Roanoke CollegeAdvising as Intellectual Inquiry

Dr. Julie Tetley, Chief, Academic Advising and FYEThe United States Air Force Academyjulie.tetley@usafa.edu

My Background and Perspectives

What does an excellent teacher do?

Engage student actively in the learning process

Facilitate learning—act as c0-learners

Teach students how to evaluate information

Provide regular feedback, reinforcement, and encouragement

Provide problem-solving tasks to students

Knowledgeable and caring Demonstrate passion and interest

Advising as Teaching and Learning

“An excellent advisor does the same for the student’s entire curriculum that the excellent teacher does for one course.”

Marc Lowenstein, 2005

Reconsidering the way we think about Academic Advising

Prescriptive Advising Advising as bookkeeping Student is passive recipient of

knowledge Unidirectional Flow of information Advisor tells the student actions to

undertake Checklists, rules, requirements Instruction paradigm—teacher focused

Reconsidering the way we think about Academic Advising

Developmental Advising Holistic model Focused on personal growth and

development Counseling model“To say that students’ personal development is the essential core of teaching is to ignore teachers’ primary academic goals and responsibilities” (Lowenstein, 2005)

Reconsidering the way we think about Academic Advising

Learning-centered Advising Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Outcomes for Advising Academically focused Mission-centered, student-centered Students as active learners, Advisors as

facilitator“The core purpose of advising is to enhance learning, a more academically oriented goal than the broader personal growth advocated by the developmental model” (Lowenstein, 2005)

Academic Advising as Learning

Curriculum: What should students learn through advising? Mission and Principles

Pedagogy: How might the learning take place?

Using this paradigm, advising is centered on institutional mission/core values and on student learning.

Roanoke College Mission and Principles: The Advising Curriculum

Mission Roanoke College develops students as whole persons

and prepares them for responsible lives of learning, service, and leadership by promoting their intellectual, ethical, spiritual and personal growth.

Principles At Roanoke College a liberal arts education prepares

students for lives of freedom with purpose. The college aims to produce resourceful, informed, and responsible citizens prepared for productive careers and for leadership in community, with an understanding of community appropriate to American diversity and to the increasingly global experience of the 21st century.

Small Group Discussion

Outcomes for Advising What attitudes, beliefs, knowledge,

and skills do you want students to have as a result of the advising experience?

Students will: craft a coherent educational plan based on

assessment of abilities, aspirations, interests, and values

use complex information from various sources to set goals, reach decisions, and achieve those goals

assume responsibility for meeting academic program requirements

articulate the meaning of higher education and the intent of the institution’s curriculum

cultivate the intellectual habits that lead to a lifetime of learning

behave as citizens who engage in the wider world around them

First-generation College Student Dilemma

Did this advisor approach advising from a teaching and learning perspective? If so, in what ways?

How was Lisa’s advisor able help her to get to a place in which she is able to advocate for her passions and interests in future conversations with her parents?

What curricular and co-curricular opportunities exist here at Roanoke that might allow Lisa to explore her interests and engage more in the community?

What sorts of referrals or supports would be helpful for Lisa?

Advising using the Learning Paradigm

Require students to actively participate in the advising process Ask students to seek out answers

Provide opportunities for students to enhance their skills of reflection, self-assessment, goal-setting, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills

Ask students to reflect on their experiences—respond in writing

Advising First-Year Students

Your first advising meeting with new students What were your favorite courses and

strengths in high school? What are your greatest concerns about

coming to college? Why did you choose to attend Roanoke? How do you think is Roanoke different

than a large, state university? Do you have any ideas about possible

fields of interest (majors) or career goals?

Mid-Semester First-year

In general, in what ways is Roanoke meeting or not meeting your expectations?

What experiences at Roanoke have been most rewarding?

What experiences have been most challenging?

What have you found to be the most stimulating academic or intellectual experiences so far? Explain why.

In what way(s) are you addressing Roanoke’s mission and core values? Why is the core curriculum important?

Advising Sophomores

At the beginning of the year, what did you expect that your sophomore year would be like? In what ways have your expectations been met or not?

Talk about your level of confidence in your choice of an academic major. Describe the process that you have gone through to make this decision. Who have you asked for advice or guidance?

Tell me about one of your best academic or co-curricular experiences you’ve had so far in college. Have you encountered any negatives experiences, challenges, or stressful situations? If so, could you describe those for me?

What kind of support systems do you have and how have those played a role in your college experience thus far?

Scenarios Break-out Session

Discuss 2 scenarios in groups of about 5 Apply the principles of the Advising as

Learning ParadigmScenarios: Scenario 1: Brian, Underperforming Student-

Athlete Scenario 2: Mary Beth, Pressure to Declare a

Major Scenario 3: Rose, Shattered Dreams Scenario 4: Brooke, Personal Issues Scenario 5: David, Not Reaching his Potential

Break-out Locations

Group 1, 2 KimeGroup 3 Ramser-BeamerGroup 4, 5, 6 GarrettGroup 7, 8 President’s Dining

RoomGroup 9, 10, 11, 12, 15

Pickle

Group 13, 14 Patterson

Constructing Learning Partnerships in Academic Advising

Keep Questioning Paramount—asking probing and open-ended questions

Use your resources and act as a referral agent

Slow Down—remember process rather than just product

Do what is comfortable for you as an advisor/teacher, know your boundaries

Turn more responsibility to the student—Balance Challenge with Support

Do whatever you can to encourage students to reflect on their experiences

High Impact Practices (HIP)

High Impact Practices are defined by: Student-faculty

contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Respect for diverse

learning styles Cooperation among

students

Advising done well is a high impact practice

Connecting students to High Impact Practices through advising Undergraduate

research Service-learning Experiential learning Internships Diversity/Global

Learning

HIP Break-out Session

How do you work with advisees to encourage and plan for experiential learning? What techniques are successful? How do your strategies differ based on the student? (e.g. the highly engaged honors student versus the student that just wants to “get through” their courses; 1st year students versus juniors and seniors)

What are your frustrations/concerns about advising students about experiential learning opportunities? Pitfalls and obstacles you have encountered?

What supports/information would be helpful for advisors in the area of experiential education?

The Realities

Time constraints Consider group advising when appropriate Use upperclass students in the process

Can we really do more? Require more from students Use technology to your benefit: DataTel

degree audits, online major declaration Use referrals—don’t try to do it all

Begin to discuss advising within the category of teaching when creating promotion packets

Feedback

What resonated most with you today?One take-away

“Call me TrimTab!”

Buckminster Fuller said:

You should never try to change the course of a great ship by applying force to the bow. You shouldn’t even try it by applying force to the rudder. Rather you should apply force to the trim-tab.

The shift to the Learning Paradigm is the trim-tab of the great ship of advising

(Adapted from Barr and Tagg, 1995)

Thank You and Good Luck as you begin the new academic year!

Dr. Julie TetleyThe United States Air Force Academyjulie.tetley@usafa.edu719-333-8973