Peer Advisors: Advising, Assessment, and Academic Support

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Peer Advisors Advising, Assessment, and
Academic Support

• Jessica McKamey, Kathy Lukenbill, Jennifer
  Rewerts, Tina Sellers, Devan Mandabach
• Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis

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Peer Advisors Past Present
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Introductions Institution

• Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis
  (IUPUI)
• Founded in 1969
• 29,000 students
• Traditional Non-Traditional
• Commuter
• Less than 1 reside on campus
• Why not both?
• IU Purdue Degrees
• 22 academic units
• Over 180 degrees offered

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Introductions Department/Program

• Psychology Department
• Housed in the Purdue School of Science
• Research Focused
• All students take
• An introductory research methods course
• A statistics course
• Research opportunities with faculty for
  undergraduates
• 10 Faculty Advisors
• Approximately 500 students pursuing a psychology
  major
• 4 Graduate Programs offered

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Peer Advisors The Peer Advising Office

• History of the Office
• Opened in the 1998-1999 academic year
• Funded through NACADA Grant
• Research on student satisfaction of Intrusive vs.
  Non-intrusive advising in Dept.
• Results of Student Preference to Intrusive
• Psychology Dept. chose to continue support of
  Peer Advising office

Jeschke, M., Johnson, K. E., Williams, J. R.,
(2001). A comparison of intrusive and
prescriptive advising of psychology majors at an
urban comprehensive university. NACADA Journal 21
(1 2) 46-58
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Peer Advisors The Peer Advising Office Current

• Working in the PA Office is a part of a 1 year (2
  semester) class
• PSY B422 Professional Practice
• Course Components
• One - 2 hour class meeting per week
• Training and Theory Discussion
• Peer Advisors work in office 3 hours a week per
  credit hour of class
• Individual Projects
• Group Assessment
• Developmental Evaluations

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Peer Advisors The Peer Advising Office Current
Continued

• Application Process
• ALL Undergraduate Psychology Students
• Junior to Senior Status (Sophomores considered)
• 2.5 minimum GPA
• Experience in Psychology Courses
• Completion of at least 4 before applying
• 2 or more references (psychology faculty
  preferred)
• Ability to participate in all course components
  Previously listed

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Todays Agenda

• 3 Components
• Academic Support
• Advising
• Assessment

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Peer Advisors Academic Support
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Academic Support Resources

• Collect Keep psychology course syllabi
• Offer a Lending Library
• Graduate school information
• APA Accredited Programs
• Assistance for students in utilizing online
  resources

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Academic Support Walk-In

• Office open set hours each week
• No appointment Necessary for Peer Advising
• Important information posted on Bulletin Boards
• Student focused, open door policy
• Referral to Main Campus Offices

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Academic Support Centralized Information Location

• Located across the hall from the department
  office
• Open longer in the evening than department office
• Instructors can use the office for dissemination
  of information to their students
• Convenient program forms applications

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Peer AdvisorsAdvising
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Advising Appointments

• Scheduling of Faculty Advisor Appointments
• Keep Faculty Advisors apprised of new and
  cancelled appointments
• Prepared Faculty and Students for Appointments
• Emails
• Phone calls
• Files
• Forms

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Advising Prescriptive

• Academic Planning
• Course Planning
• Graduate School Career Counseling
• Specific Course Counseling
• School/Major/Minor Requirements
• Materials Request Administrative/Signature
• Collected Student questions for their Advisor

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Advising Degree Progress

• General Education Requirements
• Major/Minor Course Requirements
• Electives
• Credit Hour Totals
• GPA Calculating Requirements
• Student Files Review of Senior Audit

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Peer AdvisorsAssessment
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Assessment General

• Part of Professional Practice Course
• 40 of Final grade
• Literature Review
• IRB Proposal
• Create/ Select Assessment Instrument
• Collect Analyze Data
• Write report in APA format
• Present findings and recommendations to Faculty

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Assessment Spring 2006

• Previous Questions Looked at Overall Satisfaction
• Rationale for the Assessment
• To find out if
• the student knew the resource existed,
• the student used the resource,
• how satisfied the student was with the resource
  after using it.
• Approximately 20 resources were assessed
• Many mentioned previously
• Participation of psychology students only
• 73 Psychology Majors /117 Total participants

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Assessment Recommendations

• To increase knowledge of
• School of Science Office (37)
• Incorporate list from School of Science Office,
  including services that the Office offers, job
  titles, and areas of specializations of the deans
  and staff
• Advising Nights (59)
• Better Advertising, Mass E-mail, Involve faculty
  more

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Assessment Recommendations

• To increase use of
• Onestart Assistance (14 - 5 students)
• Demonstration while students are in the office
• Bulletin Boards and Lending Library(51 - 30
  Students)
• Increase the need by keeping professors informed
  of contents

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Assessment Recommendations

• To increase Satisfaction with
• Peer Advising Office/Peer Advisors (3.77 /5.0)
• Meet and Greet at the beginning of each semester
• Improve availability and consistency in advising
  times with additional concern for busier times
• Take a Five

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Future Implications, Recommendations of the
Assessment, and Current Uses

• Individual Projects
• Semester Meet Greet
• Bi-Weekly Notes from Peer Advising Office
• Policies
• Peer Advisor Comment Cards
• Late Night

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FAQs PAs Support of Faculty Advisors

• Manage Academic Advising Schedules
• Manage Student Flow
• Pre-Appointment prescriptive assessment
• Student Records
• Organize Events
• Advising Night
• Meet Greet

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FAQs Faculty Advisors Support of PAs

• Developmental Training
• Course
• Intensive 2-Day Orientation
• Practical Application
• Theory
• Communication Skills

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FAQs Utilization /Use of Undergraduates as Peer
Advisors

• Bridge the Gap
• Connects Peers to the Program
• Ease Advisor Workload
• Answer Quick Prescriptive Questions
• Affordability
• Internship
• Professional Practice

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FAQs Peer Advising Training

• Training Managed by Faculty or Staff
• Ethics/Confidentiality
• Information Covered
• Office Procedures
• Encouraged to Advise Students Developmentally
• Expectations
• Advising Information

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FAQs Assessment

• Gain Experience in Research/ Assessment
• Process
• IRB
• Assess Departmental Advising
• Faculty Advising
• Peer Advising
• Future Implications/ Recommendations

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Questions Comments
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Contact Information

• Cynthia Williams
• Course/Program Instructor Coordinator
• cyclark_at_iupui.edu
• 317-278-2237
• Jessica McKamey
• jnmckame_at_iupui.edu
• 317-278-1264
• Devan Mandabach
• dmandaba_at_iupui.edu
• 317-938-1804
• Kathy Lukenbill
• klukenbi_at_iupui.edu
• 317-679-5311

• IUPUI Psychology Peer Advising Office
• psyadv_at_iupui.edu
• 317-274-6765
• Tina Sellers
• tsellers_at_iupui.edu
• 317-341-5899
• Jennifer Rewerts
• jrl_rewerts_at_yahoo.com
• 317-440-6033