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

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High Tech and High TouchA Sure Bet Strategy for
Training Advisors to Use Advising Technology

• Chris Farren, Roland Shook, Faye Vowell
• Western New Mexico University
• 2005 NACADA National Conference Code 377

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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

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First Steps (continued)

• Understand your advising model
• Developmental
• Intrusive
• Total Intake

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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

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First Steps (continued)

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

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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.

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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

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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
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Training Considerations

• Audience Segment
• Level of skill Novice, Intermediate, Expert
• Goal of Training Exposure, Practice, Mastery
• Kind of Training Informational, Relational,
  Conceptual
• Topic(s)

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Example ASC Advisor Training
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Example ASC Advisor Training

• Collaborative Advising
• From the Latin com with, laborare, to work
• To work together especially in reference to
  literary, artistic, or scientific work.
• To co-operate with the enemy to be a
  collaborationist
• Websters New World Dictionary

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STUDENT
Email Transcripts Financial Aid Billing
Information Degree Plans Registration Advice
Email Calendar Course Materials Course
Chat Bulletin Board
MUSTANG EXPRESS
FACULTY
ADVISOR
Intrusive Advising Email Program information
Student Records Progress toward Degree
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STUDENT
Email Transcripts Financial Aid Billing
Information Degree Plans Registration Advice
Email Calendar Course Materials Course
Chat Bulletin Board
MUSTANG EXPRESS
FACULTY
ADVISOR
Intrusive Advising Email Program information
Student Records Progress toward Degree
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Example - Degree Audit Training
Advising Basics II  Degree Audit Friday, 30
September 2005 Martinez Computer Classroom
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Degree Audit Training

• Agenda 
• 200     Overview and demonstration of the
  degree audit program 
• 230     Using the scenario provided, practice
  doing a degree audit and print out your
  results 
• 300     Using the scenario provided, practice
  a what if scenario and print our your
  results 
• 325      Fill out evaluation

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The Setting
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The Setting
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The Setting
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Degree Audit Program - CAPP

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

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Degree Audit Program - CAPP

• Step 2. Select the Advising Space tab

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Degree Audit Program - CAPP

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

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Degree Audit Program - CAPP

• Step 4. Select the Degree Evaluation Option under
  Student Information

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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.

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Degree Audit Program - CAPP
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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 doesnt
  necessarily mean they have not meant the
  requirement.

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Degree Audit Program - CAPP
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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 Registrars office. The
  substitutions/waivers or any other adjustment
  will be put into BANNER by the Registrars office
  for an official degree audits.

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

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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 waythe simplest way

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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

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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.

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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

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Lessons Learned

• Have a comfortable setting
• Have a sign up sheet for participants and an
  evaluation form
• Have the participants introduce themselves

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Next StepsNobody 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