Online Advising, Career Services, Tutoring, and Personal Counseling Services

1
Online Advising, Career Services, Tutoring, and
Personal Counseling Services

• Presenter
• Landon K. Pirius
• Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar
• Inver Hills Community College

2
Introduction

• Developed from multiple perspectives
• UofM student
• Former online university employee
• MnOnline Peer Reviewer
• MSU, Mankato Distance Learning Taskforce Member
• Proponent of technology
• Not institution specific

3
Presentation Layout

• Broad discussion of four subject areas
• Includes web links
• Includes
• Academic advising
• Career advising
• Tutoring
• Personal Counseling

4
Why Am I Here?

• Why are you here?
• Your boss told you to be here
• Ive got nothing better to do today
• I am genuinely concerned about providing the best
  advising, counseling, and tutoring services to my
  students

5
Understanding Your Students

• Institutions must understand who their students
  are in order to provide appropriate services.
• Digital Native vs. Digital Immigrants
• Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Students
• Generations X, Y, and Z vs. Baby Boomers and the
  Silent Generation

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Digital Native vs. Digital Immigrant

• Use of computers, the Internet, and advanced
  technology
• According to the Pew Internet and American Life
  Project (2005), The number of teenagers using
  the internet has grown 24 in the past four years
  and 87 of those between the ages of 12 and 17
  are online. Compared to four years ago, teens
  use of the internet has intensified and broadened
  as they log on more often and do more things when
  they are online.  Among other things, there has
  been significant growth over the past four years
  in the number of teens who play games on the
  internet, get news, shop online, and get health
  information.

7
Traditional vs. Non-Traditional

• Traditional students (18-24) are becoming
  non-traditional
• Non-traditional students can be defined as
• Over 25
• Mid-career
• Ethnically diverse
• Having families
• Possessing less free time
• More non-traditional students are seeking an
  education that fits their needs and their
  schedules versus having to adapt to the
  institutions needs or schedules

8
Generation X, Y, and soon Z

• Need attractive, hip, and well-designed websites
• Email is essential form of communication
• Internet is about choice it is what they want,
  when they want it
• Interaction is essential
• How will we handle a generation taught by
  computers and artificial intelligence?

9
The New Environment

• The student population is more mixed now than
  ever before.
• Digital natives mix with digital immigrants
• Generations X and Y mingle with baby boomers and
  their parents
• Traditional students coexist with non-traditional
  students
• What does this mean for institutions?

10
What Does this Mean for You?

• A single approach to administering services is no
  longer viable or appropriate
• Increased demand for accessible services.
• Increasing competition from other institutions,
  particularly online institutions.

11
Keep In Mind

• Always keep the student in mind
• Our obligation.

12
Question Break 1

• I will answer questions for approximately 5
  minutes
• I will answer questions during breaks throughout
  the presentation and at the end of the
  presentation.

13
Online Advising

• Online office hours
• Staff pictures and biographies
• Online advising materials
• Online concierge
• http//www.waldenu.edu/c/Services/UniversityServic
  es_2899.htm

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Online Advising Cont.

• Interactive online catalog
• http//www.stthomas.edu/undergraduatecollege/catal
  og/
• http//www.waldenu.edu/c/Students/CurrentStudents_
  3444.htm
• Interactive course syllabi
• http//www.bucks.edu/catalog/syllabi.html

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Online Advising Cont.

• Interactive degree audits
• DARS or the equivalent
• Use 'Advisor ID' of darswebUse 'PIN' of darsweb
• Use student id of 0000001
• http//www.dars.muohio.edu8082/darswebadv35demo/s
  ervlet/LoginServlet
• Course applicability systems
• CAS or the equivalent
• http//mn.transfer.org8080/cas/index.jsp

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Online Advising Cont.

• Means of communication
• Beneficial for those without a dedicated phone
  line
• Discussion boards
• Virtual chat rooms
• Instant messaging
• Web-based conferencing
• VoIP
• RightNow
• Interactive calendar
• http//www.cpcc.edu/ican/live/

17
Online Advising Cont.

• Good online advising sites
• http//www.ncsu.edu/advising_central/
• http//www.le.ac.uk/slc/
• http//www.mc.maricopa.edu/services/student_servic
  es/online/advising.html
• http//www.tees.ac.uk/asktees.cfm

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Online Advising Cont.

• Other sites to visit
• http//admn.sfcc.edu/counseling/index.htm
• http//web.mala.bc.ca/advising/index.htm
• http//www2.stockton.edu/advising

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Question Break 2

• I will answer questions for approximately 5
  minutes

20
Career Services

• Means of communication
• Online office hours
• Opportunities to talk one-on-one
• Instant messaging
• Discussion boards
• Listservs

21
Career Services Cont.

• Professional assistance
• Self-assessment tools
• Professional development tools
• Cover letter/resume and interview help
• Career resource guides and information

22
Career Services Cont.

• Putting students in contact
• Internship and job postings
• Student employment applications online
• Networking
• Community
• Corporate
• Alumni

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• Comprehensive career services websites
• http//www.careers.ox.ac.uk/
• http//www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/
• http//www.mnsu.edu/cdc/

24
Career Services Cont.

• Other sites to visit
• http//www.lcc.edu/ces
• http//web.princeton.edu/sites/career/index.html
• http//www.career.arizona.edu/index.aspx

25
Tutoring

• Providing support that is accessible
• Descriptions of services available
• Hours of operations
• Tutoring via email, phone, virtual chat
• Synchronous online support
• http//www.smarthinking.com
• http//depts.inverhills.edu/TutoringCenter/
• Asynchronous/self-help online support
• http//www.howtostudy.org/resources.php

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Tutoring Cont.

• Writing Center
• Online submission of work
• Editing and formatting
• Tips and tools
• http//weber.edu/TutoringServices/default.html
• http//www.waldenu.edu/acad-rsrcs/writing-center/i
  ndex.html

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Tutoring Cont.

• Language Support
• English as a second language
• Other foreign languages
• http//www.langcent.manchester.ac.uk/learningresou
  rces/

28
Tutoring Cont.

• Other sites to visit
• http//cwl.oregonstate.edu/twc.html
• http//www.tutoring.arizona.edu/services.htm

29
Question Break 3

• I will answer questions for approximately 5
  minutes

30
Personal Counseling

• E-counseling appointments with secure virtual
  chat
• Financial
• Mental health
• Physical health
• Self-help and FAQs materials
• Counselor pictures and bios
• Confidentiality
• Outside referrals
• Crisis helpline

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Personal Counseling Cont.

• Student Mental Health Advisor
• http//www.northampton.ac.uk/prospective_lifeatucn
  _postcards_suicide.php
• Good comprehensive sites
• http//www.stthomas.edu/personalcounseling/
• http//www.bloomfield.edu/counselor/
• http//www.studentlife.villanova.edu/counselingcen
  ter/

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Personal Counseling Cont.

• Other sites to visit
• http//www.an.cc.mn.us/academicadvising/personal_c
  ounseling.cfm
• http//www.howardcc.edu/counseling/
• http//admn.sfcc.edu/counseling/person.htm

33
Are Your Services Accessible?

• Who is using your services?
• Who is NOT using your services and why?
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• ADA compliant website
• http//www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/
• http//bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp

34
Commonly Asked Questions

• How do we get started?
• Involve stakeholders (students, staff, faculty,
  community)
• Analyze current services available
• Analyze student needs
• Prioritize services
• Begin implementation

35
Commonly Asked Questions Cont.

• What resources are needed?
• Time
• Technology infrastructure
• Staff
• How affordable is it to offer both on-campus and
  online services?
• All services should be accessible to all students
• Can be expensive to maintain
• Phase in services

36
Resources

• Western Cooperative for Educational
  Telecommunications (WCET)
• http//www.wcet.info/
• http//www.wcet.info/resources/publications/guide/
  guide.htm
• Center for Transforming Student Services
• http//www.centss.org
• Other web sources as listed throughout the
  presentation

37
Questions?

• The remainder of the time will be spent answering
  questions.
• Any remaining questions will be answered within a
  week of the presentation.

38
Presenter Information

• Landon K. Pirius
• Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar
• Inver Hills Community College
• lpirius_at_inverhills.edu