Academic Advising Begins

2013 Academic Advising Begins Andie Fournier & Lorie Hadley Algonquin College

Are you an Academic Advisor? Then this short handbook is for you. Who are we? We are two faculty advisors in the Child and Youth Worker Program who have been there and done that. Between us, we have 8 years of experience in advising students and. Our first goal is to provide you with a useful tool to get you up and going as quickly as possible at the beginning of term. It includes what we wished WE had known when we started advising. What is an academic advisor? How does advising work at Algonquin? How do I prepare for advising? What should I do in a first session with a student? What tools and resources are available for me? The second goal is to provide you with advising case studies based on situations our students have brought to us here at Algonquin. And finally, we ve provided a couple of interview scripts for the benefit of those advisors who may have a little stage fright going into a first advising session, wondering What am I going to say? 1

Academic Advising Begins Academic Advisors do more than just advise students about their academics. Academic advisors are an integral part of helping students achieve success in their program! Academic advisors are students anchors to their program and their links to various resources within Algonquin College. What is Academic Advising? Academic advising is a collaborative relationship between an Academic Advisor and a student that provides the student with a personal connection to his or her program as well as services within the College. Academic Advising guides the student through a decision-making process to identify education, life and career goals and assists the student in creating a plan to realize those goals. More information can be found on the Algonquin College directives page on academic advising by following this link: http://www2.algonquincollege.com/directives/policy/academic-advising/ What is the Academic Advising Policy? The following link directs you to the policy in place at Algonquin College. http://www2.algonquincollege.com/directives/policy/academic-advising/ Here are the highlights: 1.1 Students who have access to effective and timely academic advice have increased ability to make informed decisions about their studies and have higher chances of remaining committed to academic success and career goals. 1.2 Academic Advising is an integrated and systematic service that provides students with the opportunity to plan, discuss, and review academic progress and to address challenges that may impede successful performance. Academic Advising proactively addresses students needs, increases student satisfaction, improves retention and student success, and enhances the quality of academic life. 1.3 Academic Advising strengthens students connection to the program and to the College as a whole. 1.4 Academic Advising is to be offered to all students on a fair and equitable basis by College staff who have the tools, training and release time to provide timely academic advice. 1.5 Academic Advising addresses the needs of the College s diverse student population and is responsive to students in all programs, in all delivery modes. Who is an Academic Advisor? An academic advisor is a professor or instructor who has been assigned the responsibility of providing academic guidance to students in their program. The link provided brings you to Algonquin College s policy AA40 on academic advising: http://www2.algonquincollege.com/directives/files/2012/02/aa40.pdf 2

Is there a Job Description? Not exactly, but the Academic Advising policy describes three advisor responsibilities: -Contact advisees within the first two weeks of term -Track and report academic advising activity - Select and participate in PD opportunities suitable to your own needs Who is the Academic Advising Lead for your Program? All program coordinators are academic advisors, but not all advisors are program coordinators! In some programs, faculty assume advising roles. Enquire with your Program Coordinator to find out who the academic advising lead is within your program level. This information can change so it is important that you are informed. You can also use this link to retrieve college wide advisor list: http://www.algonquincollege.com/noticeboard/advisorslist/ Who is your Program Coordinator, Program Chair and/or Academic Manager? Knowing who the program coordinator, program chair and/or academic manager is for your program is very important when beginning your academic. This information can be found on each of the programs web pages by following this link: http://www.algonquincollege.com/future/fulltime.html Before you start Advising What does your Program of Study Look Like? Knowing your program well is an advantage when you are academically advising. Different levels within each program at the College require different prerequisites and corequisties; some programs are also available online with course substitutions. Use the following link to find your program and become more familiar with the requirements for graduation. This information can change so it is important to stay up to date. http://www.algonquincollege.com/future/fulltime.html Consent As part of the academic advising process, there are consent forms to be signed by the student. The advisor-advisee agreement: This form explains the role of an academic advisor and includes space for you to include your contact information for the student. By signing the form the student is in agreement that they understand the role of an academic advisor. It s up to the program to decide whether to use this form or not, but we recommend it. Algonquin College Student Advising System (ACSAS) permission form: By reading and signing this form, the student gives permission to the advisor to use ACSAS. This password-protected, online tracking system has been set up at the Algonquin College specifically for advisors so that they can monitor meetings and connect with resources to make referrals when necessary. o Algonquin College Student Advising System (ACSAS) 3

http://www3.algonquincollege.com/acadvising/files/2013/01/acsas_consent_form.pdf Connecting with Students Who are my student advisees? If you have not already received a list of student advisee names, request a list from your Academic Advising Lead, Program Coordinator or Academic Manager. How do you access your student advisees? Currently enrolled students can be easily accessed using the email function on Blackboard. To upload a list of all students (even those who have withdrawn), a report is available on ACSAS called Student List by Program. Where do I post information for academic advising? Posting information on Blackboard is a good way to ensure students have the information they need about academic advising. It is advisable for each program to have a folder on the program s homepage that contains the following information for students: Who: o Advisors names and contact information o Student list by advisor Template for email/posting to Bb What: o Do academic advisors do When & Why: o to contact academic advisors How (this will be specific to individual programs): o Do I contact my advisor? (Option to post direct link of email address in bb in this folder so students can click on it to book appointment) Where o Location of office and office hours 4

The following is an example of a template that can be used to post the list of advisors and advisees on Blackboard: Academic Advisor #1 Academic Advisor #2 Academic Advisor #3 Academic Advisor #4 Email Address Email Address Email Address Email Address Telephone Number & Extention Telephone Number & Extention Telephone Number & Extention Telephone Number & Extention Student Names Student Names Student Names Student Names How do I Set up Academic Advising Appointments? Setting up an initial interview with students can be done in a variety of ways dependent upon the program that you are advising within. Setting up appointments with students is often easiest to do via email; however, this can also be done via a telephone call, during orientation, after class or during a break. It is recommended that the initial interview take place within the first three (3) weeks of the semester. When Should a Student contact the Advisor? Students benefit by contacting their advisors anytime they feel there is a need for support or require a resource. Students may also be required to contact their academic advisor after midterm and final evaluations for academic support as needed. 5

When should an Advisor contact a Student? Pre-term email of introduction At orientation or in a first class Within the first two weeks of term (REQUIRED) - Can be in a large or small group, or on an individual basis When another faculty recommends that a student needs advising support As a follow-up to a decision made at an E&P meeting As part of a probation requirement Are you ready for an Initial Interview with a Student? Creating the climate Where will you meet? Do you have access to a computer in this space? What does the environment look like? The space where you meet with students has an impact. Before beginning advising consciously look at the space. Is it ready? Is it welcoming? Is it functional? Office space o Do you have private office space? (if not, contact the Academic Advising Coordinator to book space in the advising office or to get help in finding appropriate space) How is the office set up? Do chairs or desks need to be moved to create a welcoming atmosphere? Tissues o Are there tissues in the office in case a student becomes emotional? Offering of tissues can be an incredibly supportive gesture. Computer o Do you have the ACSAS tracking site open? o Is your resource list open? o Do you have the academic advising webpage bookmarked as a resource? Consent Forms o Do you have 2 copies of each consent form ready for each student meeting? Pens o Are there pens readily available for yourself and students? Paper o Do you have a paper readily available for notes or instructions? Candy o This is optional but can be a wonderful touch! 6

Things to consider during an initial interview: Is this a student that would require a referral to a College Resource? What resource(s) best meets the student s identified need? For example: Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD) Student Success Specialist (SSS) Counselling Services Financial Aid Registrar s Office Is this a student who needs a follow up appointment for an additional meeting? Should this meeting be set up prior to them leaving the initial interview? Example Questions to Ask During the Initial Interview What is your name? Did you have an IEP in high school? Are you registered with CSD right now? Describe your high school experience to me? o How did you do academically last year/high school? Last semester? Are you living in residence? What are your living accommodations? o Are you living on residence? At home with family? In a home with roommates? How many roommates?) Have you ever been involved in extracurricular activities? If yes when and what? Are you planning to or do you presently work during college? Do you work? How many hours per week? What is your support system (i.e. family, friends colleagues)? What interested you about this program? o Why did you apply? o Is this your first choice? Is this your first experience with post-secondary education? Did you take time between high school and college? o If so, what did you do? i.e. Did you work? Did you travel? A first interview is a perfect time to assess whether a student is potentially at risk of disengagement or failure. Certain student characteristics are red flags regardless of program : living away from home for the first time, ending up in a program that was not the first choice, juggling school while working many hours or having dependent children. Other characteristics may be programdependent (e.g. a student in Computer Studies who admits to spending a lot of time gaming). Students with a cluster of such warning signs are good candidates for a second interview a few weeks into term. 7

Tools and Resources As an Academic Advisor you will need a variety of tools and resources to effectively support your advisees success within your program. Bookmarking the resources from the academic advising website can assist you in this process. Academic Advising Webpage This site has all the information you need to successfully advise your students. There is a variety of information and several tutorials that are helpful to explore. http://www3.algonquincollege.com/acadvising/ Tracking Site This site can be accessed using your login name and password after you have been set up as an academic advisor. Anytime you are outside of the college you will need to login using the secure internet connection. http://intraweb.ottawa.ad.algonquincollege.com/apps/studenttracking/ Resource list The following list is a helpful tool in academic advising. This list contains the majority of resources that students are referred to by academic advisors. The list can be accessed through the link provided: http://www3.algonquincollege.com/acadvising/files/2013/01/w13_resource_list.pdf Program Monographs & Course Descriptions Every program has a listing on the Algonquin College website that contains the course requirements; expectations and course descriptions. Use this link to view your program of study: http://www.algonquincollege.com/future/programcourses.html 8

Academic Advising Case Studies The following six case studies are examples of situations that might be covered while academic advising. It is important to remember that as academic advisors we are not here to solve student s problems. As academic advisors we can help students come up a plan and provide colleges resources and alternatives for their specific issue. Case Study 1 Student sets appointment looking to gather information regarding options for continuing education. This student is really enjoying the program to date but is sure that she wants to continue her education by going to University. Her question is, should she continue this program after 1 st year or should she finish this year and apply to University for next year. Will she receive any benefits from her one year in the program to put towards her University? If she completes this 3 year program will she get any compensation and towards her degree. Is it worth her while to finish this program when she knows that she wants to work at a higher level in the profession than this diploma will offer her. Within this case study what are the identified issues and what resource referral are applicable? Identified Issues Change of program/transfer Furthering Education Applicable Resources Academic Advisor Career Counselling Student Success Specialist Is a follow up meeting with Academic Advisor required? Upon student request 9

Case Study 2 Mature student 40 years old. Female. English as a second language. This student has been out of school for several years. She has grown children and through receiving support from the community center close to her home, it was recommended that she study this program. The student expresses that she is enjoying the program but is feeling overwhelmed. She is self-conscious speaking in front of the class due to the language barrier and is unsure when she should approach a professor to see if she is on track with her work. She is also dealing with financial stresses at home. Her husband has recently lost his job. The finances are a huge stress factor for this student. Identified Issues Finances Mature Student English as a Second Language Applicable Resources Financial Aid Student Success Specialist English Coach Program specific Academic Coach if available Algonquin College Language Institute Is a follow up meeting with Academic Advisor required? Yes 10

Case Study 3 Male student, 18 years of age, coming directly from high school. This student is struggling with the academics in the program; he feels that in two of the courses it is the fault of the professor because they are impossible to understand. He is enjoying his other courses but is struggling with them due to a personal situation (was assaulted). This is the second meeting that you have had with this student. In the initial meeting he disclosed that he had an IEP in high school but had not registered with CSD when he started at the college. During this initial meeting it was suggested to this student that he set up a meeting with CSD and register for support. When asked in this meeting if he had followed up with this CSD meeting, he confirmed that he had but that he needed an updated assessment as the assessment that he was using in high school was outdated and that he needed a more recent assessment done. The student expressed that he was overwhelmed by this and that he did not have any money to pay for an assessment. The student is confident that he can be successful in this course and in this line of work. Identified Issues Personal Situation/Health/Stresses Academic Performance Finances Applicable Resources Counselling Services CSD - Contact CSD to advocate for students assessment and to inquire about financial support for assessment completion Student Success Specialist Refer student to make appointment with specific professor with whom he is experiencing difficulties Is a follow up meeting with Academic Advisor required? Yes 11

Case Study 4 Female 17 years of age. Not sure that this is the program she wants to be in. Has dealt with issues around anxiety throughout high school. She has never been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and does not feel comfortable sharing these concerns with her family doctor or her family. She is in this program because her family told her she had to do something after high school. Her parents are paying for her education and will only continue to do so if she is able to maintain a 75%. She is having a very difficult time connecting with her classmates and is often sitting alone in student commons area when she is not in class. She is having a difficult time focusing during classes as she says she is spending a lot of time worrying about everything. She has come to you because you are the only person she feels comfortable speaking to. Identified Issues Personal Situation/Health/Stresses Career Advice/Choice/Goals Applicable Resources Counselling Services (at times students benefit from advisors accompanying them to set up the initial appointment in "E" building, third floor) Student Success Specialist Career Counselling Is a follow up meeting with Academic Advisor required? Yes 12

Case Study 5 Student is concerned with program choice. I have some questions that maybe you could help me answer. I am not enjoying my program as much as I thought I would. I go to all my classes by I am having a difficult time staying on top of the work load. I think this is because of two reasons. The first one is like I have already stated, I am not sure this is the program I want to be in and two, I am having trouble with my classes already as I seem to be falling behind because I do not understand what we are learning. Identified Issues Academic Performance Career Advice/Choice/Goals Study Skills/Time Management Applicable Resources Program specific Academic Coach - if available Student Success Specialist Career Counselling Is a follow up meeting with Academic Advisor required? Yes 13

Case Study 6 Mature student, male, married with 3 children. Was unemployed 1 year ago due to injury and has returned to school through Second Career Ontario. He has chosen a career very different from his career of 15 years due to physical limitations. This student expresses that he is having difficulty with the level of maturity and lack of work ethic demonstrated by many of his classmates. He wants to be successful and is not happy with the fact that he has to be involved in group projects as he feels that the work load is not balanced based on his previously mentioned concerns. He wants to know if there is any way he can fast track through the program based on his previous work experience. Identified Issues Mature Student Study Skills/Time Management Applicable Resources Program specific Academic Coach - if available Student Success Specialist Counselling Services Is a follow up meeting with Academic Advisor required? As requested by student 14

Initial Interview Examples Initial Interview #1 Hi. It nice to meet you. Thanks for coming in today to meet with me. Did you have any trouble finding the office? Yes - this school is a lot bigger than my high school. Have you noticed any of the information booths located around the college just be aware those are there to help students get around, so please feel comfortable to use them. I ve been looking forward to our meeting. This meeting gives me an opportunity to see how you are settling into the program and it also gives me an opportunity to meet with you and explain my role as your academic advisor. Do you have an idea of what an academic advisor is? Oh is kinda like a guidance counsellor. Yes it is a somewhat like a guidance counselor. Some people think that the role of an academic advisor is only to advise you on your academics but in fact we have realized that being successful academically includes a variety of things that may impact your success in your studies including your finances; emotional & physical health and academics. As your advisor I am here to help identify the various resources that are available for you here at the college and to help you access the ones that may be of benefit to you. As part of the academic advising process there are a couple of consent forms for you to review and sign. One of them is the academic-advisee agreement. This form further explains my role as your academic advisor and gives you my contact information. By signing it it just shows you have read and understood the role. The second form is the Algonquin College Student Advising System permission form. By reviewing and signing this form it allows me to keep track of our meetings and make referrals to available resources when necessary. Why don t I open it up and show you what it looks like. With those forms signed why don t we continue? Are you coming to the college directly from high school? Yes I am. Was this program your first choice? Yeah I m really lucky to get in. So how are you settling in? How are you finding this transition? Really good. What was your high school experience like? What activities were you involved in? How did you do academically? Um I did ok most of my marks were like c s or b s. I did better in the courses that I liked. And what were your favorite courses? I really liked outdoor ed. And my business course. 15

And were you involved in any extracurricular activities? Yes, I was part of the school band. Did you access any supports such as an IEP during high school? What is an IEP? This is an individual education plan, you would have received services such as a note taker, or you may have had extra time for your exams and perhaps written your exams in a different room. Yes, I did have extra time for my tests and exams. Have you registered with CSD? (Student may respond with what is CSD) Centre for students with Disabilities, I know - worse name ever. No, I didn t I didn t know that was a possibility. How would I do this? You would make an appointment with a CSD counselor and they will guide you through the process. I will give you this contact information before you leave today as it is important that you begin this process as soon as possible. I was also wondering about OSAP, I thought I would have my cheque by now but I still have not received it. OSAP is handled through financial aid. I will let you know where the financial aid office is, I will introduce you to another resource that will help you the Student Success Specialist. The student success specialist can help connect you to a variety more specifics within identify resources. Do you have a commute to get to school or are you living in residence? I am living in residence. How are you finding this experience? This is my first time living away from home so it is weird. I do like having the other students around but I am finding it hard to study. There is a lot of partying. Are you aware of whom your RA is and have you had an opportunity to connect with him/her? Yes, I did. I liked her and we did talk about some of the challenges of living in residence. Are you presently working or planning to work when you are school. Yes, I have a job and am working 10 hours a week. My boss knows I am in school and is pretty good with my schedule. Do you have a support system outside of the college? What do you mean? Do you have any family members in the area or friends? Yes, my aunt lives in the area and I will be able to visit her on weekends sometimes. I have met a couple of people in my course that I think are pretty cool. Do you have any other questions for me? No, not right now. Let s go back to the tracking system and make the referral to your Student Success Specialist. And I will send you an email with the location for CSD and Financial Aid. I am really glad to have had this opportunity to meet with you. You can contact me at any time if you have any questions or concerns. Please feel free to keep me updated on how things are going. I am here to be an ongoing support for you throughout your semester. I just want to confirm that you know 16

how to reach me. Yes, I do. I look forward to hearing from you. Take care. Initial Interview 2 Hi. It is nice to meet you. Thanks for coming in today to meet with me. Did you have any trouble finding the office? No your directions were good. I ve been looking forward to our meeting. This meeting gives me an opportunity to see how you are settling into the program and it also gives me an opportunity to meet with you and explain my role as your academic advisor. Do you have an idea of what an academic advisor is? No not really. You would think that the role of an academic advisor is to advise you on your academics but in fact we have realized that being successful academically includes a variety of things that may impact your success in your studies including finances; emotional & physical health and academics. As your advisor I am here to identify the various resources that are available to you here at the college and to help you access the ones that may be of benefit to you. As part of the academic advising process there are a couple of consent forms for you to review and sign. One of them is the academic-advisee agreement. This form further explains my role as your academic advisor and gives you my contact information. By signing this it shows you have read and understood the role. The second form is the Algonquin College Student Advising System permission form. By reviewing and signing this form it allows me to keep track of our meetings and make referrals to available resources when necessary. Why don t I open it up and show you what it looks like. With those forms signed why don t we continue? Have you attended college or university in the past? No When is the last time you attended school? 7 years ago I graduated from high school and began working in the construction business; I suffered an injury last year and am now training in this profession. Can you describe your high school experience to me? I did ok in high school, I was a B student. I got married the year I graduated and had a baby that same year so continuing my education was not really a possibility at that time. The program that you have chosen is it something you were interested in before? I have always enjoyed working with the computer and have had the opportunity to do some very basic program design for the construction company I was working with over the past couple of years. When I met with the career counselor this program was mentioned as an option and when I looked further into it 17

it really interested me. I know you are only a couple of weeks in but how are you finding the program so far? I am enjoying it, I find the classes interesting. There are a couple of professor s that I am really enjoying their approach so far. What is it about their approach that you appreciate? They give very clear instruction and are able to relate the topics that they are discussing back to real life experiences within the field. Are you connecting with any of your fellow classmates? No not really, they seem a lot younger than me. There are two other mature students that I have met in the class but we really have not had any time to connect. How far is your commute to the college? I am in the east end, so it takes me between 30minutes - 1hour depending on traffic. Do you have a strong support system outside of the college? My wife is very supportive but she is also very busy with our three children. I am the only one of our friends that is presently in school. So far I am finding it a little difficult to find time to get my work done; I have a very busy house hold. Are you working right now or planning to get a job? No I am not presently working right now due to my injury and the employment work program I am connected with. You may benefit from meeting with our student success specialists to discuss time management and study skill techniques. Sometimes it is nice to have that support within the college to discuss some techniques to build upon your success. If you would like I can give you the contact information for the SSS? I think I would like to meet with them. It has been a long time since I have been in school and I am feeling a little overwhelmed. If possible I would like to meet with you again in a couple of weeks just to see how you are settling in and if you have had the opportunity to meet with the SSS. We can discuss at that time if there were any other resources that may be available to you. Do you have your day timer with you we can schedule that now if you would like? Sure - That would be great. Let s go back to the tracking system and make the referral to you Student Success Specialist. And I will send you and email though here with the date and time of our next meeting. I am looking forward to meeting with you again in two weeks. Please feel free to contact me in between if you have any questions. BYE 18