The invitation to innovate advising was born out of a desire to relieve advisors of the information transfer aspect of onboarding new students while empowering them with the information they desperately want and need to succeed. Advisors can accomplish both goals through a Blended Learning Approach to advising (Horn & Staker, 2017).
The ePortfolio resources created by advisors have the power to transform their advisees/learners’ experience as they assist learners in making meaning out of the college experience while equipping them with the knowledge needed to navigate the complicated, often cryptic, world of higher education. Employing digital resources can create time and space within advising interactions to transform the learning opportunities college provides.
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As planned in the implementation outline, teaching advisors about ePortfolios is the expansion step toward increasing learner motivation and metacognition of this college experience. Meeting the needs of advisors is the driving force behind this Professional Learning opportunity’s Call to Action.
As a self-differentiated leader, planning effective alternative Professional Learning utilizing the Five Principles allows ongoing unit-wide dedication to the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) of Revolutionizing Advising.
Each phase creates built-in peer support while continuing to develop skills for all participants in all stages thanks to a co-learning focus and overlapping cycles. This investment in the co-learning process can help influence change and overcome resistance.
As the Behavioral Science guys suggested, asking questions allows advisors to identify the need and discover the benefits for themselves. Varied engaging learning opportunities and ongoing discussions will enable the team to take ownership of the process and invest in innovation efforts (Crucial Learning, 2015).
The Google classrooms have been color-coded to illustrate the overlapping timeline of rollout phases.
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Google Classroom: Advising Coordinators
Class Code: cdvkpqt
- Audience: 4 Advising Coordinators (Middle Managers)
- Needs: Advising solutions for understaffed advising teams undergoing a massive restructuring of organizational and advising approaches/models.
- Phase 1: Estimated Delivery Time – 7 hours, 30 minutes formalized Professional Learning with unlimited ongoing self-directed learning opportunities.
First, the Associate Director will guide advising coordinators through the professional learning plan. As advising coordinators learn about ePortfolios and develop theirs, they will consider how to introduce Senior Advisors to Professional Learning and ePortfolios. While facilitating the Senior Advisors’ Professional Learning, the Coordinators will simultaneously co-learn while continually developing and expanding their ePortfolio. When the Senior Advisors begin teaching the Advising team about ePortfolios, the Advising Coordinators and Senior Advisors will continue to grow their ePortfolio practice while co-learning and supporting one another at each level. This iterative process allows for collaboration as team members mentor and support one another throughout the learning process. As advisors at every level grapple with the challenges of learning new skills, they will experience those frustrations together while also brainstorming for solutions to the challenges that change inevitability brings.
Phases 2 and 3 have been planned along the Coordinators’ professional learning structure as a starting point. However, through the COVA Approach, the Advising Coordinators will have choice, ownership, and voice as they add to the direction of the Professional Learning presented on ePortfolios (Harapnuik et al., 2018). Through their learning experience, they will add resources and presentations of their creation.
Google Classroom: Senior Advisors
Class Code: q7a3x6s
- Audience: 6 Senior Advisors (Team Leaders)
- Needs: Advising solutions for understaffed advising teams undergoing a massive restructuring of organizational and advising approaches/models.
- Phase 2: Estimated Delivery Time – 9 hours, 45 minutes formalized Professional Learning with anticipated additions and adjustments to be made by Advising Coordinators as they make implementation adjustments—similarly limitless ongoing self-directed learning opportunities.
By the time the Professional Learning: ePortfolio topic gets to the Advising team, it will have evolved through extensive discussion and collaboration. As the Senior Advisors further revise and clarify the Professional Learning opportunity, they may refine, restructure, and add additional resources or content based on their research and experience.
Class Code: 4zxwucn
- Audience: 9 Advisors (Team Members)
- Needs: Advising solutions for understaffed advising teams undergoing a massive restructuring of organizational and advising approaches/models.
- Phase 3: Estimated Delivery Time – 10 hours, 30 minutes formalized Professional Learning with anticipated additions and adjustments to be made by Advising Coordinators and Senior Advisors as they make implementation adjustments—similarly limitless ongoing self-directed learning opportunities.
Professional Learning Stages
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References
Crucial Learning. (2015, January 5). How to change people who don’t want to change | the behavioral science guys [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ACi-D5DI6A
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in the era of high stakes accountability.
Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning. Creative Common License.
Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2017). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. John Wiley & Sons.
The Advisor That Cares 