Orienting Training and Developing Advisors to be their
Orienting, Training and Developing Advisors to be their Greatest! Sandi Hall, Director of Academic Advising + Sandra Picciuca, Associate Director for Student and Staff Persistence College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Illinois at Chicago
Who are we? ● UIC ○ ○ Midsize, Public, Research 1 Urban, Commuter, High financial need, Diverse: No one majority group represented ● LAS: ○ ○ ○ ○ 10, 000+ undergraduates 71% underrepresented 53% Pell Eligible 34% first-generation Fall-to-Fall First-Year Retention: 78% Six-Year Graduation Rate: 60+% 37 Majors; 40 Minors
Who are we?
Background and History ● June 2012: ○ ○ New Dean, move to assigned advising model, anticipated increase in staff NACADA Summer Institute: focus on new advisor onboarding and training ● 2012 -2013: ○ Creation of New Advisor Orientation, Training, and Development model ● Ongoing: ○ ○ Continued refinement, enhancement, growth – evaluation of effectiveness, of staff needs, of staff characteristics Continued support (lack of state budget, leadership who value advising, demonstrated value of work/able to quantify/produce outcomes, etc. )
New Advisor Orientation, Training & Development Model 1. Onboarding: New Advisor Orientation a. Begins upon hire and runs until first solo student appointment/drop-in 2. Advisor Training a. Begins with first solo student appointment/drop-in and runs through completion of training topics 3. Advisor Professional Development a. Begins upon completion of training topics
New Advisor Orientation, Training & Development Model: Key Elements No matter the audience, 3 common elements need to be incorporated into the content of the training and development program: Conceptual, Relational, and Informational. (Habley, 1986; King, 2000; and Brown, 1998) ● ● ● Conceptual: What advisors need to understand about the students they serve, as well as about their work as advisors Informational: Specific details advisors need to understand know about institutional policies, procedures, and programs in order to provide timely and accurate advice to students Relational: The skills and attitudes advisors need to use to engage students in goal-setting, academic planning, and decision-making. (King, 2000) Brown, T. (2008). “Critical concepts in advising training and development. ” In V. N. Gordon, W. R. Habley, T. J. Grites, Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (2 nd ed. ) (pp. 309 -322). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Onboarding: New Advisor Orientation History ● 2012 -2013: focus group, new advisor debriefs, generating buy-in Theory “The absence of consistent and systematic training weakens the quality and effectiveness of academic advising. The lack of training also contributes to misperceptions about advising and serves to undermine the status of advising and advisors on many campuses…” Brown, T. (2008). “Critical concepts in advising training and development. ” In V. N. Gordon, W. R. Habley, T. J. Grites, Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (2 nd ed. ) (pp. 309 -322). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Onboarding: New Advisor Orientation Needs of Department ● Knowledgeable advisors ● Efficient onboarding process ● Conservation of resources Needs of Individual ● Supportive, structured onboarding ● Understanding of the role and responsibilities ● Understanding of tools and resources ● Knowledge of key players and important stakeholders
Training History ● 2012 -2013: generation of Advisor Learning Outcome categories Theory “Year-long training programs also provide opportunities for new advisors to deepen their informational and conceptual knowledge, progress from first-year to long-term expectations, and become fully integrated into the campus advising community. ” Joslin, J. & Yoder, F. (2007). “Creating an effective year-long advisor training program. ” In P. Folsom (Ed. ), The new advisor guidebook, Monograph #16 (pp. 149 -156). Manhattan, KS. : NACADA.
Training Needs of Department ● ● Re: new advisors ○ To know when to ask questions ○ To consult with veteran advisors Re: veteran/continuing advisors ○ To serve as subject-matter experts ○ To role model Needs of Individual ● ● Re: new advisors ○ To feel supported ○ To know they can ask questions Re: veteran/continuing advisors ○ To feel as if they are kept current ○ To engage with newest staff members
Development Needs of Department ● Increase employee retention and engagement ○ ○ Fewer resources (time, money) spent on hiring and training new advisors More resources devoted to development of current staff to aid in retention and promote individual growth Needs of Individual ● Professional growth and development ○ ○ More opportunities for learning and building professional skills, increasing engagement Less employee burnout
Development Types of Programming: ● Advisor Professional Development (APD) (Current) ● Staff Retreat (Current) ● Employee Recognition (Current and more forthcoming) ● Advisor Career Ladder (Forthcoming) ● Mentorship Program (Forthcoming) ● Leadership Development Program (Forthcoming) ● Learning Initiative Program- Training & Certification (Forthcoming)
Unintended Consequences ● Improved hiring practices ● Creation of advisor expectations ● Enriched feedback and review procedures ● Review and restructuring of administrator roles and responsibilities ● Enhanced proactive advising practices ● Expanded committee and campus unit liaison opportunities ○ Subsequent need to increase support to committees and committee chairs
Thank you! Questions? Sandi Hall: sdhall@uic. edu Sandra Picciuca: spicci@uic. edu
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