Advising to Make the Grade FYE Assignments that Benefit Students and Advisers

1. Advising to Make the GradeFYE Assignments that BenefitStudents and Advisers Veronica GiguereFlorida Institute of Technology

2. Advising to Make the Grade • Bring advising into the first-year seminar through purposeful assignments that touch on key student skills while creating a robust advisee portfolio • Learn how one university integrates advising into the first-year seminar curriculum through time management, midterm grade reflection, and faculty student interviews

3. Benefit Students and Advisers • Examine assignments that meet shared goals for both first-year student advisers and first-year student seminar instructors • Receive exercises and examples that you can modify to suit your own course and department objectives

4. Florida Institute of Technology • Private, four-year research institution in Melbourne, Florida • ASC 1000 – University Experience (UE) • Coordinated through Academic Support Center • Required for FTIC as part of undergraduate core • One credit, A-F; meets 1 hour over 16 weeks • Introduction to campus, academic strategies, university resources, and campus life

5. First-Year Seminar Instruction • 2010: 590 FTIC enrolled in ASC 1000 • 24 sections taught by alumni, faculty, staff • 2011: 690 FTIC enrolled in ASC 1000 • 27 sections taught by alumni, faculty, staff • 12 of these sections taught by advising staff (4) • 2012: ~700 FTIC expected • 30 sections taught by alumni, faculty, staff • 12 of these sections taught by advising staff (4)

6. Shared Goals for First-Year Students • Reflect upon goals (academic and personal) • Become acquainted with university procedures, campus resources, and local community • Develop academic skills and strategies to persist through the first year and beyond • Work with adviser to create and maintain an academic schedule to fit academic and personal goals • Use campus resources, including faculty and staff services, to persist through the first year and beyond

7. Six Key Assignments • Who Are You? – Week 1 • 168 Hours – Week 4 • Student Résumé – Week 6 • Midterm Grade Evaluation – Week 9 • Registration Planning Sheet – Week 12 • Faculty Interview – Week 14

8. Who Are You? – Week 1 Shared Objectives • Familiarity with students’ goals, interests, and personal motivations • The “whole story” rather than simply “name to face”

9. 168 Hours – Week 4 Shared Objectives • Introduction of time management strategy • Awareness of academic and personal time split • Familiarity with weekly format for resource management

10. Student Résumé – Week 6 Shared Objectives • Awareness of goals and objectives beyond first year • Importance of academic and service activities to employment • Interaction with career management services and community opportunities

11. Midterm Grade Evaluation – Week 9 Shared Objectives • Record and reflect upon midterm grades • Practice calculation of grade point average

12. Registration Planning Sheet – Week 12 Shared Objectives • Familiarity with choosing courses for next semester • Use time management skills to schedule classes per personal goals and interests • Prepare for meeting with adviser to register for classes

13. Faculty Interview – Week 14 Shared Objectives • Initiate conversation with faculty member within department • Assist in transition from advising center to faculty adviser within department

14. Challenges to the Model • Sharing information when the adviser is not the instructor • Common objectives for different majors • Uniform grading of assignments • Paper completion vs. online completion • Student perception of assignments/activities

15. Improvements & Modifications • Adviser input modifies assignments • Specific advising = Detailed assignments • Electronic assignment completion • Paperless • Immediate feedback • Central repository for assignments

16. Something for Everyone! • Limited number of exercises with rubric • Download at: http://my.fit.edu/~vgiguere/ • Presentation slides with notes • Exercises with grading rubric • Syllabus & Grading Policies • Contact Information • vgiguere@fit.edu • (321) 674-7115 • Additional social media (“Veronica Giguere”)