Dana McGuire’s Spring 2011

Advising Practicum

in

Pamplin Undergraduate Programs

Supervisor

Dr. Jennifer Clevenger, Director of Advising

This was the plan…

• Objective 1: Create a report regarding recruitment, retention and persistence of Pamplin students from underrepresented populations.

• Objective 2: To gain an understanding of the roles and functions of the various positions within PamplinUndergraduate Programs and the issues that confront individual professional staff members.

• Objective 3: To gain hands-on experience in academic advising by working with freshman and sophomore students in the Pamplin College of Business

…and here’s what happened.

1. Report = data summary + literature review + recommendations

2. Met with members of the office from administrative staff to associate dean

3. Advised students

– Course request

– General advising

– Probation student

Going into the experience…

• Skills & experience:– Oregon State University Exploratory Studies Program

& Academic Success Center

• Prior knowledge:– Fall semester classes– Experience with other institution’s policies

• Disposition:– Doubted whether advising was a good fit for me– Never wanted to try things until I felt exceedingly

prepared– Drawn to work with students who are struggling

What I got out of the experience…

Knowledge

• Understanding of the Pamplin lower division curriculum and Virginia Tech Curriculum for Liberal Education

• Knowledge of best practices for supporting underrepresented student success

• Familiarity with the Appreciative Advising Model and the needs of student veterans

Skills

• Confidently prepared major check sheets and help students determine future courses

• Explained academic policies and procedures

• Utilized student development theory while advising students

• Improved technical writing/research skills

Disposition

• Confident that I would enjoy academic advising

• Better prepared to face new tasks with less fear and a more a positive attitude

• Confirmed desire to work with students who are struggling

What will I do differently?

• More manageable project

• Possibly develop a timeline for training with input from supervisor (training and project)

• Get to know broader office/department earlier

My (possible) future

Types of positions I will seek

• Academic advising and/or academic support

• Direct work with probationary students

• Ideal positions will have a teaching component

How this experience has helped me prepare

• Advising experience and knowledge

– Worked from students from many backgrounds with diverse issues

• Direct work with probationary student

• Gained knowledge of strategies to enhance retention and support success

Do I have a competitive edge?

• Yes!

• Advising experience at Virginia Tech

• Networking opportunities with other advisors on campus

• Advising philosophy

Acknowledgment

Thank you Jennifer for providing this opportunity and for your mentoring throughout the semester!