Planning, Conducting, & Presenting an Academic Advising Self-Study

1. Planning, Conducting, & Presenting an Academic Advising Self-Study Shannon Dobranski, Ph.D. NACADA 2014

2. Overview • What is a self-study? • When or where would a self-study be useful? • Who might help? • What are some strategies for completing the study? • How might one promote and use the self-study?

3. So what is a self study?

4. A self study is not an assessment Assessment: the continuous process of gathering information to determine and improve progress toward specific outcomes (Aiken-Wisniewski et al., 2010 Robbins & Zarges, 2012 Troxel, 2008) Assessment

5. A self study is not an evaluation Evaluation: the process by which individuals, teams, or practices are judged often with the use of specific ratings (Robbins 2009, 2012) Evaluation

6. But. . . A self study may anticipate an assessment process or evaluation. “Start with the end in mind.” Aiken-Wisniewski et al., 2010

7. For the self study, focus on PDOs • Concentrate on process/delivery outcomes (PDOs) • Save student learning outcomes (SLOs) for a future assessment

8. A selfstudy is . . . • A formal report grounded in strategic and consistent consistent data-gathering • An opportunity to identify common practice among disparate or remote professionals • A non-evaluative “snapshot” of professional practice

9. Why might a self study be useful? • To educate administrators • To appeal for funds or resources • To connect practice to vision/mission • To reveal practice in a satellite or hybrid advising model

10. Decentralized Advising at Georgia Tech

11. Reflection 1 • What questions might a self study answer for your home institution?

12. Preparation • Establish clear objectives • Seek guidance • Select participants

13. Where would I start? • Establish objectives for your study: • To gather data about different advising practices • To learn more about the student experience • To discover resource inequities in different advising units • To identify best practices

14. Whom might I consult on campus? • Institutional Research • Office of Assessment • Larger on-campus advising network • Any unit that has completed a self study

15. Whom might I consult off campus? • NACADA • Clearinghouse • Assessment Institute • Webinars • Innovative Educators • Academic Impressions • Professionals at other schools • Completed self studies

16. Tip from experience! • Make the study a team effort • Identify stakeholders • Cultivate buy-in • Share the labor • Make each other accountable • Get consistent help from students or staff • Transcription and data entry

17. Reflection 2 • Identify two campus partners you might consult to help plan the selfstudy. • What stakeholders might participate in your selfstudy team?

18. Execution • Gather statistical information through surveys • Gather detailed and anecdotal information through interviews • Organize and categorize • Summarize parts and whole

19. Execution: Survey • Vet your survey with assessment or institutional research team • Test the survey on actual advisors • Don’t reinvent the wheel: use automated survey generators like Survey Monkey, SurveyGizmo, Qualtrics

23. Tip from Experience! • Consider the best audience for different types of questions • Consider separate surveys • Comprehensive to capture everybody’s experience • Selective for authoritative information

24. Reflection 3 • Will your survey be selective or comprehensive? • Will you need more than one survey for multiple audiences?

25. Execution: Interview • Schedule appointments early • Send an email with an overview or agenda and a request for any specific materials • Meet advisors in their work space • Take pictures • Stick to a standardized script, ask follow up questions as warranted

27. Tips from Experience! • Consider starting with face-to-face interviews and then moving on to statistical data • Summarize interview findings and follow up immediately • Look for “low-hanging fruit” that can be addressed with immediate action

28. Reflection 4 How might you select and categorize information for a face-to-face interview?

29. Execution: Organize Information • Keep materials organized as you go • Enter hand-written information into spreadsheet or database

31. Analysis • Identifying trends • How do practices align/differ? • Following up • Determining needs • What are best practices? • Why doesn’t everybody engage in best practices: awareness or resources?

33. Delivery • Draft the report • Consider the audience • Keep it lean • Revise the report • See it again with fresh (and different!) eyes • Include visual aids and personal testimony • Present information intentionally • Include appendices with details

34. Promotion • Present information to different stakeholders • Spread the word • Anticipate next steps

35. Reflection 5 For the stakeholders you identified in reflection 2, determine a format and occasion for presenting the study.

36. References Aiken-Wisneiwski, S. (Ed)., (2010). Guide to Assessment in Academic Advising (second edition). [Monograph No. 23]. Manhattan, KS: The National Academic Advising Association. Robbins, R. (2009). Evaluation and assessment of career advising. In Hughey, K. Burton Nelson, D., Damminger, J. and McCalla-Wriggins, B., (Eds) Handbook of Career Advising (chapter 12). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Robbins, R. & Zarges, K.M. (2011). Assessment of Academic Advising: A Summary of the Process. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web Site: www.nacada.ksu. Troxel, W.G. (2008). Assessing the effectiveness of the advising program. In V.N. Gordon, W.R. Habley, and T.J. Grites, Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook (2nd edition) (pp. 286-295). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

37. Contact Me! Shannon Dobranski Director, Center for Academic Success Georgia Tech shannon.dobranski@gatech.edu