NACADA Summer Institute, New Orleans, 2011

Crafting Successful Advisor Training & Development

Programs for Professional and Faculty

Advisors

Becky RyanAssociate Director, CCASUniversity of Wisconsin, Madisonrjryan@wisc.edu

Marsha MillerNACADA Assistant DirectorKansas State University miller@ksu.edu

Definitions

Training: activities undertaken per-service through advisors’ first year.

Development: ongoing education and learning that academic advisors receive after the first year and throughout their careers.

Givans Voller, Miller, and Neste, 2010

Comprehensive advisor training and development: Practices that deliver

“The ‘art of advising’—the ability to seamlessly synthesize and apply information about the student and the institution to individual student situations in ways that help students grow and make the most out of their college experience—is in large part learned in the advising chair. Advisors develop excellence over time, student by student, through an experiential synthesis of the conceptual, informational and relational components of advising.”

Folsom, Joslin, and YoderFrom Advisor Training to Advisor Development:

Creating a Blueprint for First-Year Advisors

Write down three topics you would like to see addressed in advisor training and

development on your campus

Given that experience is crucial to developing skills as an advisor, we still understand that..........

“Perhaps the most important need in academic advising today is effective training.”

Jeffrey L. McClellanContent Components for

Advisor Training: Revisited

Let’s try it out!

• Imagine you have a training or development need.

• How do you know it? Who needs it? Who is going to do it? Who is going to assess it? Is there follow-up?

• Before we get started, a review…

Content considerations

Training & Development must clearly be tied to institutional Advising Mission, Goals, and Outcomes

Topics should be chosen based on need and interest

Content should directly connect with the expected advisor outcomes and the student learning outcomes that will be assessed by the program

Which elements should be included?

Remember:Three components of quality advising

Informational What advisors need to know; includes internal and

external environment, student needs, & advisor self knowledge.

RelationalThe skills advisors need to possess in order to do their

jobs effectively

ConceptualWhat advisors must understand

“The substantive information that academic advisors need to know falls into four groups —• the internal environment

• the external environment

• student needs

• advisor self-knowledge.”

L.C. Higginson (2000)

A Framework for Training Program Content

Informational component

Informational (internal)• How to utilize a Degree Audit report or use the

Student Center; • What requirements do students have? • Program info, policies; FERPA;• Resources, referral processes;• Academic integrity• On-line resources• Policies and procedures• Referral services; Early warning systems• Transfer options

Example

Example

Informational/Relational (External)• Knowledge of the higher education

community, the local communities, and the job market—helps advisors link education with the “real world” the students will be entering

• Service learning experiences• Job outlook projections• Professional associations• Networking opportunities• Continuing education

Relational (student needs)

A good advisor training and development program stresses communication skills,

the essence of effective advising.

• Listening

• Paraphrasing

• Questioning

• Supportive/encouragement

strategies

Types of Conversations

Conversations that are:•Informational•About the Student•About the future (including goal setting)

Drake, Hemwall & Stockwell, 2009Faculty Advising Pocket Guide

Questions fall into three categories

Involvement •Draw students into the conversation: Why are you in college?

Clarifying •Follow-up questions to find out more

Continuing •Questions that help students expand on a point.

Drake, Hemwall & Stockwell, 2009Faculty Advising Pocket Guide

Relational• Use interactive exercises;• group discussion, and team-building; interview/advising skills;

• Communication skills; • Rapport building;• New ideas to try

Example

Conceptual (student needs & self-awareness)

A good advisor development program

stresses a personal philosophy or

understanding one’s advising role and

purpose.

•You have TRANSFERABLE SKILLS already!•Higginson believes advisor training must include a focus on self-awareness

Example

Conceptual (Student needs)

• Understanding a degree vs. an education• How to use a ‘big picture approach’ to your educational

experience; • Definition of advising; Developmental theories• Role of advising, Advising styles• Relationship between advising and persistence• Relationship between advising and career planning• Rights and responsibilities of advisors/advisees• Ethical issues• Student characteristics Gender and racial composition; Test scores;

Number of students on financial aid; attrition and retention patterns)

Example

Conceptual (Advisor self-awareness)• What do I as an advisor bring to

the advising setting?• Attitudes• Beliefs• Knowledge• Philosophy

Potential Topics for any advisor

Advising as Teaching Introduction to advising roles and tasksTransferring current skills to new situationsDeveloping new techniquesStudent developmentResources and ReferralsLegal and ethical issues (FERPA)Relational skillsAdvising special populationsAdvising delivery strategies

Before you get started, consider…

• Needs Assessment: What kind of training do you need to provide (needs assessment?)

• Logistics: When are staff available for training? Where will the training held? (what’s possible in the space available?)

• Planning: What are you training on? Are you addressing the key elements?

• Other: Are there formal programs already accessible? Who is currently advising on your campus? (are they in a position to help out? Can you tap in?)

• What kind of training did they get? (and from who?)

Who Is Being Trained?

• New or experienced professional advisors?• New or experienced faculty advisors?• Faculty advisors in different disciplines?• Administrators• Peer advisors?

What skill level are they at (growth chart)What is their willingness to participate?Can you combine groups for effectiveness?

Important considerations

Topics should be focused and engaging Participatory training can be powerful (involve

participants if applicable) Programs should be developmental (don’t cover too

much) Topics and programs must be evaluated Can you secure support from key individuals?

(financial, or otherwise). Having verbal support for moving forward is essential

Getting started:

Conduct a “Needs Survey” (what do advisors want to learn about?; what do advisors need to know about?) SAMPLE? Use Growth Chart?

Establish goals and outcomes for training Different types of training are needed for

different types of advisors and/or topics. Determine an approach that fits your goal

Publicize the objectives in advance

Things to consider: Logistics

Where will the training be held? How long will the event last? What will the format be? Group discussion, Webinar,

Panel, case studies, chat rooms, etc. Marketing/invitation to training Information available on line? Required attendance? Encouraged? Build in some incentives for training Evaluate the training program

Things to consider: Training Techniques

PresentationLarge group and small group discussionCase studiesRole playingIntranet

Things to consider: Training Formats

One or Two Full-Day Several One Hour Online Conference/Seminar

Attendance

Staff Development Day Webinars Panel Discussions Advising listserve or chat

rooms Advising Newsletter, paper

or online Monographs, journals,

handbooks Case Studies Advising Handbook Mentoring

Note:

Training and development programs should never be viewed by developers or participants as isolated events

Training and development programs need to address the diverse needs of the learner population

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.”

Anthony RobbinsAmerican advisor to leaders

Follow-up

Lunch ‘n Learns/Brown Bag lunches Newsletters Web page Book clubs Weekly advising tips posted on

electronic bulletin board 1-2 hour workshops during staff

development days

Discussion Questions

What are some new ideas for Advisor Development? What has worked or could work on your campus?

Why? What improvements could be made in your training

program? How will you know the program is successful

(assessment)?

Resources

ResourcesScenes for Learning and Reflection:

An Academic Advising Professional Development DVDScene 1: Adult learner returning to college Scene 2: Lack of progress Scene 3: Upset transfer student Scene 4: Advisor error Scene 5: First-generation student Scene 6: Student complaint Scene 7: Student with personal issues Scene 8: Advising a student athlete Scene 9: Faculty advisor & FERPA privacy issues Scene 10:  Proactive parenting

•Scene 1:  Peer advising •Scene 2:  Advising the high achieving student •Scene 3:  Student in search of the ideal major •Scene 4:  Difficult student shopping for an answer •Scene 5:  Probation student academic priorities •Scene 6:  Student athlete returning after academic dismissal •Scene 7:  Group advising using an advising syllabus •Scene 8:  Returning veteran facing adjustment issues •Scene 9:  Privacy issues in phone advising •Scene 10: Student discloses depression

Specific examples: Book Club

• Cultural competency• Campus experts to lead discussions• Advisor-driven• Office supports by buying a copy• Optional• Revolving participation• Addresses conceptual, informational and relational

aspects

Specific examples: campus tours

• Departmental or program updates• Departmental perspective• Face to face meetings encourage proactive

networking• Updates and improves campus information and

stream-lines referrals• Endless list of departments and unit updates• Increases feeling of ‘community’ on campus• Conceptual & informational

Specific examples: Student panels

• Cultural competence• External presenters/campus members• Repeatable• Student perspective invaluable• Generates additional programming• Conceptual, informational, relational

Specific examples: Open houses & discussion groups

• Target specific groups• Invite them to attend an open house,

reception or discussion re: advising• Repeatable• Enhances visibility and extends network• Can be around any topic (conceptual,

informational and relational)