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

1. High Tech and High Touch:A 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

2. 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

3. First Steps (continued) • Understand your advising model • Developmental • Intrusive • Total Intake

4. 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

5. First Steps (continued) • Segment your training target audience(s) • Summer Orientation • Academic Support Advisors/SWAT advisors • Major Advisors

6. 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.

7. 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

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

10. Example: ASC Advisor Training

11. 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 Webster’s New World Dictionary

12. STUDENT Email Transcripts Financial Aid Billing Information Degree Plans Registration Advice Email Calendar Course Materials Course Chat Bulletin Board MUSTANG EXPRESS ADVISOR FACULTY Intrusive Advising Email Program information Student Records Progress toward Degree

23. STUDENT Email Transcripts Financial Aid Billing Information Degree Plans Registration Advice Email Calendar Course Materials Course Chat Bulletin Board MUSTANG EXPRESS ADVISOR FACULTY Intrusive Advising Email Program information Student Records Progress toward Degree

24. Example - Degree Audit Training Advising Basics II:  Degree Audit Friday, 30 September 2005 Martinez Computer Classroom

25. 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

26. Degree Audit Program - CAPP • Step 1. Log on to Mustang Express using your user name and password

27. Degree Audit Program - CAPP • Step 2. Select the Advising Space tab

28. Degree Audit Program - CAPP • Step 3. Select the CAPP program from the Faculty Services section.

29. Degree Audit Program - CAPP • Step 4. Select the Degree Evaluation Option under Student Information

30. 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.

31. Degree Audit Program - CAPP

32. 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.

33. Degree Audit Program - CAPP

34. 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.

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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.

39. 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

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

41. 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