Transforming Academic Advising & the Student Experience within DCCCD Colleges

1. 2013 • NTCC Leadership Convocation Transforming Academic Advising & the Student Experience within DCCCD Colleges Presented by: Anna Mays, DCCCD Team Lead, Texas Completes Jarlene DeCay, De’Aira Holloway, Kimberly Moore & Jermain Pipkins DCCCD Academic Advising Council

2. Redesign students educational experiences • Reinvent institutional roles • Reset the system to create incentives Transformation

3. State Partners

4. Examined data and best practices with leaders from various colleges • Identified key District policies and procedures to promote student success • Worked to reallocate existing resources • Developed a comprehensive action plan Actions

6. Actions Taken: Implementation

7. Helping students clarify their values and goals • Leading students to better understand the nature and purpose of higher education • Providing accurate information about educational options, requirements, policies and procedures Goals of Academic Advising

8. Clarify student expectations. • Improve our programs and services. • Demonstrate that Advising ISTeaching • Accountability for all/Limited Resources • Increase Institutional Effectiveness (Better Decision Making & Planning) • Accreditation…SACS REQUIRES IT! Advising as a teaching & learning experience

9. In the ability to identify realistic academic and career goals as well as a program to achieve them • In the ability to make connections among courses in the curriculum and to integrate learning • In the self-awareness of the relationship between one’s education and one’s life Advising as Teaching Focuses on Student Growth

10. Facilitator of communication • Coordinator of learning experiences • Referral agent who connects students with all of an institution’s resources and co-curricular opportunities that can help them be successful Advisor-as-Teacher

11. To value the learning process • To apply decision-making strategies • To put the college experience into perspective • To set priorities and evaluate events • To develop thinking and learning skills • To make informed choices Core Values, NACADA Advisors Teach Students

12. Teaching Engaging students in actual participation in their learning Giving students feedback on their progress Helping students learn to analyze and problem solve Advising Guiding students to be self-directed and autonomous Working together the advisor and student regularly evaluate the student’s goals and progress toward those goals Assisting students in decision-making skills

13. Proactive interactions with students • Connecting with students before a situation occurs that cannot be fixed • Active concern for students’ academic preparation • A willingness to assist students in exploring services and programs to improve skills and increase academic motivation Upcraft & Kramer, 1995 Intrusive Advising

14. Developmental vs. Prescriptive Crookston, 1972

15. Colleges in DCCCD developed common advising syllabus, including: • Mission/Purpose of Academic Advising • Responsibilities of Advisors • Responsibilities of Advisees • Learning Outcomes Developing an Advising SyllabusThe DCCCD Advising Curriculum

16. Implementation of common Academic Advising Syllabus within advising practice at all DCCCD colleges • Development of new advising model that incorporates college-specific organizational models and core advising functions aligned with student stages (Connection, Entry, Progress, Completion) • Training of faculty on critical advising information • Development of new technology tools (Student Plan) TEXAS COMPLETESNext steps

17. Models for delivering advising services may be categorized as one of three organizational structures: • Centralized • Decentralized • Shared Within each type of structure are seven organizational models of academic advising. Organizational Models

18. In a centralized structure, professional and faculty advisors are housed in one academic or administrative unit. All advising, from orientation through completion, takes place in this one unit, such as an advising center and all advisors report to an advising or counseling director and are generally housed under one location. An example of this type of structure is the self-contained model. Centralized

19. In the Self-Contained Model, all advising occurs in either an advising center or a counseling center that is staffed primarily by professional advisors or counselors; however, faculty may be assigned to advise students at the center on a part-time basis. Faculty members are not involved in the advising process on a regular basis. The self-contained model is one of the two most frequent used models at 2-year public colleges (29%). Self-contained model

20. In a decentralized structure, professional or faculty advisors are located in their respective academic departments. There are two types of Decentralized models Decentralized

21. Faculty-Only Model: Students are assigned a faculty advisor at enrollment Faculty only modeldecentralized Faculty Student

22. Satellite Model: Students are assigned to advising offices within an academic department. Advising is done primarily by professional advisors and not faculty Satellite modeldecentralized Academic Subunit or Advising office Student A • Academic Subunit or Advising office Student B

23. In a shared structure, some advisors meet with students in a central administrative unit (i.e., an advising center), while others advise students in the academic department of their major discipline, based on certain criteria. There are four types of shared models. Shared

24. In a supplementary model, all students are assigned to a department or faculty advisor. There is a central administrative unit (advising center) with professional staff to support the department advisors (usually faculty) by providing resources and training. The center might serve students when they need transfer course evaluation or a degree audit Supplementary modelshared Advising Office Student Faculty

25. In a split model, the initial advising is divided between an advising office and the academic subunits. The office advises specific groups of students, such as those that are undecided or on probation. Once specific conditions are met (declared a major or back in good standing) students may be assigned to an academic subunit where they could be advised by faculty or other professional advisors. The split model is one of the two most frequent used models at 2-year public colleges (28%) Split modelshared

26. In a dual model, students have 2 advisors, a faculty advisor within the academic department/subunit and an advisor in the central advising office. The professional advisors assist with policies & procedures, registration issues, drop/add, etc. Faculty advisors assist with academic course and academic major issues. Dual modelshared

27. In a total intake model, all of the initial advising occurs through one a centralized advising office where all initial registration, institutional policy and procedures and other course specific information is handled. Students are assigned to faculty or academic subunit professional advisor once specified conditions are met (declared major, completed 30 hours, etc.). Total intake modelshared

28. PLAN IMPLEMENT RENEW EVALUATE What we do! Assessment Cycle

29. Continuous improvement

30. What is the mission of advising at your institution currently? • What is your vision for academic advising at your institution? • What needs to change to make your vision a reality? • What steps need to be taken to affect that change? Exercise

31. Questions, Comments Contact Information: Anna Mays Email: amays@dcccd.edu 972-860-2931 Thank you