Development and Integration of an Advising Course into the Curriculum

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Development and Integration of an Advising Course
into the Curriculum

• Robert F. Pettay
• Kinesiology Department
• Kansas State University

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Contact Information

• Robert Pettay
• pet7_at_ksu.edu
• 785-532-0710
• 2007 NACADA National conference
• Code 440

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Goals for this Session

• Examine the concept of advising as teaching
• Discuss the challenges of developing and
  integrating a introduction to advising course
  into the department curriculum
• Discuss components of an advising based course
• Discuss development of assessment instruments for
  the course

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Advising as teaching

• What to teach?
• How to teach?
• How to assess learning?

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What do advisors teach?

• How to find/create the logic of ones education
• How to view the curriculum as a whole
• How to base educational choices on a developing
  sense of self
• How to continually enhance learning experiences
  by relating them to knowledge previously learned
• Lowenstein (2005)

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Academic Advising Learning Principles

• 1- academic advising should facilitate student
  learning about the mission of the college
• 2- academic advising should facilitate student
  learning of both lower and higher order thinking
  skills
• 3- academic advising should facilitate student
  learning about the means of achieving the goals
  embedded in the institutions mission statement
  and closely related documents
• 4- academic advisors should view students as
  actively constructing their understanding of the
  mission of the institution, including concepts
  like becoming responsible citizens, liberally
  educated persons, and critical thinkers
• 5- academic advising should incorporate knowledge
  about how the individual student learns

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Academic Advising Learning Principles

• 6- academic advising should consider how the
  social context affects the learners
  understanding of the meaning of education
• 7- academic advisors must recognize that the
  possibilities for learning are influenced by the
  advisees preexisting concepts and background
  knowledge
• 8- academic advising must be a dialogue in which
  the learner has the opportunity to express,
  justify, and discuss individual goals and ideas
• 9- academic advising must be a dialogue in which
  the academic advisor guides the learner
• 10- academic advising must guide students so that
  they recognize and benefit from anomalies,
  disturbances, errors, and contradictions
• Hemwall Trachte (Fall, 2005)

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What to teach

• Without the cohesion of a strong curriculum and
  people (including advisors and directors of
  advising programs) who can articulate clearly the
  purpose of the curriculum, students may graduate
  believing that they have completed a series of
  unconnected courses, marked by checks on an
  arbitrarily mandated list, without being aware
  that they have also acquired skills (and
  marketable ones at that) that can foster
  self-guided learning.
• -Reynolds (2003, p.23)

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Developing and integrating an introduction
course- The challenge

• Questions to deal with
• Should it be required?
• Should it be part of the core?
• Should it be for credit?
• What is the content?
• Who else is doing this on campus?

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Why develop this course?

• Increase learning of the mission of the
  Department, College, and University?
• Educate students about the services available to
  them as an undergraduate?
• Provide a better overall learning experience
  within the program and facilitate a more
  productive advising environment?

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Advising responsibilities as listed in University
Undergraduate handbook

• Goal setting- setting short and long-term goals
• Information- requirements
• Transitions changing majors, enroll
• Accessibility to advisor
• Referral to campus resources
• All of this plus much more.

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The Syllabus structure

• Rationale for the course
• Objectives of the course
• Mission statements
• Learning outcomes
• Assessment
• Responsibilities
• Checklist

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Rationale

• The Introduction to Kinesiology course is
  designed to assist the student in understanding
  and planning their Undergraduate experience as a
  Kinesiology major at Kansas State University.
  This course is designed to facilitate the
  advising and undergraduate experience of the
  student.

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University Mission statement and the Student

• - A helping degree extending expertise to
  improve quality of life
• - Diversity
• - Lifelong learning professional
  responsibilities and certifications
• - An educated person

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University Student Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge- student will demonstrate a depth of
  knowledge and apply the methods of inquiry in a
  discipline of their choosing and they will
  demonstrate a breadth of knowledge across their
  choice of varied disciplines
• Critical thinking student will demonstrate the
  ability to access and interpret information,
  respond, and adapt to changing situations, make
  complex decisions, solve problems, and evaluate
  actions
• Communication students will demonstrate the
  ability to communicate clearly and effectively
• Diversity- students will demonstrate awareness
  and understanding of the skills necessary to live
  and work in a diverse world
• Academic and professional integrity- students
  will demonstrate awareness and understanding of
  ethical standards of their academic discipline
  and/or profession

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College mission statement and the student

• Skills
• Defining problems and tasks.
• Mastery of information retrieval systems
  (libraries, books, periodicals, Internet,
  personal interviews).
• Planning and executing research.
• Organizing ideas and solutions.
• Writing and communicating.
• And perhaps most important, a well-honed ability
  to learn what you need to in order to accomplish
  a task.
• Attributes
• An open mind to new ideas and approaches.
• Disciplined work habits.
• A critical eye and ear.

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Department mission statement and the student

• Kinesiology integrates perspectives on physical
  activity drawn from a number of domains to form
  its own unique body of knowledge. This life
  science discipline emphasizes breadth and depth
  of content, scientific methodology, and rational
  intellectualism for lifelong learning, thinking,
  and action. The Department of Kinesiology
  promotes an understanding of the necessity and
  application of physical activities for optimal
  health

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What is the logic of the curriculum

• What is the Kinesiology curriculum and what
  should I learn SLOs
• How do courses in other departments influence
  core courses
• Why do courses have to be taken in a specific
  order
• What is necessary to complete the degree
• What services are available to facilitate the
  college experience
• What is my plan
• How do I document learning

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Assessment

• How is learning to be measured?
• Quizzes specific knowledge about processes

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Assessment - Careers

• Student will explore two professional careers
  related to major. Student will research
  requirements for job, job outlook, salary,
  ethical standards, and on-going training
  requirements. Student will explore their
  understanding of the career and how the career
  relates to their values and goals.

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Career paper rubric
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Assessment The Kinesiology experience

• Students will integrate the University, college,
  and departmental missions, the Kinesiology
  curriculum coursework, and the University
  requirements to demonstrate their understanding
  of the Kinesiology experience.

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Kinesiology Experience rubric
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Assessment Personal plan

• Student will plan out academic plan for
  completion of Kinesiology degree
  semester-by-semester. Included will be personal
  and academic goals for academic career.

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Personal plan rubric
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Assessment Student Learning Portfolio

• Student will begin a portfolio to document
  learning around the five University learning
  outcomes of knowledge, critical thinking,
  communication, diversity, and academic and
  professional integrity.

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Student learning portfolio-rubric
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Vision for the course

• Course provides foundation for advising as
  learning experience by laying out requirements
  and teaching the curriculum
• On-going advising sessions each semester will
  focus on the personal plan and enhancing the
  understanding of the curriculum, as well as
  examining learning taking place througout college
  experience

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Last semester -Senior seminar

• A 1-hour senior seminar capstone course will
  involve working with faculty during last semester
  to review undergraduate experiences, reviewing
  learning, and career mentoring.

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References

• Crookston, B.B. (1972). A developmental view of
  academic advising as teaching. Journal of College
  Student Personnel, 13, 12-17.
• Hemwall,M.K., Trachte, K.C. (Fall, 2005).
  Academic advising as learning 10 organizing
  principles. The Journal of the National Academic
  Advising Association, 25, 74-83.
• Lowenstein, M. (Fall, 2005). If teaching is
  advising, what do advisors teach? The Journal of
  the National Academic Advising Association, 25.
  65-73.
• Reynolds, M. (2003). Faculty advising at small
  colleges Realities and responses. In M.K.
  Hemwall K.C. Trachte (Eds.), Advising and
  Learning Academic Advising from the Perspective
  of Small Colleges and Universities. (NACADA
  Monograph No. 8, pp 21-32). Manhattan KS
  National Academic Advising Association.
• Smith, C.L. Allen, J.M. (Spring, 2006).
  Essential functions of academic advising What
  students want and get. The Journal of the
  National Academic Advising Association, 26(1).
  56-66.