search articles:     from the issue of October 6, 2005           Trends examined as UNL readies to enhance program Teaching key to successful advising  BY KIM HACHIYA, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS The link between advising and student success seems obvious, but often lies off academe's radar screen. That was the message offered by Charlie Nutt, associate director of the National Academic Advising Association. Nutt presented workshops on advising Sept. 29 and 30 at UNL. Nutt said research published by the Pell Institute in 2004 showed that institutions with higher-than-expected graduation rates (based on their student demographics) tend to have intentional and proactive academic advising that told students "there is a value to advising," and students believed that statement. Students at those institutions reported they had worked closely with their advisers. And most of the institutions had innovative programs that helped students make the transition to college and engage with their campuses. Nutt said a second study by Pell indicated that colleges that focused on student success and retention taught their students how to make effective decisions regarding their majors and their careers and taught students how to use college resources and maneuver through institutional bureaucracy. The key word, Nutt said, was "taught." "Academic advising is teaching; it's a critical piece of instructional program that students, parents and faculty recognize as an important experience. Advising is not a service but it is an active teaching experience that teaches students what they need to know." Nutt said this is particularly important in the age of "helicopter parents," who hover over their students, making all decisions. It's important for parents to learn what it means to be a college student, Nutt said. It's different than when parents were in college 20 years ago and is new for parents of first-generation learners. Successful institutions need to make a cultural shift in thinking about the role of advising, he said. Among the steps: • Begin a dialogue about the content of advising. "It's more than just guiding students through the course catalog to fulfill their degree plan," Nutt said. "Students can do that on their own." • Develop advising curriculum as one develops course curriculum - by focusing on desired outcomes. • Measure success not by numbers of students served, or their reported levels of satisfaction, but by how the students demonstrate success. Nutt suggested that colleges create advising syllabi. Tell the students what advising is, what its purposes and missions are, what students will learn, and most important, what the students' responsibilities are in the relationship. Having an advising syllabus tells the student "advising is important," Nutt said. Among innovations Nutt has seen are use of peer advisers, the use of technologies like Blackboard to provide information and even changing the language of advising. One college has purged the use of adviser/advisee and now uses advising partners. This eliminates the idea that one person tells the other what to do and forces responsibilities onto both partners Nutt said. He also said colleges are experimenting with "mapped advising plans." Often advisers try to tell students everything in one massive meeting, he said. But do freshmen really need to know about junior-year internships at their first meeting with their advisers, he asked; no, but they might need to know about the on-campus writing center. By tailoring information to the students' place on the journey, the information becomes more timely and useful, and the advising is more meaningful. Nutt also said advisers' training needs to be improved. "Most training is in institutional policy and requirements," he said. "But what they really need is to know is ways to teach advising. "Faculty who are expected to advise must be told that," Nutt said. The advising expectation should be in the job advertisement, and during the interview, the candidates should be able to articulate their philosophy of advising just as they talk about their content knowledge and their teaching philosophy. Nutt's visit was coordinated by the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs as part of its on-going series of workshops on the improvement of teaching and learning, and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. For more on the National Academic Advising Association, visit www.nacada.ksu.edu. Shifting the culture of student advising Steps to improve student advising outlined by Charlie Nutt include: • Create advising syllabi. • Explain to students what advising is, its purposes and missions. • Outline the students' responsibilities in advising. • Use technologies like Blackboard to provide information. • Tailor advising messages to match what students need to know for their year in school. GO TO: ISSUE OF OCTOBER 6 NEWS HEADLINES FOR OCTOBER 6 Huskers lead Takahashi to campus rec Metaphorically Speaking Virology center earns $10.6 million grant Big Men on Campus Construction to temporarily disrupt power Lab allows in-the-field diagnosis of crop diseases Master plan draws favorable returns in final public showing Survey input sought Teaching key to successful advising 732225S35043X