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 We began using an application in March of 2005 that allowed us to interact with users in 1-1 chats online. This service was begun far after e-mail advising was set up through a separate account that one of our administrators answers regularly.The service's link is located on our unit's home page and allows anyone (not just students) to interact with an adviser from our unit. Currently we offer 8 hours of advising online per week. The service is different from in-person advising as we have decided to limit our practice to information that is available online and in print. We will not answer questions regarding confidential matters such as test scores, grades, etc. Often we'll refer students to resources on and off campus, as well as Web sites of interest. This decision was made so that we could protect student privacy. So far the results have been good. We instituted a Web-based questionnaire to assess the results of the service and found that the responses were quite positive. There were some obstacles to overcome when planning for online advising, including staffing, data management, and privacy. We are utilizing an outside vendor who has allowed us to use a version of their software free of charge, and devoted two hours of time each from eight advisers to staff the service. We also needed a way to document who was using the service, so we ask that each user give us their 10-digit University ID number in order to authenticate themselves. This number has no relationship to SSN or any other identifying number, and is not used to access any information from a student perspective, so it's harmless to share online. We have experienced quite a few pre-college and inquiring potential transfer students on the system who are looking for quick information about programs and services on campus. Many times we refer these students to the Enrollment office, which handles prospective student inquiries. No matter what the status of a user, we will interact with that person. Chats are printed and placed in files as they match students, or kept for records purposes. If you are attending the Great Lakes Regional NACADA Conference in Cleveland, you will see a program by myself and a colleague, Maureen Kinney, on the service as well as the assessment that has been done. Feel free to contact me if you have questions regarding our service, in the mean time. ~ Joshua Morrison, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, March 2, 2006 Great topic, thank you!I advise students online just the way I would in person. I use the same tone of voice as I would in person; a tone that is appropriate for the situation, whether soothing, helpful, strict, etc. I ask the same questions about their interests, goals, hobbies, etc. Online advising is about what we do everyday—we are just using a new tool to help us reach out to those students wherever they are—be it in a dorm room across campus or in another country on a study abroad trip. Technology tools can help us transcend traditional barriers to communicating with students and can transform our relationships with them. ~ Andrea Irby, North Carolina State University, March 2, 2006 A student's ability to succeed academically is influenced by the quality of academic advising received. Students are counting on dependable and readily available campus advising services as they proceed with their academic endeavors. Thus, potential and current students are and will continue to incorporate technology as part of their everyday lives, and more specifically, when discussing their academic needs with student advisers. Distance learners at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) are provided advising services off-campus using Internet Phone (IP) webcam technology. The webcam advising technology breakthrough has enabled advising sessions to transfer visual information in real-time, speed decision-making, bridge language and cultural barriers, focus attention on the matters being discussed, and reduce costs and inconvenience of travel. Along with these conveniences, student records are kept confidential due to the fact no student information is transferred via the Internet. All of the aforementioned service qualities are provided with little technology to be learned; the webcam IP system begins at the instant pick-up of a phone call.~ Cesar Perez, College of Southern Idaho, March 2, 2006 Technology and advising is being completed mostly through e-mail. Advisers usually have a very quick return time on all e-mails. Most questions can be answered through our Web site, however. During face-to-face appointments, I am taking a few minutes to orientate new students to the Web site, as well as providing students an evaluation form of the Web site. I would like to learn how to improve the technology aspect by learning from the students what works best for them.I am debating how effective instant messaging would be in advising students versus e-mail and the privacy issues that may follow. ~ Lisa Hempen, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, March 2, 2006 At Kapi'olani Community College, which is part of the University of Hawai'i System, under the leadership of student services dean Mona Lee and the guidance of higher education consultant Darlene Burnett, we've taken a systematic approach to the shift from F2F (face to face) to online advising. We realized from the get-go that the process would be gradual, requiring many years and measured in inches rather than yards, and that staff reeducation would be the key. We also realized that campus and system computing and Web services would play a critical role in delivering online advising.From the beginning, we understood that the initial response to change is resistance, and that one way to overcome it is to involve staff, affected by the change, in the planning, decision-making, and implementation processes. We also knew that approaching change in gigantic steps would ultimately do more harm than good, paralyzing or setting the process back. Thus, we've been taking granny steps, defining and completing small-scale projects that are doable. We're far from done, but the pieces of the puzzle are gradually falling into place. Some of the important sections are:
Finally, in this entire process, perhaps the most important ingredient is leadership. The person guiding the change needs to have a clear sense of the big picture and an infinite amount of patience. At Kapi'olani, we've been fortunate to have leadership with an abundance of these qualities. ~ Jim Shimabukuro, University of Hawai'i - Kapi'olani Community College, March 2, 2006 The Kelley School of Business at Indianapolis has been using online advising since October. We will actually pull up students' records and hold a complete advising session via an online instant messaging system. The system is secure and we protect the student by checking their student ID number and university e-mail address. Our students love this new option and we have seen a lot of success.~ Erin C. Kilbride, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, March 6, 2006 I must respectfully disagree with some of my colleagues; I am not sure that online advising is more effective than face-to-face.Communication can be viewed as composed of three codes: Language (Verbal), Paralanguage (Vocal), and Body Language (Visual). In order for communication to be effective, all three codes need to be coordinated. How does one communicate tone of voice, vocal intonation, eye contact, body language, facial expression, etc., via online methods? Online advising has its uses, providing quick information or referral to information sources, explanation of policy and review of requirements. It cannot substitute for the complexity that is human communication and for rapport building with an adviser. ~ Jose Rodriguez, Florida International University, March 6, 2006 As we are all encouraged consistently to “do more with less,” our college implemented Instant Advising, which I presented on at the national NACADA conference. We use AOL Instant Messenger, simply because it is free (big plus in budget crunches), accessible, and the program with which our students are most familiar.Advisers e-mail their advisees with the times they have set aside in their calendar each week for “Instant Advising.” Advisers log in to a special screen name, designated solely for advising purposes, and remain accessible through the designated time period. Advisers can ONLY give public information. We do NOT ask for any information from students, although often they will volunteer it. We cannot look at a student record during this process, because of the unsecured base of IM and FERPA regulations. I am in a position at my institution to inspire and encourage my students and colleagues. With a caseload of over 800, I was searching for a way to provide accurate and timely information to our students. This works, so far. The students LOVE when we are online, giving real-time answers. They ask all kinds of general questions and they know, too, that we cannot answer detailed or in-depth questions. I have to agree with Jose Rodriguez from FIU (the previous response) that online advising does not at all replace the human connection. In our situation, because each adviser has their own individual screen name solely for the purpose of advising, I think that our system increases that connection and encourages students to seek F2F advice from their adviser when necessary. Our instant advising provides quick referrals and immediate procedural and policy answers and, as Mr. Rodriguez suggested, has been extremely beneficial for us, and our students, in this way. I would like to think that advising can be presented virtually in much the same manner as F2F advising with webcam technologies, like the College of Southern Idaho in a previous response to this topic. As technology becomes increasingly embedded in our lives, I hope we will learn how to change our perceptions in order to provide the best advising for our students with the tools technology can give us. I look forward to future discussions on this topic. ~ Kara E. Lattimer, Virginia Tech, March 7, 2006 I currently do quite a bit of my advising via e-mail. Since every year more resources are available online (including registration), there are fewer and fewer tangible reasons for a student to physically come to my office. I think e-mail is great. I feel confident that I can answer questions clearly, make referrals, or determine that the student needs to make an appointment with me.However, our advising team still believes that face time is valuable. This coming fall we are trying something new. Each adviser will be teaching courses (a study skills class and a book discussion class). Our hope is that in the the role of both adviser AND instructor, we will build better relationships—and perhaps encourage more voluntary meetings. (Note: Not every one of our advisees will be enrolled in our classes.) We have not yet considered Instant Messenger, though it seems like a good idea, especially as our advising loads go up. I believe technology is a useful tool, but there is no substitute for person-to-person, face-to-face communication. I think students these days get plenty of screen time. Encouraging a little human contact is a small but positive act. p.s. To add to the “can you put tone of voice in an e-mail?” debate, I say yes you can, especially if your advisees have already gotten to know you at least somewhat. ~ Jenny Marcus, Truman State University, March 8, 2006 Good Topic. I am a full-time adviser and do approximately 8–16 hours per week of online advising via a chat service.When the student enters the chat, they have previously been asked the reason for their visit and student number (not SS#). The chat operator can then begin to respond to the student's inquiry. Many times we find students do not know the meaning to several of our academic words, which makes it difficult to understand their needs. At that point, the chat operator will need to get more information from the student. This process ranges from a few minutes to an hour or two. Our face-to-face appointments are only 20 minutes. A chat session can last all day. I think general questions are well suited for online advising. Future student inquiries are well served online. However, international students with foreign credentials need to meet with an adviser face-to-face to understand the transfer credit process. I find many times, students would rather meet with someone face-to-face because they can express themselves better; there is definitely a language barrier. Sometimes, I find that certain a issue requires the student to be in person rather than online. Having the student wait online resembles the wait time on a phone call and it can be very frustrating. So, I have the student make an appointment to see me or another adviser face-to-face. Online advising can be straight to the point. When I meet face-to-face with my student, I may delve outside the advising and inquire about their future plans and goals. I do not do this on an online appointment. Overall, I would rather do face-to-face appointments. I find my students do not read the information on our Web sites and would rather hear it from their adviser's mouth. I also enjoy talking about their future plans. ~ Jacqueline Moreno, Florida International University, College of Business Administration, March 8, 2006 Serving as the adviser for over fifty-five undergraduate and graduate students who take face-to-face and online courses and are all commuters in the greater Denton, Ft. Worth, and Dallas Metroplex is challenging. In order to meet the diverse needs of my undergraduate and graduate students in Art Education, I have set up an Advising System through Blackboard. This provides a secure 24/7 resource that students use in order to ask questions, provide their proposed schedule, and get advising codes. Within Blackboard I have set up private discussion board folders for each declared major. Students are sent an e-mail asking them to submit their questions and proposed schedule. Students must also submit their student number so a unique advising code can be generated. After students submit information in their folder, they e-mail me that they have done so. I then review their proposed schedule, answer/ask any questions and, when I approve the schedule, I post their advising code in their individual advising folder. I send them an e-mail telling them this has been done.I have been doing this for three semesters and students really like it. It is often very hard for students to schedule a convenient time for advising and this method facilitates the scheduling process. If students request a face-to-face meeting, a convenient appointment time is identified. The Blackboard Advising Web site also includes important links and PDF documents. The university Web site provides a PDF version of catalogues, and registration is done online or by telephone. This does not address all advising needs, but it does help me to manage the large number of students and helps students to get the information/advice they need conveniently. ~ Dr. Diane C. Gregory, Texas Woman's University, March 31, 2006 The Mentor is published 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 | |
