Session Leader: Webinar
Description: Webinars offered by the National Academic Advising Association.
SESSION 1: LEADING FORWARD: TECHNOLOGY PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE ADVISING
Advising units all over the world are being asked to do more with less. Today’s students – both on campus and at a distance – are coming to us with higher expectations of technology usage than earlier generations. We feel the “push” from all directions to try new forms of technology to meet our students’ wants and needs. We recognize that the campus of the future must create a dynamic learning experience for our students, staff, and professionals. So where do we begin?
NACADA President-Elect Jennifer Joslin (University of Oregon) and NACADA Technology in Advising Commission Chair-Elect Laura Pasquini (University of North Texas) come to the AdvisorConnect Webinar platform to share their ideas on developing a “big picture” for communication and strategic planning for the implementation of technology in academic advising. Rather than trying everything, they contend, it is important to decide what we want to do, and then move forward to do it well.
Whether you are an individual advisor in a small departmental situation or the administrator of a large advising unit, this webinar will offer a space for you to “step back” and consider process and planning, weaving a strategic plan for advising into the larger picture of technology on campus. Where do you want to go? How will you get there?
It is imperative that we create a resilient advising practice that thrives by leading forward in these challenging times. Academic advisors and advising unit administrators must consider the academic mission, institutional goals, and government requirements to support degree completion and sustainable practices in higher education. Learning is deep, engaged rigor. Let’s get ready to dive into what lies ahead in our advising profession!
SESSION 2: STEPS IN DEVELOPING AN ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR ACADEMIC ADVISING
Academic Advising is integral to the success, retention, and persistence of our students in colleges and universities across the globe. However, in order for institutions to identify the success of the academic advising experiences of students, it is essential to have in place an assessment of academic advising plan. In addition, assessment of academic advising is key to all accreditation efforts by regional accreditation agencies and content based accreditation efforts.
NACADA Executive Director Charlie Nutt, Assessment Institute Advisory Board Chair and Faculty Rich Robbins, and Assessment Institute Faculty Members Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski and Karen Boston come to the AdvisorConnect Webinar platform to outline for participants the steps in developing an assessment plan for academic advising as well as provide hands-on examples of programs that have been implemented on college campuses.
Regardless of institutional size or advising model, this webinar is a must for all institutions who need to develop an academic advising assessment plan that focuses on student learning and program effectiveness.
SESSION 3: LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF ACADEMIC ADVISING
Academic advising, particularly with the advent of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) in 1977, has assumed an increasingly significant role in higher education in terms of retention, graduation and transfer rates (Tricoli, 2009). Whatever method of advising is employed by the institution of higher education, the goal remains essentially the same: to provide a structured relationship wherein students can satisfy all academic requisites, maintain the necessary cumulative average, fulfill athletic and scholarship requirements, properly prepare for graduate school mandates, and graduate in a timely fashion. At the same time, many in the academy express concern regarding the legal implications of erroneous guidance given a student which hampers his or her ability to comply with these objectives. Unquestionably, education at every level operates within an increasingly complex arena of national and local regulations.
References in the literature describe a posture of increasing consumerism adopted by college and university students coupled with an evolving legal responsibility on the part of the advisor (Makar, 2002). Yet an examination of case law in the university context suggests that the traditional deference exhibited by courts with respect to the academic decision making of colleges and universities endures. Research indicates that despite the employment of a variety of theories upon which students sue advisors, including educational malpractice, breach of a fiduciary relationship, estoppel, and breach of contract, generally the academic advisor and his or her institution will not be deemed liable for errors in advice tendered, barring gross negligence, fraudulent conduct, or arbitrary and capricious behavior. So what do academic advisors and advising administrators need to know to protect themselves, their institutions, and their advisees?
Audrey Wolfson Latourette, J.D. joins NACADA Past President Thomas Grites in the AdvisorConnect platform to discuss the potential legal implications of academic advising. They will review the posture of the courts with respect to intervention in both the public and private college and university context, share an analysis of a variety of legal theories employed by students to enforce statements issued by academic advisors or other representatives of the university, and share strategies to limit individuals’ and institutions’ potential liabilities.
