Category: Influencer

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Change Behavior

The Advisor That Cares

Jeni Cross does a great job of outlining that common sense ideas are often antithetical to behavior change in her TEDxTalk. I found Myth #1 interesting. This first common sense myth believes that education or information will change behavior. In this example, the speaker gave a compelling perspective on how we must present information to influence behavior change. The speaker illustrates that we can learn from social science to affect change by making personalized and tangible information for a more significant impact. To do so, “knowing your audience is a key factor in change” (TEDx Talks, 2013a). The recommendation to “frame loss, not gains” was a surprising shift in perspective. Common sense might say to outline and highlight everything an organization will gain from a change strategy but “hearing what you are losing is more motivating than hearing what you are gaining” (TEDx Talks, 2013a). Common sense, myth #2 states that you must address and change attitudes to change behavior, but the speaker illustrates that attitudes follow behavior, not predict it. Therefore, you can avoid fighting to change attitudes by connecting values to behavioral expectations. You instead set expectations. Myth #3 about common sense says social interaction, pressure, and modeling are some of the most significant influences on motivation. An effective way to enact change is to connect behaviors to issues about which people care to “make the change meaningful” (TEDx Talks, 2013a). 

The vital behaviors outlined by Joseph Greeny align with many of the cautions proposed by Jeni Cross. For example, Greeny’s first source of influence, personal motivation, sounds like the personalized social interaction defined by Jeni Cross. Creating that tangible presentation helps to increase urgency around the reasons for change. Myth 2 about attitudes and expectations sounds like the vital behaviors identified by Greeny. Lastly, change agents identified by Greeny tie directly to the social norms and modeling outlined in meaningful change efforts by Cross. 

The results I wish to achieve through the Innovation to Advising is to equip students with the knowledge and information needed to make informed decisions. The goal is to do this while simultaneously relieving advisors of the repetitive, prescriptive, and informational components of advising to create space for advisor-advisee relationship building and meaning-making through reflection on what is working and what could be better. 

References

TEDxTalks. (2013a, March 20). Three myths of behavior change – what you think you know that you don’t: Jeni Cross at tedxcsu. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5d8GW6GdR0 

TEDxTalks. (2013b, April 26). Change behavior- change the world: Joseph Grenny at tedxbyu. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T9TYz5Uxl0 

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Influencer – Goals and Measures

The Advisor That Cares

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

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Why?

The Advisor That Cares

Apple’s call to Think Differently states, “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do” (Harry Piotr, 2013). 

Harry Piotr. (2013, September 30). Apple – Think Different – Full Version [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sMBhDv4sik

“[I] see things differently, [I am] not fond of rules, and [I] have no respect for the status quo” (Harry Piotr, 2013). 

Help me change the world.

Why: By genuinely caring about others and desiring to make a difference, I believe innovation in advising will equip and empower students as they become lifelong learners by helping them identify growth opportunities.

How: Enabling learners to embrace choice, ownership, and voice by modeling an authentic learning environment in advising creates the foundation for students to take control, be active participants, and make meaning out of their learning experiences.

What: Students become self-directed learners who have confidence in their ability to successfully navigate various challenges, circumstances, and opportunities throughout their life far beyond graduation.

I do what I do because I care about people. Therefore, I can honestly say that my why is at the heart of my innovation plan. You see, my purpose is to make a difference in other people’s lives. I “want to transform [my] learners’ lives and change their world” (Dwayne Harapnuik, 2019). My motivation is to improve the advising experience for students (and advisors) while believing they deserve the opportunity to experience choice, claim ownership, and find their voice through their authentic college experience (Harapnuik et al., 2018).

All the while, the University and society benefit from this advising innovation because as our students become lifelong learners, they will effectively process information, make informed decisions, and successfully navigate their educational experience. This significantly impacts lives as we are poised to help our students become thriving citizens beyond their time with the institution.

We owe it to our learners to equip them to be influential members of our digitally connected world. Dr. John Kotter (2012) cautions that we cannot effectively convey the need for change if we do not create a sense of urgency about our obligation to the learners we serve. We must help others recognize why they should care, why they need to change, and what limitless opportunities await due to this evolution. We can do this by winning over hearts and minds. Doing so, I believe that together we can make a difference.

Are you ready to make a difference with me?

References

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

Dwayne Harapnuik. (2019, January 22). What’s your why – EDLD 5304 week 1 assignment tips [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR8422m3K-A

Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning. Creative Common License.

Harry Piotr. (2013, September 30). Apple – Think Different – Full Version [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sMBhDv4sik