Academic advisingTraining 11.2.2019Anna Mäkilä, Henna Niiva

Agenda1. Short introduction to academic advising2. Follow-up of study progress3. Starting point of wellbeing4. Questionnaire in Spring 5. Experiences from autumn6. Feedback

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Short introduction to academic advising

at CHEM we care

1. Compulsory for first year students2. Cue carts for meetings with students in Inside3. Budget for academic advising + billing- the expenses are claimed with M2 system as expense claim- project: 901000/T19901, send (via M2) forwards.- If you need help, please contact Travelservices@aalto.fi

More information:- In Finnish https://www.aalto.fi/fi/palvelut/akateemisen-ohjauksen-malli-kemian-tekniikan-korkeakoulu - In English https://www.aalto.fi/services/academic-guidance-model-school-of-chemical-engineering

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Duties of an academic advisor – shorttime table1. September: meeting during orientation (e.g. short introduction, in master’s programmes

e.g. regarding study plan)2. October-November: first personal meeting with the students DL 30.11.3. February-April: second personal meeting with the students DL 15.4.4. Individual meetings include conversation about students’ study progress

follow-up of studies

Additionally:- Feedback sessions- Group meeting- Be available: more meetings, if needed

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Report compulsory meetings to:academic-advising-chem@aalto.fi- Who have you met, who not- Possible general questions or development

ideas- No details about students

Study information of students• SSRS report from all of the students in your own advising group. • Works at the moment for B.Sc. Students, soon also for M.Sc.

Students. Use Firefox!!• Same address for all:

https://ssrs.aalto.fi/Reports_RS/Pages/Report.aspx?ItemPath=%2fOPI%2fCHEM+Ohjattavat+opiskelijat+3

• Easy to send emails with

Follow-up of studies

Follow-up of studies in Bachelor’sProgramme• Follow-up is made twice a year, in the summer and in February. • Planning officer will let the academic advisors know the limits and statistics

from the follow-up (in February). Study progress should be discussed in the nextpersonal meeting with the student.

• 1. and 2. year students have academic advisors, who can follow-up on thestudent’s progress in studies in SSRS report: https://ssrs.aalto.fi/Reports_RS/Pages/Report.aspx?ItemPath=%2fOPI%2fCHEM+Ohjattavat+opiskelijat+3

• In February planning officer will contact students, who did not perform well and ask about the reasons for delay in studies.

Follow-up of studies in Master’sProgrammes• Follow-up is made twice a year, in the summer and in February. • Planning officers will let the academic advisors know the limits and statistics

from the follow-up (in February). Study progress should be discussed in the nextpersonal meeting with the student.

• Academic advisors can follow-up on the student’s progress in studies in SSRS report: https://ssrs.aalto.fi/Reports_RS/Pages/Report.aspx?ItemPath=%2fOPI%2fCHEM+Ohjattavat+opiskelijat+3

• In February planning officer will contact students, who did not perform well and ask about the reasons for delay in studies.

Starting point of wellbeing

https://into.aalto.fi/display/enopisk/Starting+Point+of+Wellbeing

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New site on individual study arrangementsInformation about: • protocols how to apply for study arrangements • the most common reasons for study arrangements • tips for advising and suitable study arrangements

https://www.aalto.fi/fi/palvelut/henkilokohtaiset-opintojarjestelythttps://www.aalto.fi/services/individual-study-arrangements(the translations in English and Swedish coming in February)

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Questionnaires in Spring1. Questionnaire for academic advisors

- One common questionnaire for all academic advisors- Academic advisors in bachelor’s programme: an interview?- After follow-up of study progress is done: March? April?

2. Questionnaire for students: bachelor’s and master’s students- Separate questionnaires- Based on questionnaires from last year possibility to compare- After individual meetings: 15.4. - 1.5.

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Experiences from autumn: Bachelor’sProgramme1. Statistics: 10% without meeting2. Observations

- Purpose of academic advising still not clear for all students should the first meeting be earlier?

- Most students satisfied with their studies- Many students feel, that chemistry studies should be more- Amount of technology/engineering studies a surprise for many students- Few students wish to study another field (e.g. BioIT or medicine)- Workload surprised too- Most questions connected to course arrangements- Sometimes difficult to make a good schedule (maths)

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Experiences from autumn: Master’sProgramme1. Statistics: 5% without meeting2. Observations

- Students outside Aalto seem to be very well motivated- Aalto bachelors seem to be tired

One reason: big level jump from bachelor’s studies- Complaints about Sisu- Workload to big for many students (job or activity in societies)- Complaints about IT classrooms- Good experiences with WhatApp group

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Experiences from autumn

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Informing, guiding and advising

Informing• Typically one-way distribution of information, instructing• E.g. signs in corridorsGuiding• Typically dealing with an immediate question that has arisen• E.g. Internet materials, face-to-faceAdvising / Counselling• Face-to-face interaction

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Experiences from autumnTopics:1. What do you see as the most important tasks of an academic

advisor?2. How do you see your role as an academic advisor compared to

other advising personnel (e. g. planning officer, tutoring student…)?

3. What do the students get from academic advising from your experience?

4. What were your challenges as an academic advisor during autumn semester?

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Experiences from autumnGallery walk1. Four groups2. Each topic / 5 min:

- Group writes down experience/ideas - All ideas and comments are valuable and relevant!

3. Last group makes summary4. Collecting summary

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1. What do you see as the most important tasks of an academic advisor?- Tell students about academic life

- Studies- Research- Processes

- To have a connecting point to discuss anything- To make students consider their future direction/career- A human interface to Aalto- Be on call = 1st contact point- Lower the threshold between staff and students- Show the options available across Aalto- Motivation- Encouragement- Surveillance

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2. How do you see your role as an academic advisor compared to other advising personnel (e. g. planning officer, tutoring student…)?

- Scientific knowledge- Technical substance of the major- 20 years of in-house experience- Advice for MSc thesis

- Better connectivity- We know people from industry and academy

- We are teaching - We might know the students from our own course- Daily/weekly connection to students in the class

- We have been students ourselves- More casual- More bold advice, because no written record- We can comment other teachers. Should we?

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3. What do the students get from academic advising from your experience?

Tactic knowledge- Unwritten knowledge- Advises- Off-the-record advice- Another angle for situations

Connection- Point of contact- Connection to staff- Relaxed atmosphere in the major- Connection to MSc thesis positions- Counseling and forwarding to a real

counselor

Patting- Motivation- Confidence- Feedback- Ideas about study possibilities- Good practices (from previous years)

Food for the stomach- Pizza / pulla / karjalan piirakoita

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4. What were your challenges as an academic advisor during autumn semester? - The students had no idea of their direction- The students’ starting point were different- We don’t know their study progress (subject wise)- Scheduling: even Doodle cannot find good meeting times / Find time from my schedule- Student who don’t need academic advising are coming, students who would need it, don’t reply- Difficulties to reach some of students- Students are not motivated to come- Everybody is not showing up on agreed time- My own “machine-like” behavior- To connect face and name- M2

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Feedback

1. What kind of training do you wish in the future? 2. Is our present format good or should we make changes?. E. g.:

- What’s good?- What should be improved?

3. What issues you wish to be handled in the future? 4. What kind of tips and advices you would like to get?5. Comments? Ideas?

anna.makila@aalto.fi by 15.2. (or later )

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Thank you!

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