Micro-Credentialing | Advising For Retention: Meeting Your Students Where They Are

To earn this credential, please select 3 courses from the following list:

• Advising Gen Z Students: Developing A Comprehensive Retention Initiative
  
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion In Academic Advising: Challenges, Opportunities
  
• Incorporating Mindset, Belonging & Resilience Into Advising, Peer Mentoring & Orientation
  
• Onboarding Academic Advisors: Strategies For Success In Changing Times
  
• Online Advising: Utilizing Technology For Effective & Meaningful Sessions
  
• Advising Diverse Populations: How To Be Inclusive Using Appreciative Advising
  
• Peer Advising Programs: A Powerful Strategy For Enhancing Retention
  
• Online Advising: Evidence-Based Best Practices For Virtual Advising

Advising Gen Z Students:  Developing A Comprehensive Retention Initiative

Overview
“As Millennials fade and students of Generation Z take over, in what ways should our advisors be changing with them? They need information to be presented to them in different, more efficient ways than the generations before them, and they need it at their fingertips. In most cases, they weren’t raised to know what to do in a lot of day-to-day — or what many of us would consider “common sense” — situations, like simply changing a light bulb.” -- Carrie Whittier (Cross & Crescent)

“Generation Z is the youngest of the five generations, active in today’s economy. They are already the largest generation in the U.S. and will represent 40 percent of the population in 2020. In the world of higher-education, Gen Z accounts for all of the students enrolling today. Generation Z has experienced the most change in their short time on earth. Most of those changes center around technology. Gen Z is disrupting decades-long practices in our education system, forcing colleges and universities to adapt at a rapid pace or become irrelevant.” -- Dillon Kalkhurst (Pearson)

“Generation Z has officially entered college. And just as the Millennials before them, this generation is disrupting the way learning happens in higher education. But these differences go beyond just a greater dependence on technology. Gen Z-ers tend to embrace social learning environments, where they can be hands-on and directly involved in the learning process. They expect on-demand services that are available at any time and with low barriers to access. And they tend to be more career-focused earlier on in their college careers.”-- Sieva Kozinsky (Forbes)

In this interactive webinar, we will explore the characteristics of Generation Z students from a variety of different student populations, discuss the advising challenges inherent to each subgroup as well as how to overcome them, and provide evidence-based best practices for retaining these students to graduation. We will also explain the various roles that all members of the campus community can play in responding to the advising needs of Generation Z students as well as examine successful programs and initiatives from across the nation that are currently being used to effectively and cost-efficiently meet their advising needs – and how these programs and initiatives can be adapted to a variety of higher education environments. Equal emphasis will be placed on helping both institutions as well as individual Generation Z students achieve their mutually-complementary objective: graduation and job placement.

Objectives

• Review the general characteristics of Generation Z students, with an emphasis on their advising needs
  
• Review the general characteristics of Generation Z students from various subpopulations including first generation, veteran, minority, LGBTQIA, rural, urban and suburban, lower socioeconomic, transfer, international, and immigrant backgrounds
  
• Investigate the role of leadership in identifying and responding to the advising needs of Generation Z students
  
• Conduct a needs analysis to determine how well their institution is doing at identifying and responding to the advising needs of Generation Z students
  
• Discuss what can be done before Generation Z students arrive on campus, including how to partner with elementary and secondary schools to achieve the best possible outcome for these students with respect to their advising needs
  
• Assess and anticipate the evolving advising needs of Generation Z students with respect to academic preparation, social integration, mental and emotional health considerations, and financial support.
  
• Investigate the available platforms and applications that can be used to facilitate the process of advising Generation Z students from various populations
  
• Explore evidence-based best practices in coordinating comprehensive retention initiatives related to academic advising for Generation Z students
  
• Examine mechanisms for keeping everyone at the institution on the same page with respect to meeting the advising needs of Generation Z students
  
• Critique real-life examples of effective and ineffective ways of responding to the advising needs of Generation Z students

Presenter

 

Dr. Aaron W. Hughey  

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion In Academic Advising: Challenges, Opportunities

Overview

“As institutions increase their attempts to diversify and expand the undergraduate college student population, there is a need to increase the academic resources and support services for their students, particularly for students of Color. Because of this, academic advisors play an integral role in the academic success and degree completion of their students. The ways in which they advise and perceive their students can impact the way their students navigate and make sense of the college environment. This relationship between faculty advisor and student is just one aspect of the academic advising experience. In addition to establishing a relationship with a faculty advisor, students of Color must also learn how their ethnic and racial identities influence these interactions and their larger college experiences.” - University of Colorado, Boulder

Many institutions have made significant progress in their efforts to recruit, retain, graduate and place students from diverse backgrounds in a position for personal and professional success after graduation. However, the truth is that many students of color face immense challenges in the academic world — many of their peers who do not identify similarly cannot understand or appreciate. Academic advisors can play a significant role in helping these students be more successful and making others more aware of the challenges they face as they help them reach their full potential. The active promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is essential to the ultimate success of all students. Academic advisors can, and should, take a leadership role in making sure the campus environment is supportive of all students at the institution.

This webinar will provide evidence-based best practices that can be used to help academic advisors be more mindful of their inherent responsibility to integrate and reinforce the basic tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the advising process at all levels. A huge part of this process involves mentoring and coaching students, not only in their respective disciplines, and educating others about the social mores and political minefields than can characterize higher education. Concrete strategies for embedding DEI concepts into the academic advising process will be presented, together with case studies, demonstrating how to maximize their effectiveness.

Objectives

• Review the current situation with respect to students of color on the contemporary college campus.
  
• Explore the obstacles that impede students of color from reaching their full potential at many higher education institutions.
  
• Investigate what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean personally to all students.
  
• Consider the role of institutional culture in the recruitment and retention of all students — especially students of color.
  
• Learn how to conduct a diversity, equity and inclusion needs analysis designed to reveal the strengths and weaknesses at their particular institution.
  
• Discuss how to translate the findings of the DEI needs analysis into a concrete action plan.
  
• Investigate the role of academic advisors in developing and implementing strategies designed to enhance DEI throughout the campus community.
  
• Examine evidence-based best practices in advising students of color.
  
• Critique real-life examples and case studies of effective and ineffective ways of integrating DEI into the academic advising process.
  
• Learn how to assess and anticipate the evolving DEI needs of the campus community.

Presenters

 

Dr. Aaron W. Hughey

Dr. Monica Galloway Burke

Incorporating Mindset, Belonging & Resilience Into Advising, Peer Mentoring & Orientation 

Overview
Current research on growth mindset, belonging, and resilience has exploded in the last few years. As a result, many student success professionals are grappling with how best to take what we know works and implement it into a first-year program. Questions such as “What works and why?” and “How can we create a consistent experience that supports learning mindsets?” and “How can we easily incorporate these interventions with little effort and money?” often come up when institutions begin to explore opportunities to foster these noncognitive traits. In this engaging and interactive webinar, participants will learn how to apply the current research on growth mindset, belonging, and resilience to create a culture of support and to provide formative experiences that encourage, develop, or enhance these traits.

Objectives

• Discuss the current research of growth mindset, belonging, and resilience briefly
  
• Determine at least two opportunities to support a culture that enhances growth mindset, belonging, and resilience.
  
• Create the beginnings of a plan for incorporating growth mindset, belonging, and resilience into first-year orientation, advising, peer leadership, and other co-curricular activities during the first year.

Presenter

Amy Baldwin, Ed.D.

Bryce Bunting, Ph.D.

Onboarding Academic Advisors: Strategies For Success In Changing Times

Overview

"Onboarding is an opportunity for employers to teach skills, share information, and outline behaviors that will set the new hire on a path toward job success. In this stage, hiring managers need to be intentional about sharing specific knowledge to ensure the employee feels part of the team and valued. From the new hire perspective, this stage is where they decide if the first day's experiences match the hiring process. The onboarding experience impacts how the employee performs, how they feel about working at the organization, and how long they remain with the organization. Losing a new hire is costly in both time and money." - Andrea Miller (NACADA)

This webinar will cover preparing academic advisors to succeed given the uncertainties ahead. Being able to provide high-quality services in a variety of formats in a seamless manner takes significant forethought, planning, and professional development. The emphasis will be on new academic advisors, although the insights and strategies discussed will also apply to returning professionals. The speaker will highlight key aspects of the staff selection process as hiring the right person determines how successful the onboarding process will be. Moreover, the essential components of a successful academic advising program will be featured, focusing on how those components can be implemented to give new and returning academic advisors maximum flexibility. The goal is to develop and maintain an advising relationship regardless of what form that relationship ultimately takes and irrespective of what the future holds. A primary focus will be on utilizing the best approach amid constantly evolving circumstances. Opportunities for participant involvement through case studies and real-time feedback via chat will also be used to enhance the learning experience.

Objectives

• Assess and anticipate evolving needs with respect to academic advising as a consequence of the pandemic and other factors.
  
• Review the essential components of successful academic advising, emphasizing how those components can be configured and reconfigured quickly and effectively.
  
• Explore evidence-based best practices associated with the selection of academic advisors.
  
• Investigate evidence-based best practices associated with the professional development (initial and ongoing) of academic advisors.
  
• Learn how to train academic advisors more effectively, preparing them for multiple scenarios based on unknown contingencies.
  
• Discover strategies for training academic advisors so they are prepared to meet their students' needs using various integrated strategies.
  
• Navigate the challenges of responding to larger numbers of advisees while retaining a personal approach irrespective of delivery methods.
  
• Consider case studies from the proverbial real world that demonstrate how academic advisors can continue to be effective in challenging conditions.

Presenter

Dr. Aaron W. Hughey

Online Advising: Utilizing Technology For Effective & Meaningful Sessions 

Overview
“Many colleges base online advising on their campus-based practices. This approach seems logical because the destination of online and in-person programs — a degree or certificate — is the same. But the online journey follows a different path, raising the need for tailored support.” ~ Wiley University Services

COVID significantly altered the way academic advising is conducted at most institutions. A primary driver for this transformation has been the use of advanced communication technologies to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the process while still providing the opportunity for meaningful human connections. We have learned a lot about the technology employed to provide academic advising in a virtual format and how those insights can apply to our face-to-face efforts. When implemented conscientiously and correctly, the right technological supports can create a synergy that is both high tech and high touch. This webinar will cover the essential technical tips and tricks we learned through the adaptations we had to make for the pandemic and how we can best utilize those insights moving forward. A primary focus will be on those approaches that can deliver the most successful experience for the student. The speaker will also have opportunities for participant involvement through case studies, and real-time chat feedback will be used to enhance the learning experience.

Objectives

• Review the essential components of successful academic advising.
  
• Understand how the essential components of face-to-face advising can be adapted to an online environment.
  
• Improve the ability to connect in a virtual advising session.
  
• Investigate the technological tips and tricks we employed through our collective experience with the pandemic.
  
• Discover strategies for engaging students in a meaningful, productive advising relationship using technology.
  
• Critique real-life examples of effective and ineffective ways of interacting with students in a virtual format.
  
• Consider case studies from the proverbial real world demonstrating how technology can be successfully integrated into all academic advising delivery models.

Presenters

Dr. Aaron Hughey

Advising Diverse Populations: How To Be Inclusive Using Appreciative Advising 

Overview

“Tackling the advising profession with a homogeneous approach would be like offering only vanilla or chocolate at the local ice cream shop. Sure, there will be customers who want one or the other but serving more choices would help to satisfy everyone. As advisers, broadening our worldview to appreciate all identities for their uniqueness and not holding them to our own strictly defined experiences will contribute to increasing student success.” – Christopher Scott Holder

“What should “diversity” mean to advisors? The core values of diversity are effective practice, ethical responsibility, validity, equality, and greater good. Moreover, diversity needs to be practiced and promoted.” -- Wei-Chien Lee

“As institutions increase their attempts to diversify and expand the undergraduate college student population, there is a need to increase the academic resources and support services for their students, particularly for students of Color. Because of this, academic advisors play an integral role in the academic success and degree completion of their students. The ways in which they advise and perceive their students can impact the way their students navigate and make sense of the college environment. This relationship between faculty advisor and student is just one aspect of the academic advising experience. In addition to establishing a relationship with a faculty advisor, students of Color must also learn how their ethnic and racial identities influence these interactions and their larger college experiences.” – University of Colorado

Academic advising is a key component of any effective retention-to-graduation strategy; it forms the foundation for a successful college experience. As the student populations on most campuses continue to become more and more diverse, this can present challenges for advisors who are concerned about meeting the needs of their advisees. Indeed, working with students who differ immensely with respect to their backgrounds, experiences, preferences, and orientations precludes the use of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Customization and flexibility are the keys to the delivery of advising services that meet the sophisticated needs of today’s students. Being able to connect with students on an emotional as well as intellectual level sets the stage for a successful advising experience. But this can be difficult for many advisors who lack the knowledge and skills needed to fully understand and appreciate the students they serve.

Please join us for an evidence-based, interactive, hands-on webinar that will provide participants with the competencies they need to effectively engage in academic advising with all students, irrespective of their personal and cultural characteristics. Different student populations have different needs and preferences when it comes to their expectations regarding the advising process; it is important that advisors be able to recognize where their students are coming from and respond in a way that facilitates growth and development along a number of relevant dimensions. This webinar will help advisors enhance their ability to better serve all students and get more of them to the finish line.

Objectives

• Review the essential components of the academic advising process
  
• Explore the benefits and challenges unique to academic advising in the 21st Century
  
• Discover evidence-based best practices in academic advising, including the importance of relationships
  
• Demonstrate what strategies and techniques work best with specific populations (including first-generation students, first-year students, transfer students, international students, LBGTQIA students, multicultural and racially/ethnically diverse students, student-athletes, non-traditional students, and students with disabilities).
  
• Examine the application of the appreciative advising model to diverse student populations
  
• Learn how to connect emotionally with students during the advising process
  
• Critique real-life examples of effective and ineffective ways of interacting with students during the advising process
  
• Investigate strategies for engaging all students in a meaningful, productive advising relationships
  
• Discern issues of confidentiality and security, connectivity, and clarity associated academic advising

Presenter

 

Dr. Aaron W. Hughey

Peer Advising Programs: A Powerful Strategy For Enhancing Retention

"Peer advising is not a replacement for faculty or staff advising, but rather a supplement. While it is important for a student to have a faculty or staff adviser to provide guidance throughout the educational experience, peers can contribute to student success in ways that complement faculty/staff advising services. Because peer advising is flexible and can fit any program model, peer advising practices vary from institution to institution. For example, types of peer advising include friendly contact programs, programs that pair peer advisers and faculty or professional staff advisers, peer advisers as paraprofessionals within a centralized advising center, and peer advisers as paraprofessionals within residence halls." - Elizabeth Swisher

This webinar will cover the essential components of a successful peer advising program designed to meet the needs of college students from various populations. The focus will be on developing and maintaining peer-to-peer supportive relationships. As is usually the case with any successful program, the critical role of training – and how to conduct it appropriately – will be covered, along with recommendations for enhancing the program's overall efficacy. Equal attention will be given to the individuals serving as peer advisors and those responsible for overseeing the program. Also included will be opportunities for participant involvement through case studies and real-time feedback via chat.

Objectives:

• Explore evidence-based best practices in peer advising with college students.
• Assess and anticipate the needs of students with respect to peer advising strategies.
• Improve the ability to connect with peers during an advising session.
• Examine issues of confidentiality and security associated with peer advising programs.
• Discover strategies for training peer advisors so they are prepared to meet their advisees' needs using various integrated strategies.
• Critique real-life examples of effective ways of interacting with students in a peer advising relationship.

Presenter

Dr. Aaron W. Hughey

Online Advising: Evidence-Based Best Practices For Virtual Advising

“A lot rides on the shoulders of college advisers. They're the ones who make sure students have the right mix of courses to graduate. They help out with information and guidance about transfer credit and policy, financial aid, personal concerns, study abroad opportunities, academic petitions or special requests, complaints about instructors, dropping and adding courses and making referrals to other campus services. They're often expected to help students set life goals and explore career options. They evaluate student academic progress and help steer them toward reaching their academic goals. It's a heavy load, but when you take into consideration the fact that many advisers are responsible for hundreds of students at once, the task seems almost superhuman. As a result, institutions have turned to online systems to streamline the process, helping automate administrative tasks and giving students self-service access to decision-making tools.” -- Dian Schaffhauser (Campus Technology)

Advanced technologies are moving academic advising into the virtual world, where students can have access to the guidance they need anytime and anywhere. As financial resources have become more scarce at many institutions at the same time demands have become more acute, online advising has become more pervasive. Online advising systems offer faculty, staff and other professionals a way to do more with less while increasing retention and enhancing completion rates. The evidence is clear: when done appropriately, online advising can provide colleges and universities with significant benefits in some key areas.

This webinar will cover the essential components of a successful online academic advising program, including the pros and cons of the various platforms that are available, how to use them effectively to develop and maintain advising relationships that have all the feature of face-to-face meetings, and concrete solutions to the problems that inevitably arise in an online environment. The focus will be on both the individual academic advisor as well as those responsible for overseeing the process in general. Also included will be opportunities for participant involvement through the use of case studies and real-time feedback via chat.

Objectives

• Review the essential components of successful academic advising in the 21st Century
• Explore evidence-based best practices in academic advising
• Learn how to adapt those components to an online environment
• Understand the essential components of advising online
• Assess and anticipate student needs using online tools and strategies
• Learn the benefits and challenges unique to online advising
• Investigate the available platforms and applications for online advising
• Improve the ability to truly connect in a virtual advising session
• Critique real-life examples of effective and ineffective ways of interacting with students in an online environment
• Examine issues of confidentiality and security, connectivity, and clarity associated with online advising
• Discover strategies for engaging students in a meaningful, productive advising relationship in an online environment

Presenter

Dr. Aaron W. Hughey