Somebody pinch me. I must be dreaming!
I have spent hours and hours watching Learner’s Mindset Discussions. Never would I ever have dreamed I would be in one! What a dream come true to sit and visit with two inspirational educators.
Category: Growth Mindset Plan
Advisors as Learners
I am well into my graduate program, and I see with clarity how well-designed this program has been crafted. We are living-learning opportunities that we can apply to our specific situation (Principle 5, by the way). Throughout every step of the program, I have reflected that I feel torn between two audience options (students and colleagues).
My innovation was selfishly born out of my desperate need to meet the needs of my learners (students/advisees). Feeling worn out, abused, disrespected, and undervalued as a knowledgeable resource to many frustrated students and as a professional – I desperately wanted to increase student motivation to seek information for themselves. Acknowledging the often complicated and multi-sourced ways to process information and situations, my ePortofolio sought to provide an easy-to-locate resource that consolidated all those sources by topic and included personal tips and advice that I would give during an advising appointment on the subject. I found myself so inspired (and challenged) by the UbD Template. Building understanding and intrinsic motivation into my advisees/learners through the design of every interaction opportunity. Creating a resource that is available when common questions arise to create a ubiquitous resource available anytime (i.e., peak advising season when I could have slower response times or in the middle of the night on a drop deadline).
As much as I advocate for students, I also have an advocate’s heart for my fellow advisors. I cannot even begin to describe the amount of information advisors relay. The unfortunate reality is that sometimes these professionals are underprepared and uninformed, thereby affecting students in their learning journey. I want advisors to be knowledgeable, and I want them to have connections across the institution so that we can guide students in their academic journey. As I begin to plan how to utilize going training and continual support to truly innovate advising through this first of many professional learning opportunities.
I have tried to describe my innovation to others and wondered if it is innovative. However, as I approach this professional learning task, I am seeing exactly what I had in mind for my innovation idea. As advisors experience choice, ownership, and voice through an authentic learning environment, they will have a greater opportunity to provide that for their learners/advisees. I see now that my learners are a team of advisors who have a wonderful opportunity to impact the lives of their learners. They can change the world one learner at a time.
Putting it together
Innovation = Care
Put simply, care. Care about students. Care about advisors. Care about departments. Care about program and state requirements. Care about policies. Ultimately, care about changing lives.
… how vital the role of a strong advising relationship is to students’ retention and success. Providing students with 24/7 access to personally curated information resources can guide them throughout their programs’ completion. This innovation aims to improve the experience for both advisors’ and students’ while strengthening that relationship.
Short, D. R. (2022, September 18). An Invitation to Innovate Advising. The Advisor That Cares. https://advising.blog/the-advisor-that-cares/
Why = Make a difference
Guiding students to find or reconnect with a passion for learning and to make meaningful connections throughout their learning experience on the way to becoming life-long inquisitive learners.
Helping advisors find their purpose and joy in helping others by helping them overcome challenges and valuing their input as change agents.
… my purpose is to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Short, D. R. (2022, October 23). Why? The Advisor That Cares. https://advising.blog/2022/10/23/why/
Goal = Motivation/Ownership
- Who do our students want to become?
- Who do our advisors want to help them become?
- What motivates our advisors to come and guide students?
- How does each impact the lives of our students and advisors? (CSLE2COVA, 2018)
I want to help revolutionize advising.
Short, D. R. (2022, October 23). Head vs. Heart. The Advisor That Cares. https://advising.blog/2022/10/21/head-vs-heart/
References
CSLE2COVA. (2018, August 8). LMD EP07 preparing learners for life. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb4q5dUV4uY
Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition. McGraw-Hill Education.
Influencer – Goals and Measures
This post is the first step in developing an influencer strategy that can help in the Innovation of Advising, which empowers students and advisors in creating authenticity in the advising relationship.
Identify Results
Transform transactional advising general information and onboarding orientation to video, audio, and text resources in flipped advising modules with digital assessments by the Fall 2025 intake cycle.
Measurement
Measurement efforts can utilize typical question/quiz formats for transactional pieces of advising to clear various holds and satisfy specific enrollment requirements.
Further and ongoing assessments
- Open-ended feed-forward monthly one-minute (what’s working/what can be better?) check-ins with students and advisors. Results open the door for collaboration opportunities that improve, clarify and streamline online resources for various readers, levels, and delivery modes and preferences.
- Satisfaction surveys for advisors to express bottlenecks and pinch-points described by students. 30-minute weekly advisor check-ins to discuss and brainstorm for solution-oriented collaborative groups from across campus support (admissions, financial aid, IT, records) that provide solution-based improvement ideas as front-line interaction experts.
- Departmental Likert surveys to obtain valuable and informative data metrics at targeted assessment points (two-three times during each semester). An example is an informational Tik-Tok campaign about the impact of dropping and currently available (live) resources/support services around significant drop deadlines. Followed by a “did this information help you” survey to assess growth mindset messaging‘s and support service referrals’ impact on retention/student success.
- Site visit statistics used to track resource utilization during targeted campaigned proactive outreach.
Vital Behaviors you are trying to change
- Create and allow for flexible advising options (online, e-advise, module/quiz-based, video/quiz-based, in-person), allowing for the ultimate diversity of choice, ownership, and voice for each learner and advisor within accepted and set boundaries/expectations. This vital behavior empowers and frees students and advisors from mandated expectations of advising interactions to express their individuality while contributing to the collaboration of compelling flipped advising opportunities.
- Advising modules can include internal triggers to direct students’ needs based on assessments from within advising modules. Answers/scores can launch informative videos, initiate a referral to support services (Careers, ARC, advising, financial aid/scholarships), targeted outreach, and follow up from stakeholders to explain options and impacts and/or advising/coaching campaign links. During peak advising/registration times, outreach efforts/campaigns will direct students to flipped advising resources. This action leaves advisors’ schedules open and available during critical availability timeframes.
Cultural/Organizational Influencers and Why
- Advisors will be one of the most significant cultural influences in this change strategy because they have the front-line perspective of students’ frustrations and confusion. This innovation will empower advisors to help improve the student experience while reducing the repetitive and transactional calls, emails, and appointments that prevent them from more meaningful interactions with students.
- Stakeholders will be another source of significant cultural influence in the transformation of advising as it encompasses and overarches all offices and services of the university structure (such as the records department; scholarship, financial aid, and veterans affairs; system administrators; technology support, service desk, and instructional designers; administrative support).
Innovation = Care
Put simply, care. Care about students. Care about advisors. Care about departments. Care about program and state requirements. Care about policies. Ultimately, care about changing lives.
… how vital the role of a strong advising relationship is to students’ retention and success. Providing students with 24/7 access to personally curated information resources can guide them throughout their programs’ completion. This innovation aims to improve the experience for both advisors’ and students’ while strengthening that relationship.
Short, D. R. (2022, September 18). An Invitation to Innovate Advising. The Advisor That Cares. https://advising.blog/the-advisor-that-cares/
Why = Make a difference
Guiding students to find or reconnect with a passion for learning and to make meaningful connections throughout their learning experience on the way to becoming life-long inquisitive learners. Helping advisors find their purpose and joy in helping others by helping them overcome challenges and valuing their input as change agents.
… my purpose is to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Short, D. R. (2022, October 23). Why? The Advisor That Cares. https://advising.blog/2022/10/23/why/
Goal = Motivation/Ownership
Who do our students want to become? Who do our advisors want to help them become? What motivates our advisors to come and guide students? How does each impact the lives of our students and advisors? (CSLE2COVA, 2018)
I want to help revolutionize advising.
Short, D. R. (2022, October 23). Head vs. Heart. The Advisor That Cares. https://advising.blog/2022/10/21/head-vs-heart/
References
CSLE2COVA. (2018, August 8). LMD EP07 preparing learners for life. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb4q5dUV4uY
Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition. McGraw-Hill Education.
Head vs. Heart
While reading and watching the content for this, my fifth course in the ADL program, I found myself feeling a bit conflicted and frustrated. The research process that helped me identify my learning philosophy had me pulling away from my behavioral psychology undergraduate roots. Yet here I am, immediately thrust me back into concepts of behavioral change?
Wait a minute.
The Influencer book provides a framework for behavioral changes. As behavioral and social scientists, the authors share research findings, stories, and strategies that support change efforts. I am re-watching the Behavioral Science guys’ reminder that information overload and appeals to the head are not ways to inspire changes in behavior. Instead, we must appeal to the heart through “influential questions” (Crucial Learning, 2015).
But I thought I identified that I most align with humanistic and constructivist learning theories. Now I am returning to behaviorism? Behavioral change?
Fortunately, Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik’s post the head won’t go where the heart hasn’t been allowed me to explore connections of behavioral change through a cognitive lens which helped alleviate some panic. In this post, Dr. Harapnuik relays that “the science community is beginning to recognize the importance of the affective domain” (Harapnuik, 2015). To clarify, “the affective domain includes factors such as student motivation, attitudes, perceptions and values” (The Affective Domain in the Classroom, n.d.).
In this first assignment, I must balance and allocate the heart and the mind for change initiatives/strategies. Specifically, my innovation plan. The first task is identifying and articulating our Why, How, and What statements.
Simon Sinek defines why with the following questions:
- What is your purpose?
- What is your cause?
- What is your belief?
- Why does your organization exist? [Which I extend to include – why does your innovation exist?]
Using the neuroscience of the human brain, Simon Sinek illustrates the importance of starting with why through a golden circle, in which he explains that our feeling and emotional, limbic brain is “the part of the brain that controls behavior” (TEDx Talks, 2009). Sinek points out that by sharing our purpose and beliefs, we will attract others with those commonalities. He illustrates his point with a beautiful example from Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s (MLK) I have a dream speech. He points out that MLK “didn’t go around telling people what needed to change… he told people what he believed” (TEDx Talks, 2009).
Now to connect with what I believe? How do I get people to feel the way I feel? What is my why? While this seems big and overwhelming, I find encouragement in Simon Sinek’s call to action that “those who start with why… have the ability to inspire those around them…” (TEDx Talks, 2009).
Contemplating Tom Asacker’s questions on behavior change, I agree that “it is our personal narratives that move us to change the world and to improve our lives and the lives of others (TEDx Talks, 2014). I believe my own experience with learning gives me the purpose and passion for empowering my learners.
I want to help revolutionize advising. Dr. John Kotter argues that to enact change, one must “win over the hearts and minds of people” (Dr. John Kotter, 2011). Much like Sinek’s Golden Circle illustration, Kotter references two parts of the brain responsible for different functions (emotions/feeling vs. rational/thinking) and encourages change efforts must remember to focus on both aspects. Kotter (2012) urges that the “heart provides the energy to make something big, a big leap happen.” Kotter (2013) recommends that change agents work to create excitement and energy through transparency for the need and desire to strive for something better.
You see, I am all in.
“This is not an easy process but we owe it to our children and to the young men and women who are going to our universities and colleges with dreams of building a better world”
(Harapnuik, 2014).
References
Dr. John Kotter. (2011, March 23). John Kotter – the heart of change [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NKti9MyAAw
Dr. John Kotter. (2012, February 6). The biggest mistake I see: strategy first, urgency second. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx46Z2daVtQ
Dr. John Kotter. (2013, August 15). Leading change: establish a sense of urgency [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yfrj2Y9IlI
Harapnuik, D. (2014, September 16). People who like this stuff. . .like this stuff. It’s About Learning. Retrieved from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5198
Harapnuik, D. (2015, January 9). The head won’t go where the heart hasn’t been. It’s About Learning. Retrieved from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=5461
TEDx Talks. (2009, September 29). Start with why — how great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA
TEDx Talks. (2014, June 30). Why TED Talks don’t change people’s behaviors: Tom Asacker at TEDxCambridge 2014 [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jTZ-GP0N4
The affective domain in the classroom. (n.d.). Teach the Earth. Retrieved from https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/index.html
Growth Mindset Revisited
I’m not going to lie; I felt a little frustrated as I read the two meta-analyses on the growth mindset. I thought, “well then, why in the world did we read the growth mindset book and do so much work focused on the growth mindset?!?” Then I realized that I most likely would not have made it to this fourth course in the ADL Program without that opportunity to embrace my growth mindset.
As I move along in the program and contemplate how the growth mindset fits within my innovation and my daily interaction with students, I know that I have to help my learners understand the growth mindset and really work to overcome their fixed mindset voices, but creating significant learning environments has taught me that without carrying that mindset and those actions forward into a holistic learning environment the growth mindset won’t have the opportunity it needs to ignite the learners’ mindset. Everything I hope to do with my innovation to advising seeks to empower the learner to take ownership of this, their authentic learning opportunity. I want to model, foster, and cultivate their big-picture understanding of how they learn. I want them to seek and find the connections those opportunities and understandings provide in all aspects of life.
I cannot fully articulate the dichotomy that is in this program. It is one of the most challenging and frustrating processes for every assignment. There is so much to process, and you must seek as much context as you require to understand all the lessons available. The growth mindset revisited could not have come at a better time. As I wrestled through the 3 Column Table and UbD Template portions of Creating Significant Learning Environments, I appreciated every encouraging message of yet. I was grateful that I knew cognitively, based on research, that intelligence is something earned through hard work. As I reflect on my learning experience, I cannot help but keep asking:
“How do we make advising authentic?”
The choice, ownership, and voice this authentic innovation project provides me continues to inspire me to provide my learners with the same opportunity. I want to utilize the advising experience as potentially the first place a student could experience such an understanding of the learning process. From personal experience, I know the shift that takes place affects every other aspect of your life. You start seeing relationships, communication, and interactions all as potential opportunities to be a catalyst for change and improvements.
Advising is one of the first places students experience the university. Embracing the learners’ mindset will allow us all to aspire toward endless innovation goals as an institution.
Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L., & Macnamara, B. N. (2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychological Science, 29(4), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617739704
Revisiting Reflections
This week, we are revisiting some of our previous Growth Mindset content and reflections. As I re-watch the Learners Mindset Discussions, Episode 20, I am almost overcome with confirmation of so many things going through my mind these days.
When I was struggling with the thought of enrolling in the ADL Program, I watched so many LMD and ADL content, just trying to get a sense of the program. Dr. Thibodeaux‘s vulnerability spoke directly to my fixed mindset, to my wall of fear, to my heart. This discussion topic was the subject that sealed the deal for me.
Now I review the discussion and have a whole new perspective on the conversation. I understand what the instructors mean when they say that the environment we can create for our learners is the key to transformation, transference, and triumph (I wanted to say success but couldn’t resist the 3T’s). I understand it because they provided that very environment to learn for me.
We now get to create the environment through our essential questions/understandings. It is overwhelming. It is exceptionally challenging. But aren’t we “smashing through the walls of fear?” Aren’t we “setting our course by the light of the stars?” Aren’t we here “to change the world?” That is big and overwhelming, but our instructors believe in us. We believe in each other. And just because I know I need to hear it and you might too, I believe in you!
References
CSLE2COVA. (2019, April 5). LMD EP20 Growing A Growth Mindset. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR7uCZGPZ5k
EDUCAUSE, Excited?
Before beginning the ADL Program, I cannot say for certain I ever heard of EDUCAUSE, but here I am excited because I just received an email with the subject: “Now Available: 2022 Students and Technology Report”
“2022 Students and Technology Report: Rebalancing the Student Experience“
EDUCAUSE, 2022
How exciting is it that “rebalancing the student experience” is part of the title for this year’s report. Of particular interest to me is the section on student success. As I reflect upon my 3 Column Table and prepare for my UbD Template, I see several of the topics we have discussed throughout our program courses and research. It is justifying to see academic advisors and coaches listed as a success resource as reported by students. This provides support and validation to the opportunity posed through the course planning of these two activities. Students share several of the frustrations advisors feel when trying to help students navigate the terrain of higher ed and federal regulations with referral to overwhelmed resources across campus. There just have to be more innovative ways to connect students. The nonacademic circumstances outlined by the report are inline with my heart and my passions for helping students succeed. “Work/life balance” appeared on my 3 Column Table Assignment this past Saturday (10/01/2022) when I submitted my first attempt at outcomes planning with regard to advising. To see that very factor listed on the report issued today (10/03/2022) is just amazing.
We are catalysts for change.
We are changing lives.
I’m excited.
What did you read that made you want to push forward and fight the good fight?
Reference
2022 Students and Technology Report: Rebalancing the Student Experience. (2022, October 3). EDUCAUSE. https://library.educause.edu/resources/2022/10/2022-students-and-technology-report-rebalancing-the-student-experience?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=report_workforce&utm_content=10-03-22&utm_term=_&m_i=gOxoTDKsSnuYNHpF5gYO7fCAQ7f4aHQ4dZIY9A9VdW_T7Y2lbkDcdYEJl4D_fBvjOXq6OEpO6aQnIFFamAp6GfDDl77T9Ugggg&M_BT=88967532832
Contributions, 5302
Concepts of Ed Tech Course
- Summer 2022
- Course Number: EDLD 5302
- Course Title: Concepts of Educational Technology
Contributions to learning and learning community.
I am giving myself a score of 95 out of 100
Crediting Group Members: Bethany Eisele, Lera Longbottom, Nastarja Tyler, Rachael Lancon, and Stacey Powell
Key and Supporting Contributions
Reflecting on my third course in the ADL Program, I have to say that I am finally feeling more confident about the COVA approach to this program and learning in general. This is not to say that it is always comfortable working this way, but I can see how much in-depth knowledge is gained through this approach. I actively seek information and teach myself more than just the minimum required readings/videos in search of greater understanding. I am constantly working to see if there is more information that I can add to my knowledge base. I think about my thinking through reflections and revisit assignments on an ongoing basis to continue making connections.
The part I feel I could do better is finding value and making deeper connections from the discussion posts. There is too much of a status quo learning (regurgitation) aspect to the post and comment expectation which always seems to lack the intended connection between students. Initially, the discussions provide a way to find people with common interests or goals. Still, once our communities are formed, they seem to lack substance since it can be several weeks before someone sees comments thereby lacking engagement in meaningful dialogs. While keeping up with the posts and comments, I feel something more valuable could be discovered or utilized to increase that aspect of the program.
I actively contributed and took on a leadership role wherever possible within my core collaboration group. I continued the shared google drive from last semester, purchasing additional storage space, and creating weekly to-do lists, discussion prompts, and video/reading notes for continued shared collaboration. Utilizing a group chat and google docs/drive, our core learning community maintained a collaborative group that welcomed new members (Nastaja and Stacey) and continually provided feedforward on all assignments. While discussing questions about previous experience in the program, we revisit our previous projects and make continuous improvements on past coursework.
As I embrace ownership of this Portfolio, I strive toward an ownership perspective to my innovation. As I experience the freedom of choice that promotes this portfolio ownership, I am inspired to provide my students with options along their academic paths. As I revise and review my content, I realize that I can further improve my message and model that through as many interactions as possible. I can apply the knowledge obtained this semester (growth mindset, learning manifesto, feedforward, learning networks) to strengthen my voice. This improves the communication, information, and resources I provide through my synchronous (phone/virtual) and asynchronous (email/portfolio) interactions, which helps to build trusted advisor-advisee relationships. From a technical skills perspective, it has also been rewarding to continue improving the aesthetic and function of the Portfolio with my intended audience in mind. I started updating past and current learning network opportunities to my Portfolio, which has allowed me to reflect upon the benefits of these collaborative/professional networks and makes me want to strive to do better in my contributions to these networks.
I completed all of the course readings, videos, and additional resources. I often researched other content for topics that interested me in more detail, such as Universal Learning Design, the ISTE standards, and everything I could get my hands on about the Growth Mindset. This self-driven desire to learn and understand helped me meet the deadlines for all projects, assignments, and posts, further providing the opportunity for more collaboration, mentorship, and reflection.
Learning Community Key and Supporting Contributions
In addition to meeting all of the support contributions and taking a leadership role in my core learning group, I have found a new role as a facilitator for our learning cohort. I have always considered myself helpful, but now I have found a way to gain even more insight and understanding by helping others. My learning community has expanded to every classmate that joined the ADL 2021-2023 GroupMe. I created this group and posted an open invitation to the student lounge after being inspired by a similar DLL group last semester made up of those more advanced in the program. I knew I wanted to help create a culture that encouraged and supported one another throughout the program. Since I am not pursuing the accelerated option, I hoped for a group of positive collaborators from all levels to facilitate mentorship and mentoring opportunities. I found a wonderful sense of purpose through this course and by taking accountability for myself and my learning community through this expanded collaboration. I have encouraged my classmates via this group, and I modeled feedforward behavior with all the group members, hoping they would do the same. I hosted multiple zoom sessions for this course, upgraded to zoom pro to host longer sessions, and began hosting other sessions for those in the Innovation Course. I helped connect students who had not yet identified their core learning community with others in the same situation. The most exciting time came when members began hosting sessions for one another, providing the type of encouragement I hoped to foster.
From Growth Mindset to a Learner’s Mindset
As I continue to invest in my Growth Mindset with a goal toward developing a Learner’s Mindset, I will continue to share my experience, reflections, and challenges.
The Advisor That Cares 