Category: Professional Learning

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Contributions, 5320

The Advisor That Cares

Capstone Course

  • Fall 2023
  • Course Number: EDLD 5320
  • Course Title: Synthesis Digital Learn/Lead

Contributions to Learning and my Learning Community

The back of a yellow van is pictured travelling down a dessert roadway.

Crediting Core Group Members: Kelly Skillingberg, Shannon Bowles, and Rachel Hull.

I am giving myself a score of 99 out of 100

Wow, what a transformation from the first course in the program.

please reconsider and evaluate your work and grade with the same fairness as another student.”

March 11, 2022 paraphrased email from EDLD 5305 instructor

Here I am, emboldenly claiming 99 out of 100 for my contributions to my learning and the learning of my learning community. Who is this person I have become?

I know now what I didn’t know then. I know that my “assessment of/for/as learning” is mine to claim ownership over, too (Harapnuik, 2021). The ADL Program equipped me to take control of my learning journey, and I embraced it!

When I began the program, I didn’t understand how having a group would help me. I had always been a little better off on my own or a type A person who would prefer to do all the work to know it got completed.

This independence was also true of my professional life, now that I think about it. While I enjoyed collaborating with others at work, I would typically take the lead to ensure that none of us “got in trouble” for failing to meet expectations.

However, this program and the soul-searching reflection done throughout leave me knowing that I have given 100 percent effort toward my entire learning experience. I also have given 100 percent effort toward connecting with my learning cohort. I am not giving myself a perfect score because there is always room for improvement and more to learn.

The fantastic people in my collaboration group have shown me how much better my ideas and our experience can be if we work together.

My learning communities overlap so many periods and classes that I cannot limit my experience to a single learning community (though this one was top-notch because we have all evolved so much in our learning journey that we now “get it”) but instead try to approach each semester as my opportunity to support and guide my fellow learners in the learning journey.

I love connecting with new people, and weekly meetings are my jam! But I had to learn that they are not that for everyone. I had to adapt and learn to meet others when and where they were available. We have had so many chats and a few synchronous meetings. Still, the asynchronous ability to connect has significantly impacted my future innovation ideas.

Adding peer support is a transformative component of innovation in advising. I never imagined how learners could support one another in co-navigating a new experience. However, thanks to my experience with choice, ownership, and voice in this authentically significant learning environment (COVA + CSLE), I know firsthand that peer support and a shared experience can revolutionize a learning experience.

Key Contributions

  1. My learning community’s core group members have all done a fantastic job staying in touch throughout the semester. One evening, we were the only members of the course who attended the class call. What worked this semester was our continued commitment to learning as much as possible, improving our innovation ideas as much as possible, and getting as much as possible out of this last course in the ADL program.
  2.  Fortunately, Shannon, Kelly, and I have been in learning communities and have maintained ongoing chats over the last several semesters. Before this session began, we had an EDLD 5320 Capstone Community GroupMe started. We all did a great job sharing links to our works in progress for feedforward and periodically just checked in to see how we felt about our coursework and innovation ideas.
  3.  I completed an overwhelming number of revisions on my ePortfolio as a whole. I continually revised current coursework and previous courses/projects coursework as a part of the entire program synthesis process. It was amazing to see how much we have learned and evolved in such a short time.
  4.  I completed ALL of the course readings, videos, and supporting resources provided and actively sought additional resources to deepen my learning and improve my innovation.
  5.  I met the various course activity deadlines indicated in the calendar.

Supporting Contributions

  1. While our group maintained a well-balanced interaction, I took a leadership role by requesting and creating recurring Zoom meetings to chat about projects and our reflections throughout the course. I contributed to my classmates in class calls and discussions by answering questions and pointing to resources when applicable.
  2.  I contribute to my learning and the learning of my colleagues by participating in ALL activities.
  3.  I actively contributed to discussion posts with engaging and well-thought-out reflections.

Reference

Harapnuik, D. (2021, August 16). Assessment OF/FOR/AS learning. It’s About Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=8900

https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=8900

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Always timely, EDUCAUSE

The Advisor That Cares

While written with IT Leaders in mind, innovative educators and support staff can benefit from these 10 Calls to Action for the Future of Technology in Higher Ed.

  • #1 – Collaboration
    • “Regular, reliable, and repeatable interactions with customers can also lead to greater customer satisfaction, productivity, and efficiency, along with a deeper appreciation of humans working together” (Gonick, 2023).
    • “A key question arises: how can their organizations be prepared to make necessary pivots to solve systemic challenges? Doing so starts with a theory of change—one with a vision and a strategy to engage people and to develop agile organizational capacity. The tools and technology will follow” (Gonick, 2023).
      • This point immediately makes me consider the ADL program’s Influencer and 4DX change strategies.
  • # 2 – Belonging
    • “Belonging is an outcome that’s hard to measure, but we know when people stay engaged, it’s because they feel they’re somewhere worthwhile—and that they’re someone worthwhile. Belonging is an ethical expression of solidarity and in opposition to the dominant experience of alienation” (Gonick, 2023).
      • This is a crucial component of my innovation and an excellent spot to highlight how creating a learning environment that supports the advising relationship could help students and employees gain this sense of belonging and significance.
  • #3 – Learning at Scale and AI
    • “The best of AI in the higher education setting lies in its potential to revolutionize how learners access and engage with educational resources, offering personalized experiences at scale” (Gonick, 2023).
    • “AI has the power to transform how colleges and universities provide services, support vulnerable populations, improve STEM education, and much more” (Gonick, 2023).
      • Incorporating AI into the innovation to advising would make for real-time student support anytime a student faces a situation, has a question, or expresses a challenge. This opportunity poses many future possibilities for the advising relationship.
  • #4 – Analytics of Support
    • “Data helps us understand how to provide better support to students and learners; being able to provide just the right interventions at just the right moments can be the difference between someone dropping out and feeling they have the resources needed to continue and thrive” (Gonick, 2023).
    • The future of advising could potentially include “… using real-time analytics and smart technology to identify patterns in students’ learning and providing personalized recommendations for support and intervention” (Gonick, 2023).
      • Isn’t proactive advising with on-time intrusive intervention a goal for forming a robust and trusted advising relationship? Shouldn’t helping students obtain the tools they need to be successful and to excel in their chose degree program a big piece part of our goals in higher education?
  • #5 – Identity Management
    • “… using digital resources to ensure a seamless learning journey—such as by using extended reality and adaptive technologies to enhance learning strategies. This approach has the potential to transform academia and equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving landscape (Gonick, 2023).
  • #6 – 10 coming soon (I fell down a rabbit hole of research again when I need to be writing.)
    • “Narrative-based learning is very different from the industrial models that have guided instruction at scale for nearly a century. We will need to get better at understanding how to construct compelling narratives that invite learners to chart their own learning journeys” (Gonick, 2023).

Reference

Gonick, L. (2023, August 29). 10 calls to action for the future of technology in higher ed. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/8/10-calls-to-action-for-the-future-of-technology-in-higher-ed?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=er_content_alert_newsletter&utm_content=9-06-23&utm_term=_&m_i=uxOFDaW%2BUx81Tdgqy3EtRPi%2B9T04jmwuyU5EK1X_ilZ0JLfk3kCH9WgfIrKaaoiaQz2dWaXjVjUlZl0oy2FW3egvsGqMHieuup&M_BT=88967532832

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Ready, Set, Usability Test

The Advisor That Cares

Well, here I go again. Preparing to do something I have never dreamed of doing before. I am about to embark upon my first experience with usability testing. Finding tasks that would give me a user experience in interacting with my course has been challenging. The hardest part has been avoiding biased language and providing too many instructions.

Usability Test Script

Usability Test Resource

My Usability Testing Notes and Observations Log is the last step in my prep work development process.

Ready, set, it is usability testing time!

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Design – from the starting line

The Advisor That Cares

Backward design…

How extremely humbling to realize that I am finally at the point where I am creating my innovation idea. Everything I have been learning through the program on how to help develop my team through professional learning and ways that these resources can contribute to significant learning environments both equip me with resources and leave me overwhelmed at the reality of this authentic opportunity. I really do have an opportunity to revolutionize advising within my organization.

Now, I get to build my course, my ubiquitous resource, my example of revolutionary advising for learner and advisor alike.

If you are taking EDLD 5318 Instructional Design Online Learning in the ADL Program – How are you feeling in your learning process?

I, for one am still stuck at the starting line – “perfection is the enemy of the good” – has me not even having done my introduction discussion, since we were invited to create that utilizing video resources, I think I want to really plan out my introduction so that it can become a piece of the final product at the conclusion of this course. As a result, I’m thinking that the normally simple piece of each course requires more thought, time, and reflection as a piece of this course’s learning puzzle.

I am going to reach out to my learning community and see if we can plan a collaborative session to brainstorm and discuss our plans. I will share my process as I work through this first Instructional Design assignment in hopes of helping you through your learning process too.

A New Culture of Learning, ADL Program, Advising, Collective, ePortfolios, Evolution, Goals, Growth, Growth Mindset, Influencer, Innovation Plan, Learner's Mindset, Learning, Learning Community, Personal, Professional, Professional Learning, Reflecting, Why

Naval-Gazing

The Advisor That Cares

While reviewing this weeks content for discussion in the ADL Program‘s EDLD 5318, Instructional Design Online Learning course, I heard the term “naval-gazing.” I had to back up the video, replay it, die laughing, and then search for the meaning and origin of the term.

How have I made it this far in life without ever knowing about this Ancient Greek term (principle of Omphaloskepsis)?!?!

Now here are a few interesting observations.

I have watched this video several times, taken detailed notes, and connected thoughts several times before, never noticing the phrase.

I had to exercise and embrace the Learner’s Mindset to even seek additional information.

I could not help but draw parallels to my learning process throughout the ADL program. Without even realizing or recognizing it at the time, I was detailing the same fundamentals addressed by this discussion in the recent interview I was honored to participate in about the Learner’s Mindset.

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Picturing the Finish Line

The Advisor That Cares

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.

LMD EP47

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Believe it

The Advisor That Cares

You have to believe it.

Leaning into the learners’ mindset, I have to ask myself daily to believe and trust it.

I have been entirely transparent about my writing struggles. I voiced in class that I need more confidence in my understanding of the subject matter to give my analysis and knowledge of other authors’ statements and research. This lack of confidence sends me back to the research reading and collecting more information, sources, and additional research. I can cite sources all day, but when I have to draw connections between material and express my understanding, I trigger memories of my K-12 educational experience and lose confidence. Research can become my distraction technique (an observation grad school has illuminated) to avoid the vulnerability that is academic writing.

Since I have reviewed hundreds of pieces of literature on my innovation topic formally over the last year and four months but professionally for the previous nine years and ten months, this topic is truly a passion project of the heart. Born out of desperation to help students, the advocate in me also desperately wants this tool for advisors. We are in tear-filled meetings over a crisis of self-issues. Advisors watch the battle young adults face with themselves over your disappointment if they decide whether or not they are pursuing their goals and dreams or yours.

I desperately want advising to be about the transformative development I read about in the literature. I felt disappointed after my first literature review as I recognized I was not meeting the goals and standards set by my profession. I now see that I am efficient at prescriptive advising. From a medical professional background, procedural information transfer, triaging issues, and answering questions came naturally. I know how to connect students to policy and procedures. I efficiently direct them to their departmental information on degree plans and course information. I am helpful and efficient at answering questions with source links (because advisors are only as good as the accuracy of the published information). I have always had an efficiency perspective. Therefore, I formalized my advising process, communications, and documentation for record keeping.

An advising course provides advisors and students a voice to illuminate problems faced by learners as expressed through cohort/meta-major discussions and assessments. Advisors could improve resources with an advising course, grade book, discussion boards, collaborative group sessions, and modules on common issues. Flipped advising would allow that effort to improve even further through media and collaboration with an advising team. I suspect turnover is both from burnout and demoralization. Advising is a passion profession. Many interview questions touch on helping people achieve their goals. Yet it can become a repetitive process of covering the same policies, procedures, and systems instead of all the things it could be if these items didn’t consume advising interactions. The ability to extend the advising sessions and depth beyond a 30-minute advising appointment twice a semester (optimistically). How can we help transform learners’ lives in 1 hour a term? Flipped advising would help us meet those needs while also relieving us of so many of the repetitive interactions we have day after day. Those fulfilling aspects of developmental advising forge a bond between advisor and advisee. Those connections are the ones that make commencement so special and a commitment to this profession so worth it.

Advisors consistently wonder if their efforts improved outcomes, but the cyclical and reactive nature of the industry can have us moving on to the next initiative with no feedback on the last one. Smiling faces that thank you for supporting them while wearing caps and gowns sure go a long way in motivating outcomes and innovations.

So now, I need to support all those beliefs with evidence from the existing literature.

By golly, I think I understand the point of a literature review finally.

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Educause Amazing!

The Advisor That Cares

They get me! They really get me.

Learner-Centered Advising for Student Success: Leveraging Backward Design, Collaboration, and the LMS

Reference

Mojeiko, L., Haskell, A., & Dunn, S. (2021, January 19). Learner-Centered advising for student success: Leveraging backward design, collaboration, and the LMS. EDUCAUSE. https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2021/1/learner-centered-advising-for-student-success-leveraging-backward-design-collaboration-and-the-lms

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Academic Writing & Mindset

The Advisor That Cares

I greatly appreciate Dr. Meeuwse holding office hours. This has rejuvenized the collaborative aspect of learning that I enjoy (and miss) so very much. I love that we have a facilitator who genuinely wants to help us be successful in our writing. I have picked up some great tips for approaching this literature review. I already feel more comfortable and familiar with the content of my research. I still really struggle to articulate how I believe my innovation plans are innovative and are the first of many steps toward a better experience for students and advisors.

Last week, Dr. Meeuwse shared a tip on her research approach during her doctoral experience.

She gave a beautiful nugget of knowledge when she suggested we approach paraphrasing by making bullet points of no more than two words (citing the source as we go) while reviewing relevant literature.

Tonight she gave additional details.

Read the article through, read it aloud, making bullet points with in-text citations, then put it away (the source material). Go and write sentences from memory (trying not to return to the source material so you aren’t tempted to reuse the authors’ words or meanings instead of expressing your learning).

This program’s craftsmanship never ceases to amaze me. I have a very specific visual image in my head of Dr. Harapnuik telling us how sneakily he manipulates us into learning.

Embarking on this course, I really had to give myself a pep talk. I dreaded whichever class had another one of those dang lit reviews. I forced myself to reflect as those old patterns of panic tried to creep in. Almost immediately, I recognized that I had to own whether or not I had embraced and accepted a learner’s mindset. Would I let research and academic writing scare me away from the authentic work I have been doing throughout this program to bring flipped advising to life?

Looking at the work I have completed up to this point in the program made me recognize that I am very familiar with my innovation plan. I am approaching my research efforts with much more specificity than my first attempt at a literature review. I definitely have a better understanding of the point of the darn thing. I am still struggling to explain what I hope to do with flipped advising and how students accurately identifying coursework for registration is the first significant step forward for our advisors and students.

Nonetheless, by standing on multiple means of support found in the literature, I will have a clearer picture of exactly how action research will guide the process toward revolutionizing advising.

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Professional Learning Plans

The Advisor That Cares

In my quest for research for my action research literature review, I came across an article that immediately made me think of my professional learning plans. Specifically when looking to the future of professional learning and how an innovation to advising could transform advising interactions.

Screenshot of "Looking to the Future" section of linked webpage.

Academic Tutors/Advisors and Students Working in Partnership: Negotiating and Co-creating in “The Third Space”

I did not even realize it, but this is an exciting “perspective piece” to find as a wonderful confirmation of what I envisioned throughout my professional learning plans that include this type of peer partnership.

Reference

McIntosh, E. A., Steele, G. E., & Grey, D. (2020). Academic tutors/advisors and students working in partnership: Negotiating and co-creating in “The third space.” Frontiers in Education, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.528683