Transforming Advisor Development at the Community College

Session # 175

Deborah R. Hull, Ed.D.

Director of Advising

Mesa Community College

Mesa, Arizona

Overview

• Introductions• Training or Development?• Concepts• Practices• Summary• Contact Information

Introductions

Me

~~ and ~~

You• How many are “experienced” advisors?• How many are “new” advisors?

Choose someone you do not know and share:• When did you know that academic advising was a

career choice?• Why do you advise?

Why do you advise?

Training or Development?

Train-ing

-- noun• 1. the education, instruction, or discipline of a person or

thing that is being trained: “He is in training for the Olympics.”

• 2. the status or condition of a person who has been trained: “The athletes are in top training condition.”

-- adjective• 3. of, pertaining to, or used in or for training: “We’ll be

using a training manual.”• 4. intended for use during an introductory, learning, or

transitional period: “I have Junior using a training cup.” “Missy is wearing a training bra.”

Training or Development, continued

De-vel-op-ment

-- noun

The advancement of skills or expertise to succeed in a particular profession, especially through continued education:

“The academic advisors participated in a professional development retreat.”

Why?

“Just as professional development is essential for faculty at a university, the need for professional development of advisors is also critical as a vehicle for advisors to remain current with new information, skills and best practices in the field of advising.”

Huggett, K. (2000). Professional development in an uncertain profession: Finding a place for academic and career advisors. NACADA Journal 20 (2), 46-51.

Why? continued

Highly skilled and well connected advising professionals are best able to practice advising-as-teaching and developmental advising.

The primary goal of an advisor training program is “to increase the effectiveness of advising services provided to students, thus increasing student satisfaction and persistence.”

King, N. (2000). Designing effective training for academic advisors. In V. N. Gordon & W. R. Habley, et al. Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass, 289-297.

Why? continued

Advisors who participate in training and professional development opportunities report higher levels of job satisfaction.

Higher levels of job satisfaction lead to increased time in the position, fewer absences, and higher levels of productivity.

Hull, D. (2004). Relationships between personality type and job satisfaction in professional academic advisors, unpublished dissertation, Arizona State University.

Why? continued

National data from the 2005 NACADA New Advisor Survey:

• 10.7% of respondents had a formal, well-developed, training program.

• Many advisors work in isolation from colleagues.• NACADA research indicates:

9% of advisors work alone52% work with four or fewer colleagues

• Less than half of advisors believed they received adequate training.

• (Joseph & Carty, paragraph 10)

Why? continued2009 Survey of NACADA members by Cuccia:

Of the 662 who responded….81% were employed as an advisor for < 3

years18% were employed for 3 to 6 years< 4% were employed for more than 6 years

They were led to enter the profession because:“Like helping people” (71%)“Wanted to work in higher education” (57%)“Encouraged by a professor or academic

advisor” (19%)

Why? continued, Cuccia survey

Believe efforts are not appreciated by:• Faculty (53%)• Senior Administrators (40%)• Students (18%)

Training within the first 3 months on the job:• Shadowing experienced advisors (73%)• Office/departmental meetings (68%)• Read “intensive advising information” (67%)• Technology training (53%)• Read training manual (45%)• Received observation & feedback from

experienced advisors (32%)

Why? continued, Cuccia survey

Would have been helpful but was not provided:Case studies (36%)Advising theory (34%)Professional conference or seminar attendance

(29%)Revised policy manual (26%)

Institutions:Public 4-year (61%) Private 4-year (20%) Public 2-year (14%) For Profit (4%)

Institution Size: <10,000 (33%) 10K-20K (23%) 20K-30K (23%) 30K-40K (10%) >40,000 (10%)

Why? continued, Cuccia survey

• Gender Female (82%) Male (17%)

• Age 20-29 years (43%) 30-39 years (30%)

40-49 years (12%) 50-59 years (13%)

• Education Bachelor’s degree (26%)Master’s degree (66%)

Doctoral/Terminal degree/ABD (6%)

• Ethnicity Caucasian/Anglo (81%)African-American/Black (9%)

Hispanic/Latino/a (4%)

What?

Habley’s Training Classifications:

Conceptual

Informational

Relational

Habley, W.R. (1995). Advisor training in the context of a teaching enhancement center. In R.E. Glennen & F.N. Vowell (Eds.). Advising as a Comprehensive Campus Process. (pp. 75-59). (National Academic Advising Association Monograph Series No. 2). Manhattan, KS: National Academic Advising Association.

Conceptual

- definition of advising- student development theories- relationship of advising to retention/persistence- rights & responsibilities of both advisors & students

Within this component:- concerns related to gender & ethnic backgrounds- understanding the nature of educational, financial, and personal needs

Higginson, L.C. (2000). A framework for training program content revisited. In V.N. Gordon and W.R. Habley (Eds.). Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 298-306.

Informational

Within this component:

- The “meat” of the advising process- Institutional policies, processes, procedures- Academic programs- Campus resources

Relational

… addresses the skills an advisor needs to communicate the essential information from the other two components to the student.

Relational skills include:• Greeting students openly• Active listening skills• Using open-ended questions and other effective

interviewing skills• Effective decision-making and referral skills

Drake, J. (2007). Components of a success faculty advising program. NACADA Pocket Guide Webinar Series PG05, adapted from NACADA Webinar broadcast February 2007.Higginson, L.C. (2000). A framework for training program content revisited. In V.N. Gordon, W.R. Habley (Eds.). Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 298-306.

Additional Components?McClellan (2007) suggests:

Technology – understanding of technology is essential in the delivery of the information within the advising session.

Personal component – to address the advisor’s own need for “personal understanding, maintenance, and development.”

Higginson (2000) recommends:The need for an advisor to address his/her

own questions, attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs as they relate to advising as “advisor self-knowledge” (p. 304).

McClellan, J. (2007). Content components for advisor training: revisited. Retrieved August 25, 2014 from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources website – www.nacada.ksu.edu/resources/clearinghouse/advisor training components

Who? New Advisors

• Intensive initial training period

• Mutual work between the new advisor and the supervisor to set short-term performance goals• Identify clear and realistic expectations of the

knowledge and skills to be learned within the first 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

• Identify personal development plan at 6-month performance review

• Create long-term goals for training and development for second year and beyond

Who? Experienced Advisors

More than one year of experience and less than four years

Encourage participation in professional organizations

Assign special projects to enhance skills and knowledge

Encourage graduate course work, continuing

education, conference presentations

Who? “Veteran” Advisors

Advisors with more than 4 years of experience

Provide opportunities to mentor new advisors

Encourage leadership opportunities/positions within professional organizations

Offer special projects/assignments to enhance current skills and to gain new skills/knowledge

How?

• Local / Campus Resources

• NACADA Resources

• Other Resources

When?

Effective training and development programs are

ONGOINGMentoring Workshops Staff Meetings

WebinarsBrown Bag Discussions Professional Networks

Conceptual Development Presentations Conferences

Publications 1:1 Coaching Writing for PublicationGraduate/Continuing EducationDiscipline-Specific Organizations

Dr. Deb’s Advisor Development Program

2006 – 2008 > Developed and implemented at Arizona State University, 4 campuses / all colleges & schools / Phoenix metropolitan area

2008 – 2010 > Revised and implemented at Texas A&M University (College Station) General Academic Programs

2012 – 2014 > Revised and implemented at Mesa Community College for general advisors, department advisors, and new faculty advisors

Level 1

New hires and advisors with less than one year of experience

The VPSA endorsed the program and requires everyone who advises at Mesa Community College to complete Level 1 within one year of completing the classroom component of the

program.

Classroom Component & Level One Requirements:

Advising History NACADA Core Values Case Studies FERPA Advising Notes & Don’ts Campus Resources Access

to SISNACADA Concept of Academic Advising Student Development Theories Attend 2 Webinars Involvement in Professional OrganizationPrepare & Deliver 2 Presentations Community/Campus Volunteer HoursParticipation in 2 Professional Development Functions Portfolio Preparation

Level 2

Continuing Advisors in their second and third years and have completed all components of Level 1.

Increased responsibility for personal commitment to professional development.

Portfolio development

Level 3

Increase in…

education completion requirements community/campus service hours contributions to the education community & higher education

portfolio development

Level 4

Advisors with a minimum of 3 years of experience

Continuing membership in NACADA14 hours of community/campus volunteerismPresenter at an off-campus professional development opportunityPresenter at a campus-based meeting/workshopResearch, opinion, best practice, etc. submitted for

publicationContinuing education hoursUpdated professional portfolio

Master Advisor – Exemplifies all 6 of the NACADA Core Values

Advisors with a minimum of 4 years of experience

Active in NACADAMentor to a new advisor for at least 18 monthsPublished authorNational conference presenterState/Regional/or National conference planning

committee or elected/appointed as an officer for at least a one year term of officeContinuing education credits or coursework16 hours of community/campus volunteerismPortfolio updated and used as teaching tool for newbies

Maricopa County Community College District Advisor Training Modules

Created by the District Academic Advising Council – Advising Directors from all 10 colleges

2013-2014 Online course developed by the MCCCD Instructional Developers

- Curricular Fundamentals in Academic Advising Online Course (1.2)

Online Course Description

Do you want to advise your students properly and help them achieve  their academic goals?  

If so, this course will help you to better guide your students to accurate and appropriate course selection, as well as assist you to become more knowledgeable on credit transferability. 

This online training course is the second in a four part series intended to explore various advising theories and fundamentals, as well as techniques to better serve our students.

This course can be taken by any Maricopa Colleges staff with an interest in educational planning and academic advising at MCCCD.

Best Practices in Advisor Development

How does your department, college/school, and institution support training and development for

advisors?

SummaryAdvisor training and professional development programs:• are cost effective and efficient• are based upon NACADA Core Values• are based upon scholarship and research• are ongoing• tend to improve the quality of advising – leading

to increased student satisfaction and persistence• have been shown to increase job satisfaction

among academic advisors – leading to fewer absences, increased productivity, and overall well-being

• can be tailored to meet the needs of new and experienced advisors

Thank You!

Please complete the session evaluation – Session #175

Dr. Deborah Hull, Ed.D.Director of Advising

Mesa Community College1833 W. Southern Avenue, KSC 38

Mesa, AZ 85202

480-461-7253Deborah.Hull@mesacc.edu