Advising Approach Focused on Learning for a Multi-campus Institution

Elizabeth Mitchell and Heather Sullivan

Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte NC

Background

  • Completion by Design Initiative
  • Consultants from National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) visited the college in April 2016 and reported on strengths and challenges of advising
  • Need for alignment to a common advising practice and philosophy
  • Need for common expectations and goals for advising for students as well as advisors
  • A team from CPCC attended NACADA Summer Institute, June 2016 – interdisciplinary team of a First Year Advisor, Transfer Advisor, Workplace Learning director, and Faculty advisor
  • At the NACADA Summer Institute our team:
  • Researched best practices
  • Spent time in contemplation of the challenges and opportunities of advising and what was important to include in our advising philosophy
  • Used best practices to discuss and intentionally design our advising approach, including:
  • Advising Purpose, Advising Definition (philosophy), Student Learning Outcomes, Advisor/Advisee Responsibilities, Student Success checklist and resources
  • An Action Plan and a Timeline for the new approach
  • Presented the syllabus to professional consultants at NACADA. Presented the syllabus for peer review by other community college advising experts at the end of the Summer Institute.
  • Critical step in our process – outside view allowed for refinement

Timeline

  • In Fall 2016 we collected feedback from groups across the college and used this feedback to make additional refinements to the syllabus
  • Students in a Biology class and a Communication class
  • Advisement Management team, College Senate
  • Student Success Services Quarterly Meeting
  • VP of Learning and VP of Student Services
  • In Spring 2017 we are piloting the syllabus in ACA 122 (College Transfer Success)
  • Future plans:
  • Present to Learning Council and Enrollment and Student ServicesCouncil by the end of Spring 2017
  • Roll out to students starting in Fall 2018
  • Goal is to introduce the advising syllabus at different points of contact to reach a variety of students: ACA classes, Faculty Advisors, First year advising
  • Continue enhancements as changes are made at CPCC – 1 year check-in
  • Continue to work on alignment of advising at CPCC
  • develop student resource materials for advising
  • refine advising training process for faculty and advisors/counselors
  • add advising checklist and syllabus to CPCC mobile app

Advising Syllabus Student Survey Results

The advising syllabus was presented to 3 college classrooms: Communications, Academic Success, and Biology. Students in each class were given an opportunity to review a paper copy of the syllabus and asked to complete a short survey (attached). A total of 15 students have responded so far.

Overall, student feedback regarding the advising syllabus has been positive, with the majority of respondents feeling confident that the syllabus will be a helpful tool. Additional Academic Success classes will be surveyed during Spring 2017 short session II, beginning in mid-March.

Creating an Integrated Advising Model: Getting Started!

The following questions are designed to get you brainstorming about your college’s current advising process and how you might begin implementation of a new advising approach.

  1. What are the most important elements of an advising philosophy? Do you have an advising philosophy at your college?
  1. In terms of advising, what are the responsibilities of the advisor? What are the responsibilities of the advisee?
  1. Think about how advising currently works at your college. Are there any missing pieces? Where is there room for improvement?
  1. Identify your stakeholders. Who would you need support from during this change process?
  1. What challenges might you face when creating and/or implementing an Advising Syllabus at your college?
  1. How are your students taught about your advising process? List the items that a student should be able to take away from an advising meeting (for example: being able to identify appropriate resources and services, identifying career goals, etc)?
  1. Think about a timeline for design and implementation of your advising syllabus.
  1. What alliances could help you with the mission of creating an advising philosophy and syllabus at your college (for example: outside consultants, other colleges, etc)?