of work which supports what I am doing.” USE THEORY TO FUND THINGS

Session #7: Teaching Students to Fish: Infusing Critical Thinking Strategies to Help Students Advise Themselves

Fast food advising- Why it’s bad for everyone!
Prescriptive Vs Collaborative Advisement
Prescriptive- I speak you listen, Advisor above student, Student passive
Collaborative- Discussion, Reciprocal Relationship, Student active

Personal Responsibility
Give Student a degree planner and have them create a plan for @ least one year (maybe beyond)

Before mandatory advisement: Send an advising grid and link to the General Education requirements & catalog. Have them come to the appointment with @ least 1 tentative plan. If they don’t have this, they will need to reschedule.

Session #8: Advising Theory & The Big Moral Picture

Advising does not equal teaching!
Tainted origin argument
Difference in Ends Argument
“Values are caught, not taught.”

A person engaging in academic advising has a moral obligation to perform their profession well.

Harms We Could Do:
FERPA
Conflict of Interest
Impartiality
Life changing decisions
Unwanted/Unnecessary major changes
Harassment
Stealing
Technology
Good member of the academic community
Degree postponing omission

PERFORMING THE JOB WELL
“Providing advice so that the student moves forward in a possible future that it is
“better” than the possible future without contact with the advisor.”

Academic advising equals engaging with students in a relationship to influence their academic progression. (Neutral statement- No Moral Claim)

Differentiate between fact and opinion when working with students

Session # 9: Constructional Student Mentoring

Used with probation and suspension students
Student mentoring grant- Grants for other programs?

Pathological Vs Constructional Approaches
Pathological: Decrease the problem behavior, students need a helping hand, eliminate undesirables, find difficult to cope

Constructional: Increase the alternative behaviors, students are capable of helping themselves, produce the desirables, individuals want to grow

CONSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH
Where are you now?
Where do you want to go?
What steps get you there?
What will keep you going?

Directed Choice: Is Tuesday or Friday better for you? When looking at a transcript, always stat out with the strengths of the record.




Funny quote: I am very much like a ferret... I get easily distracted... hahahaha

NACADA Conference

Returned on Friday from the NACADA Region 2 conference with some interesting learning experiences under my belt. If nothing else, I learned that my university is way ahead of the curve. We are doing everything right and have far exceeded many others.

One of the most interesting things that came out of the conference was the notion of advisor speak. Sometimes our students don't understand the language we use when we communicate with them. Words like "matriculating" confuse them because they aren't used to this advisor speak. I thought that this was a novel concept and will make a conscious effort in the future to only utilize language which my students will definitely understand. I also thought it was interesting that the presenter emailed her students copies of everything which she said to them. First, this creates a great deal of extra work but secondly it might also be perceived as a liability. I think I will do some more research on this and ask some colleagues before making a final judgment on it but it seems like this is the type of feedback students are craving.

Another topic we discussed was the "push" and "pull" model of academic advisement. The "push" is the past where we used to lecture students about what they needed to do and gave them few options. Today we are "pulling" and attempting to glean from our students what they believe their best course of action is. I rather like the pull model since it doesn't bog students down with information that doesn't pertain to them, but on the other hand it doesn't hurt anyone to have some extra knowledge in a subject that they don't particularly care for. More food for thought...

I got to take part in the meet a mentor program at the conference. I thought that this might have been the most beneficial part of the entire conference and would like to see future conferences include more interaction between mentors and mentees. It really gave me a chance to see where I could go. We also discussed some commonalities that we had and how local politics are playing a role in our everyday jobs. Interesting.

Finally, every summer at orientation we do the Holland Party game (which I don't particularly care for), but one of the ideas from the conference was to make it a real party with food and light music so that students don't feel so scrutinized by whoever is overseeing the party.

Overall, I thought the conference went really well but attending the National Conference will probably be more beneficial. I am looking forward to October!