FACULTY GUIDE TO LEEP CENTER ADVISING - … · Web viewFACULTY GUIDE TO LEEP CENTER ADVISING FACULTY GUIDE TO LEEP CENTER ADVISING Page 5 of 15 Version 2August 19, 2014 Page 15 of

FACULTY GUIDE TO LEEP CENTER ADVISING

OVERVIEW

WHAT IS LEEP CENTER ADVISING?

LEEP Center Advising is designed to assist undergraduate students in achieving their personal and professional goals. LEEP Center Advising complements academic advising by encouraging students to explore the linkages between academics and the world, ensuring that they understand the significance of co-curricular and extracurricular activities within the context of their academic interests, and helping them plan and prepare for experiential as well as post-baccalaureate opportunities.

Starting in fall 2013, all incoming students are assigned a LEEP Center adviser with whom they will work for all four years. Juniors and seniors can meet with a LEEP Center adviser upon request. The model will be phased in and eventually every Clark student will have a LEEP Center adviser.

Students are welcome to meet with their LCA whenever they choose. The LEEP Center also offers a range of additional resources – including workshops and webinars – that are available to all undergraduates.

LEEP Center staff serves as LEEP Center advisers, and will continue to offer assistance in their areas of expertise: Academic Advising, Career Services, Community Engagement, Study Abroad, and the Writing Center.

ACADEMIC ADVISERS AND LEEP CENTER ADVISING

The core responsibilities of the academic advisers do not change. Academic advisers (pre-major, major, minor, concentration and pre-professional [law, engineering, and health advisers]) will maintain their long-standing responsibility for guiding a student’s academic decision-making and planning.

What’s new is that the academic advisers – and the student – have an added support structure. The two types of advising will work together in a range of ways, depending upon the student’s needs and the adviser’s knowledge. Appendix A illustrates several of these possibilities.

The Guide that follows offers further details on the advising model, a rationale, examples of how students might be assisted, and more. The Table of Contents is hyperlinked for your convenience.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW...............................................................................................................................................................1

What is LEEP Center Advising?.............................................................................................................................1

Academic Advisers and LEEP Center Advising......................................................................................................1

LEEP Center Advising in Detail................................................................................................................................3

Who are the LEEP Center advisers?........................................................................................................................3

Rationale.................................................................................................................................................................4

How will faculty advising change, given the advent of LEEP Center advisers?......................................................5

Communication among advisers..........................................................................................................................6

Advisers and CU Web/Banner..............................................................................................................................6

LEEP Center adviser assignments.........................................................................................................................6

LEEP Center Advising in the context of Clark’s advising support structures..........................................................6

LEEP Center Advising programming........................................................................................................................7

First-year students...............................................................................................................................................7

Upper-level students............................................................................................................................................7

How will we know we have succeeded?.................................................................................................................8

Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................................8

Contact....................................................................................................................................................................8

APPENDIX A: Examples of how students might benefit from LEEP center advising..........................................9

APPENDIX B: LEEP Center opportunities, resources, and personal and professional skill-building................10

APPENDIX C: Differentiating advising resources..............................................................................................11

APPENDIX D: LEEP Center organizational chart...............................................................................................14

APPENDIX E: LEEP Center staff directory..........................................................................................................15



LEEP CENTER ADVISING IN DETAIL

LEEP Center Advising is designed to assist undergraduate students in achieving their personal and professional goals. LEEP Center Advising will complement Clark’s traditional academic advising by encouraging every student to explore the linkages between academics and their interests, ensuring that all students understand the significance of co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities within the context of their academic interests, and preparing them for experiential as well as post-graduate opportunities. We will be rolling out and continually refining this model over the next four years. Specifically:

All undergraduate students eventually will have a LEEP Center adviser to guide them during their four years at Clark. During academic year 2013-14, all first year students have been assigned a LEEP Center adviser; sophomores, juniors, and seniors will have the opportunity to meet with a LEEP Center adviser individually at their request. In subsequent years, each incoming class will be assigned LEEP Center advisers, and by fall 2016 all students will have an assigned adviser. In addition to one-to-one advising, students will be supported through a variety of activities, specifically:

The LEEP Center will offer workshops and webinars throughout the year, focused on encouraging students to explore their interests, and prepare them for co-curricular opportunities.

LEEP Center Advising is different in both content and approach from more traditional, better-known forms of academic advising as well as from career counseling. LEEP Center Advising, while offering answers, primarily asks questions of students, encouraging them to fully engage with and reflect upon their developmental trajectory and future plans.

WHO ARE THE LEEP CENTER ADVISERS?

LEEP Center Advising is provided by staff in the LEEP Center, which is comprised of the following offices: Academic Advising, Career Services, Community Engagement, Study Abroad, and the Writing Center. Each of these staff has expertise in a particular area of student support and has been working closely with undergraduate students for many years. Additionally, all have master’s degrees or are working towards one. Their training to undertake the new model of LEEP Center Advising has been ongoing over the past year, and will continue as the model unfolds.

LEEP Center advisers have knowledge of: 1) theories of academic advising, career counseling, and student and young adult development; 2) Clark’s academic requirements and resources; and 3) national and global best practices.

LEEP Center advisers will refer students to experts across campus as necessary, and will follow up with students to be sure that their questions are answered.

RATIONALE

While many colleges and universities are modifying their academic and career advising to reflect changes in the student body and the external environment, Clark’s model is uniquely comprehensive as well as connected to our underlying approach to education, Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP). Whereas LEEP goes beyond the curriculum to envision undergraduate education as an intentional, developmental process occurring in multiple



settings, LEEP Center advisers will assist students in bridging curricular and co-curricular activities, developing strategies for integrating their experiences across settings, articulating what they learn from these experiences, and working towards accomplishment of their short term and long term goals.

This may sound familiar – the best faculty advisers have done this for years, especially for students who chose an academic path, since that path is familiar to faculty. However, we need to make sure that all Clark students benefit from individualized comprehensive guidance, no matter their passion or their future plans. This is what encouraged us to create the LEEP Center Advising model and to situate it in the LEEP Center where it is tied to a broad array of co-curricular opportunities, academic support services and career guidance.

What we now refer to as LEEP Center Advising was first articulated in the 2009 Undergraduate Task Force Report and was included in the 2011 Academic and Financial Plan. The Undergraduate Task Force Report, in the section on Academic Advising, addresses, in two separate sections, the importance of linking and integrating the curricular with the co-curricular (highlights added):

C. 6. Another important advising function is promoting special opportunities for students. An approach to strengthening this aspect would be to create a tighter integration between many offices (academic advising, career services, fellowships, internships, study abroad, student leadership and programming, volunteering, and so on) and to align these areas with the goals laid out in our statement on liberal education. The new developmental three-phase model and focus on communities of effective practice also suggest tighter ways to connect alumni to the academic program, building on the successful “alumni in residence” program (p. 12).

VI. The pace and scope of cultural life today means that students now have a wide range of significant experiences, including classroom learning, educational experiences outside the classroom, social networking, and co-curricular activities in clubs, organizations, and residential life that all contribute to their educational environment. As we broaden our understanding of liberal education to include more “out of the classroom” educational activities and emphasize the importance of integrative learning, the need for us to address the interplay of curricular and co-curricular activities will only grow. We believe that Clark needs to take steps now to begin bridging the various domains through which students move to create a comprehensive approach to the student experience (p. 13).

Consequently, Goal 2 of the Academic and Financial Plan specifically identifies advising as a critical component of the LEEP initiatives: (pp.16-17)

LEEP Advising: Significantly enhance undergraduate advising to help students to better construct pathways through their undergraduate experience into careers or graduate and/or professional schools.

Beyond Clark’s strategic plan, it is important to reiterate that LEEP is situated in the national endeavor to revitalize liberal education, a movement being led by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The AAC&U is quite vocal and persuasive about the fact that “It takes more than a major…” to find meaningful employment and to flourish after college. Therefore, it also takes more than academic advising to help students find their passion, prepare them to contribute to their communities, and ensure that they achieve their goals.

While Clark’s new model of advising is particularly innovative, we are not alone in our efforts to restructure and rethink our services to students. Higher education is increasingly being held responsible for student outcomes, including post-baccalaureate employment as well as teaching students how to live meaningful, purposeful, successful lives. This way of thinking represents a larger shift within higher education research where, historically, the emphasis has been increasing access to college, and less about getting them through and beyond.



HOW WILL FACULTY ADVISING CHANGE, GIVEN THE ADVENT OF LEEP CENTER ADVISERS?

Academic advisers (pre-major, major, minor, concentration and pre-professional [law and pre-health advisers]) will maintain their long-standing responsibility for guiding a student’s academic decision-making and planning. LEEP Center advisers will primarily address co-curricular opportunities and post-baccalaureate planning, though the extent of which will vary depending upon the student’s needs (as described below).

The core responsibilities of the academic advisers do not change. Academic advisers will meet with students at least once per semester on course selection, schedule periodic advising conversations to address intellectual and academic goals and concerns, and in some cases will discuss co-curricular activities and post-baccalaureate plans. Students will start with an FYI-based pre-major academic adviser, then (usually) change advisers when they declare a major.

What’s new is that the academic advisers – and the student – now have an added support structure. LEEP Center advisers will augment academic advising with information and expertise, as needed. Students will be assigned a LEEP Center adviser upon matriculation, and stay with that adviser until graduation.

The two types of advising might work together in a range of ways, depending upon the student’s needs and the adviser’s knowledge. For example, a student who is thinking about a career as a physicist or historian may find the majority of assistance is provided by her major adviser, but may rely on her LEEP Center adviser to strategize about the application process and identify possible funding sources. Alternatively, a student who loves philosophy or social activism but has not yet determined a major (not to mention a post-baccalaureate direction) may work more closely with his LEEP adviser to explore interests, determine appropriate experiential activities, and reflect on how his passions connect with his academic path.

The two types of advising might work together differently during each of the three developmental phases upon which LEEP is designed. First year students need to transition to their new community and understand academic expectations, and they rely on their FYI faculty for this, though many others on campus will have a role to play. After settling in, their developmental task is to explore – this might mean testing out different majors or concentrations, a task for the academic adviser; or it might entail exploring via a service project or international internship placement, in which case the LEEP Center adviser can be of most assistance in aligning interests and opportunities. In the third phase, action, the student is expected to integrate classroom learning with demonstrations of effective practice, and here faculty advisers might direct an honors thesis, while LEEP Center advisers can suggest an alumni-sponsored LEEP Project. The possibilities are numerous.

See Attachment A for examples of student concerns that might be addressed by the LEEP Center adviser.

COMMUNICATION AMONG ADVISERS

With regard to the nature of communication between the faculty advisers and LEEP Center advisers, the relationship will be up to the advisers themselves, based on the needs of the student -- just as it has existed in the past between, for example, pre-law advisers and faculty advisers, or between faculty advisers and the Dean of Students. Faculty advisers may contact a student’s LEEP Center adviser directly, and vice versa. We anticipate that the student will be a primary conduit, and the message to the student will be, “You should consult with your academic/LEEP Center adviser about that.”



ADVISERS AND CU WEB/BANNER

CU Web (Web for Faculty and Web for Students) has been modified so that students can be assigned multiple advisers. This will include LEEP Center advisers, as well as second major advisers, minor and concentration advisers, probation advisers and more. All advisers and students will be able to view the names of assigned advisers on the screens.

Faculty advisers are still the only adviser type who will be able to release the student’s course registration PIN.

LEEP CENTER ADVISER ASSIGNMENTS

LEEP Center advising assignments are made on the basis of FYIs – all students in an FYI will have the same LEEP Center adviser, and each LEEP Center adviser will have approximately 50 students (three to five FYI classes). FYI instructors might consider inviting the LEEP Center adviser to class field trips or course-related on-campus events.

The extent of the LEEP Center adviser-faculty adviser relationship is up to the faculty adviser.

LEEP CENTER ADVISING IN THE CONTEXT OF CLARK’S ADVISING SUPPORT STRUCTURES

Clark undergraduates benefit from a rich and varied network of advising and support, in addition to their faculty advisers. Incoming students are assigned a peer adviser and a residence hall adviser; upper class mentors work with ACE and Connections participants and with international students; athletes have coaches; and student organizations have faculty or staff advisers. Depending upon their interests, students may consult a pre-health or pre-law adviser; depending upon the course they take, they might have a PLA and/or TA; and depending upon their grades, they may have an academic probation adviser. All students have student accounts counselors. Students who have campus jobs will have a supervisor. Students who decide to complete LEEP Projects will have mentors. A number of students will receive assistance from the Counseling staff. Finally, the Academic Advising Office assists students in understanding Clark’s academic policies and with graduation requirements. LEEP Center advisers will join this network, adding specific expertise and filling previously identified gaps.

The breadth and depth of this advising support structure is impressive. These are the relationships that truly help students grow from all that Clark has to offer, and this network of connections creates the vibrant community that we have all come to value.

HOW WILL WE KNOW WE HAVE SUCCEEDED?

LEEP Center Advising, like the entire LEEP initiative, is a complex educational undertaking that belies singular, simple assessment. That being said, a number of evaluation efforts are currently underway:

1. The LEEP Campus Compass group will assess student progress towards accomplishing the LEEP learning outcomes, and this assessment will take into account both curricular and co-curricular activities. Once a campus-wide baseline is set, we can judge our progress and adjust LEEP Center programming accordingly.

2. Students’ post-graduation outcomes will continue to be tracked university-wide, with the expectation that as a result of LEEP and LEEP Center Advising a greater number of students will graduate with a direction (employment, graduate school, or service placement) than in prior years.



CONCLUSION

Clark has a long tradition of embracing student-centered educational innovation– including elbow teaching, learning through inquiry, high impact practices, and LEEP – all in the service of our bold aim to challenge convention and change the world. At this critical juncture for higher education, LEEP Center Advising offers another pioneering direction, built on what our alumni tell us worked for them in the past and designed to prepare our current students with the knowledge, skills, responsibility, and experiences needed to flourish in the future.

CONTACT

Contact Michelle Bata or Mary-Ellen Boyle with questions, ideas, or thoughts.


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


APPENDIX A: EXAMPLES OF HOW STUDENTS MIGHT BENEFIT FROM LEEP CENTER ADVISINGLEEP Center Advisors (LCA) help students:

1) Discover a path – What do I want to do? 2) Explore ways to gain experience that make sense for said path – How will I get there?3) Plan and prepare for the life after Clark – Where do I want to go next and how can I best prepare?

How are LCAs different from Faculty Advisors (FAs)?

FAs help students make progress towards the degree, which includes registering for classes. LCAs help students gain experience and connect that experience to their personal and academic interests.

How are LCAs different from other advisors?

Clarkies have lots of support – RAs, PAs, PLAs, program directors, coaches, you name it! While it is up to you to make sense of all of the advice and direction you’ll receive, your LCA can help make sure your decision-making is in line with your personal and professional goals.

I talked to the LEEP Center staff before. What’s different now?

Now you have a dedicated advisor who can help guide you to experiences, give you advice, and coach you on preparation before you make a decision to pursue an opportunity. Once you do decide, you’ll work with the appropriate staff member to make that plan a reality!

A LEEP Center advisor can help students:

Explore interests, possible majors, and new directions While some students know exactly what they want to do, many spend time exploring, discovering, and reconsidering their options as they are exposed to new ideas and opportunities. The LCA can help students make sense of their options by introducing the student to unfamiliar opportunities, suggesting alternate strategies, directing the student to untapped resources, connecting the student to new people, and talking through options and answering questions.

→ The staff in Career Services can administer interest inventories.→ The staff in the Writing Center can assist with guided reflection.

Decide on the best way to gain experience The LCA and student discuss the best options – perhaps it is an internship or competitive program during the summer, or maybe it is a volunteer experience or part-time job during the academic year. Their LCA would work with them to identify opportunities (including how to search for such opportunities, keep track of them, and how to prepare applications). Either their LCA or staff in Career Services would help them craft their resume, cover letter, or any supporting materials. Both the LCA and staff in Career Services could help prepare students for interviews – phone, virtual, or in-person – as well.

→ If the student needs help finding a volunteer placement, they would work with the Community Engagement Office.

→ If the student wanted to receive academic credit for an internship they had already secured, they would work with Career Services.

→ If the student wants to apply to a competitive summer program, they would work with the associate dean for retention and student success.

Determine whether an experience is right for them



If a student thinks that study abroad might be appropriate, the conversation with the LCA might focus on: Why should I study abroad? Is it right for me? When should I study abroad, and where should I go? Are there other opportunities I should take into account (i.e., study abroad programs with research/internship/service options)?

→ Once the student has decided to study abroad, the conversation with the study abroad would focus on the logistics – does it fit in with their planned curriculum, could they still graduate on time, financial aid concerns, and the specifics of the application to the study abroad program.

Prepare for a program, opportunity, or the next stage in life If a student wants to apply to graduate school, their LCA would advise them to work with their faculty mentor to identify appropriate programs in terms of degree and department/university. Their LCA would help the student with strategy – Who are you asking for letters? How will you fund your degree? The LCA could help with their personal statement and other application materials, but the student would also be advised to work with the Writing Center on their personal statement. The LCA is also available as a sounding board when it comes time for the student to make a decision after acceptances have gone out.

Strategize about an idea, experience, or opportunity The LCA also serves to provide information about opportunities that a student may not have previously considered or known about. For example, a student wants to travel to India to complete a photography project. She asks: How can I make this work? The LCA asks: When does it make sense for you to go? How much funding do you need? What’s the connection to your academic program? From there, the LCA works with the student to craft a plan – why to go, when to go, how to make connections there, how to identify funding sources and prepare applications for them, etc.



APPENDIX B: LEEP CENTER OPPORTUNITIES, RESOURCES, AND PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILL-BUILDING

Personal skillstaught through

LEEP Center advising

Professional skillspracticed through

LEEP Center programs

Opportunities offeredthrough the LEEP Center

Resources and services offered through LEEP Center offices

Goal setting Planning, preparation, and time

management for personal goals Problem-solving Decision-making Appropriately responding to criticism

and feedback Encouragement to take responsibility

and initiative Reflection

Effective self-expression and communication – oral and written

Professional self-presentation Cultural awareness and

understanding Understanding risk and liability Understanding deadlines and process Project management

Community service opportunities Community service work-study

program Internships Study abroad and away opportunities LEEP Projects LEEP Center work-study positions

Assistance with proposal writing Assistance with personal

statement writing Interest exploration and interest

and skill inventories Resume and cover letter

development and critiques Mock interviews Assistance with networking,

shadowing Guidance on social media use,

personal branding Search strategies for internships,

service, jobs, competitive programs, scholarships and fellowships

Assistance with application preparation

Writing guidance and assistance Advice and guidance on academic

policies and procedures

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APPENDIX C: DIFFERENTIATING ADVISING RESOURCES

Faculty adviser LEEP Center Adviser Office of Academic Advising Student Responsibility

Approach Developmental, collaborative What should I…?

Inquiry-based, holistic Why should I…?

Informational, transactional How do I…?

Emphasize preparedness, initiative

Generally, when should a student go to [a]…

For advice pertaining to: Progress in the major Progress towards the degree

For information and advice pertaining to: Interest/major exploration Co-curricular opportunities Assistance with identifying

and preparing applications

For information pertaining to: Academic policies and

procedures Forms and petitions

Course planning and registration

Can provide assistance with course selection and constructing a balanced course load

Can answer questions about: Which courses fulfill PLS,

major, and degree requirements

Which courses are essential for professional and graduate degree programs

Course withdrawal Can give out advising PINs

Can answer questions about: Which courses may

enable skill acquisition Which courses may be

useful to explore potential majors/careers

Academic processes and deadlines

Cannot answer questions about: Which courses to take

when, and which courses fulfill PLS, major, or degree requirements

Can answer questions about: Class standing, credits Incompletes Changing advisors Self-declared majors Course withdrawal Summer courses AP/IB scores, and courses

taken elsewhere An individual student’s

academic progress

Use CU Web to evaluate progress towards degree

Explore major and degree requirements online

Research course availability online

Prepare potential course schedules

Arrange for meetings with advisers prior to registration

Come to meetings with course schedules and questions

Academic Support Provide students with information about tutoring resources on campus

Consults with Dean of Students office as needed

Provide students with information about tutoring resources on campus


Provide students with information about tutoring resources on campus


Attend every class, do your homework, attend office hours, ask for help, and devote ample time to course work

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Notify faculty adviser when: Having difficulty in a

class Need tutoring Having trouble

keeping grades upExperiential learning opportunities

Can answer questions about: Identifying opportunities

outside of class Which ones might be

worthwhile, and identifying specific experiences

Cannot answer questions about: Processes pertaining to on-

campus co-curricular opportunities

Can answer questions about: Identifying opportunities

outside of class Which ones might be

worthwhile, and identifying specific experiences

Can provide assistance with: Co-curricular advising Preparing applications

Can answer questions about: Class standing

Educate self on opportunities available

Attend advising sessions and workshops

Be diligent in meeting deadlines

Graduate and professional school

Can answer questions about: Whether to attend graduate

and professional schools Student preparedness for

advanced study To which to apply

Can provide: Assistance with applications

and personal statementsLetters of recommendation

Assistance with decision-making

Assistance identifying and preparing applications for scholarships and fellowships

Can provide guidance on whether to attend graduate and professional school

Can provide information about: Entrance exams

Can provide assistance with: Reviewing and editing

personal statements Identifying and reviewing

applications for scholarships and fellowships

Decision-making

Can answer questions about: Class standing Accelerated degree program

Know why you want to pursue advanced study

Know whether you can afford advanced study

Seek out information about graduate school requirements

Prepare for and take entrance exams

Draft and seek assistance with personal statements

Identify and apply for scholarships and fellowships

Job/Career search Can provide: Guidance on pursing

academic and professional careers

Can provide guidance on which career fields to pursue

Can provide assistance

Research and understand educational and skill requirements for your chosen field

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Letters of support, recommendations, or references

Potentially, connections to recent graduates, and/or colleagues in the field

with: Creating a job search

strategy Networking, shadowing,

and informational interviewing opportunities and advice

Identifying job opportunities

Preparing resumes and cover letters

Mock interview preparation (in-person, phone, Skype)

Decision-making Negotiations

Research, prepare for, and keep track of, job opportunities

Personal and professional development

Can provide guidance on: Insider knowledge about their

discipline

Can provide assistance with: Interest exploration Goal setting Decision-making Problem-solving Process and project

management Reflection Communication skills Writing skills Professional etiquette

Ask for advice from multiple people, and learn how to make sense of that advice

Ask for help when you need it, and follow through on the recommendations that make sense for you

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APPENDIX D: LEEP CENTER ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

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APPENDIX E: LEEP CENTER STAFF DIRECTORY

Michelle BataAssociate Dean, Director of the LEEP CenterDana Commons, Suite [email protected] Jessica Bane RobertAssistant Director of the Writing CenterDana Commons, 2nd [email protected] Alexis BazoukasCoordinator of Marketing and TechnologyDana Commons, 2nd [email protected] Vickie Cox-LanyonAssistant Director of the LEEP Center,Director of Career ServicesDana Commons, Suite [email protected] Micki DavisDirector of Community EngagementDana Commons, Suite [email protected]

Ben GardnerCoordinator of Student ProgramsDana Commons, Suite [email protected] Lee GoldsteinAssociate Director of Career ServicesDana Commons, Suite [email protected]

Brian HannaAssistant Director of Career ServicesDana Commons, Suite 3508-798-4356

Jen PlanteDirector of the Writing CenterDana Commons, 2nd [email protected]

Susan PriestAdministrative AssistantDana Commons, Suite [email protected] Adriane van Gils-PierceAssociate Director of the LEEP Center,Director of Study AbroadDana Commons, Suite [email protected] Evette WaltersCoordinator of Academic AdvisingDana Commons, Suite [email protected] Connie Whitehead HanksAssociate Director of Study AbroadDana Commons, Suite [email protected] Amy WhitneyDirector of Innovation and EntrepreneurshipDana Commons, Suite [email protected]


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FACULTY GUIDE TO LEEP CENTER ADVISING - … · Web viewFACULTY GUIDE TO LEEP CENTER ADVISING FACULTY GUIDE TO LEEP CENTER ADVISING Page 5 of 15 Version 2August 19, 2014 Page 15 of