Transcript Slide 1

NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
Presentation by Dr. Nutt at MSU,
February
9, 2007
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Sponsored by: Academic Affairs
Academic Advising:
Teaching Our Students to
Be Independent Learners
Charlie L. Nutt, Ed. D.
National Academic Advising Association
Associate Director
Kansas State University
[email protected]
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
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Making the simple
complicated is commonplace.
Making the complicated
simple, awesomely simple,
that’s creativity.
Charles Mingus
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
People will forget what you say.
They will even forget what you
do. But they never forget how
you made them feel
Maya Angelo
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
“Good advising may be the
single most underestimated
characteristic of a successful
college experience.”
Richard Light
Making the Most of College (2001)
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
“Advising is viewed as a way
to connect students to the
campus and help them feel
that someone is looking out
for them.”
George Kuh
Student Success in College
(2005)
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
“Advisors are
interpreters who
help students
navigate their new
world. As such,
academic advisors
have to make
connections.”
Nancy King
2005 Summer Institute on Academic Advising
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
Key Issues in Higher Education Globally
• Time to Graduation
• Retention/Persistence
• Transferability
• Assessment of Student Learning
• Cost of Education
• General Education Core
• Value of Higher Education
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
Dec. 2004 – Pell Institute Study – What
Institutions With Higher Than
Expected Graduate Rates Have In
Common:
High student participation in advising
and counseling opportunities
Intentional Academic Planning
Educational innovations to assist
students
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
July 2004 – Pell Institute Study
Institutions Focused on Student
Retention and Persistence:
• Teach students how to effectively make
decisions and maneuver the system
• Teach students how to make decisions about
career and/or majors
• Teach students how to identify and utilize
campus resources and assistance
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
Advising that contributes to the teaching
and learning mission of the institution:
Is a student-centered process
Facilitates behavioral awareness and
problem-solving, decision-making and
evaluation skills
Encourages both short-term and long-term
goal-setting
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
Makes the students feel that they “matter”
Stresses the shared responsibility
between the student and the advisor,
with an emphasis on the advisor
helping the students to
make decisions for
themselves and teaching them the skills
and knowledge they need make decisions
and be successful.
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
• Questioning Skills
– Focus questions on the concerns of the students not
on the concerns of the advisors
– Use open-ended questions focused on the student,
not on advisor -• not “How can I help you” - instead “What do you want to talk
about today?
• not “What can I do for you today” - instead “What issues do
you have about semester”
– Closed-ended questions are used to gather vital
information and are necessary -- but be aware they
are indicators of your interest in only facts, not
concerns or interests of the students
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
• Referral Skills
– all referrals must be based on the students’ needs,
concerns, and life issues - not on the advisor’s own
feelings or views
– explain in a clear and open manner why the student
should seek assistance from another source
– advisor and student must joint develop a plan of
action for the referral and expected results
– provide all information to the student for the referral -reason, possible results, location, telephone, email
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
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Five Strategies for
Advisors
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
1. Adopt a Talent Development Approach to Advising
• Know your students
– Who are they? What are they telling you?
– An entitlement mentality
– Cumulative deficits in attitudes, study habits,
academic skills
– More diverse than previous groups
– Techno-savvy “NetGens”
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
1. Adopt a Talent Development Approach to Advising
• Meet students “where they are” –
academically, socially, psychologically
• Set high expectations – challenge,
implore, cajole, and support
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
2. Make Advising a Tag Team Activity
• Share responsibility for student success
• Draw on multiple sources of expertise and
perspectives on students
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
3. Help Students Map Out a Path to Success
• Draw a Map for student success
• Teach newcomers about the campus culture
• Emphasize student initiative
• Point students to programs, resources, and
activities that work
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
4. Make Every Interaction Meaningful
• Participate and connect before college and
during orientation
• Provide accurate information
• Push Students to THINK!!
• Develop peer mentoring programs
• Imbed advising into a first-year program
• Encourage students to experience
diversity early
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
5. Focus on Culture Sooner Than Later
• Identify cultural properties that impede
advisor effectiveness and student success
• Expand number of cultural practitioners in
advising
• Install an ethic of positive cultural
communication
NACADA
National ACademic ADvising Association
The questions we raise, the perceptions
we share, the resources we suggest,
the short-term decisions and longrange decisions we help them think
through, all should aim to increase
their capacity to take charge of their
future.
--Arthur Chickering