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The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal Creating an Academic Advising Training Program on Your Campus Renee' F. Borns, University of Houston-Downtown Developing effective training opportunities for academic advisers is important for student satisfaction and persistence. As stated by King (2000), “to ensure that academic advisers are prepared to address these factors and to work with students effectively, a comprehensive and ongoing adviser training program is essential” (p. 289). This brief article describes a comprehensive and ongoing training program based on the concept of layers, or tiers, at a small, urban college campus. The following training program was designed to assist in the training and development of faculty advisers at a commuter institution. Most faculty advisers had very little formal advising training and gained their skills by the “learn as you go” method and one-on-one observations with more seasoned faculty colleagues. A layered, or tiered, approach to training was developed to assist faculty advisers in understanding the philosophy of advising, student development issues, as well as particular state and college policies and procedures. Tier training consisted of offering several training sessions each semester and clustering sessions together to build upon each other. For example, three to four training sessions were offered in each tier, and one tier was offered each semester. Each individual training session was designed to build on previous training sessions, and participants were rewarded after completing all training sessions in a tier. Tier I included individual training sessions on theory to practice, institution policies and procedures, and computer training. Tier II included training sessions on special populations, ethical and legal issues, and undecided and indecisive students. Each training topic was divided into small components. At the end of each training session, time was allowed for reflection and sharing. Developing relevant materials is important to the success of adviser training. Consider the following topics when creating and implementing training opportunities.
Participant evaluation was an important component of training events. An evaluation tool can be as simple as asking participants to evaluate (on paper) the training session in one minute, or a bit more complex by developing a short (two- or three-item) evaluation instrument. For our training, a short three-item instrument was developed for participant feedback. One item stated, “I still have questions regarding this topic. My questions are ...” Regardless of the type of evaluation, remember that the purpose is to help direct future training events. Developing and planning training activities can be a monumental task. With a little planning and thought, you can develop a successful program. References King, M. C. (2000). Designing effective training for academic advisors. In Gordon, V. N., Habley, W. R., & associates. Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (pp. 289-297). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Additional Resources Below is a list of resources that may help you to develop training opportunities. Barr, M. J., Deating, L. A., & associates. (1985). Developing effective student services programs. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Dalton, J. C. (1989). Enhancing staff knowledge and skills. In U. Delworth, G.R. Hanson, & associates. Student services: A handbook for the profession (pp. 533-551). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Ender, S.C. & Newton, F. B. (2000). Students helping students: A guide for peer educators on college campuses. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Ferrett, S. K. (2002, Spring). Presenting an academic advising workshop. Academic Advising News, 22, 1 and 14. Jacobs, B. (1990). Tailoring staff development to meet campus needs. College Student Affairs Journal, 10, 43-48. Komives, S. R., Woodard, Jr., D. B., & associates. (1996). Student services: A handbook for the profession (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Gordon, V. N., Habley, W. R., & associates. (2000). Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Stimpson, R. F. (1993). Selecting and training competent staff. In M. J. Barr & associates. The handbook of student affairs administration (pp. 135-151). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Sugar, S. (1989). Games that teach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Winston, R. B. & Creamer, D. G. (1997). Improving staffing practices in student affairs. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Renee' F. Borns is director, academic advising, for University College at the University of Houston-Downtown. She can be reached at bornsr@uhd.edu or 713-221-8997. Published in The Mentor on May 6, 2002, by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |