“A year (or more) after this course is over, I want and hope that students will know how to troubleshoot life circumstances to map the path to success by embracing an excitement for learning and seeking information while advocating for themselves, their needs, and their communities.”
BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) – Overarching Program Goal:
To revolutionize advising for all university programs through flipped advising by way of an advising course. Through the significant learning environment created by the advising course, learners will understand their place in the learning process as they pursue their declared educational program’s path and purpose.
Course Goal: To pilot an advising course that improves student learning outcomes, the synthesis of the academic experience, and to encourage lifelong learning.
Foundational Knowledge
- What key information (e.g., facts, terms, formulae, concepts, principles, relationships, etc.) is/are important for students to understand and remember in the future?
- Modules on effective learning strategies (understanding/remembering), self-quizzing strategies, and other study tips
- What key ideas (or perspectives) are important for students to understand in this course?
- Modules on students impact on their own learning and the learning of their colleagues and cohorts as well as their impact on society as a whole.
Application Goals
Skills: Setting up access, checking information accuracy, locating resources
- What kinds of thinking are important for students to learn?
- This course will require both critical thinking and practical application skills as the advising course will challenge students to connect a variety of aspects from their education to their personal experience while still meeting practical program and university requirements. The advising course will address both aspects of the learners academic journey.
- Critical thinking, in which students analyze and evaluate
- Creative thinking, in which students imagine and create
- Modules on goal setting and meaningful connections between academics and life. Dream journalling opportunities for students to step back from the academics of program completion and think about the big picture and plan for their contributions to the profession, society, their communities, and the institution.
- Practical thinking, in which students solve problems and make decisions
- Modules on locating a field experience site and supervisor, how to go about identifying eligible locations/people to consider in their search, practical thinking on long-term professional opportunities provided through educational experience.
- What important skills do students need to gain?
- Modules on how to set up university email, how to log into self-service banner and the features/functions of the system, how to check their schedule, balances, grades, degree audit, personalized plans, financial aid status, and how to check their programs resources and/or requirements.
- This course will require both critical thinking and practical application skills as the advising course will challenge students to connect a variety of aspects from their education to their personal experience while still meeting practical program and university requirements. The advising course will address both aspects of the learners academic journey.
- Do students need to learn how to manage complex projects?
- This aspect will be especially important to those programs with field experience and/or certification exam requirements as missing significant deadlines cause program/licensure delays and completion issues.
Integration Goals
- What connections (similarities and interactions) should students recognize and make…:
- Among ideas within this course?
- By structuring this advising course in a way that can produce significant learning, students can make connections for the same types of learning in other courses and across their learning opportunity as a whole.
- Among the information, ideas, and perspectives in this course and those in other courses or areas?
- Through reasoning and reflection exercises to help connect program curriculum to lifelong learning, professional goals, personal strengths and accomplishments, and to develop confidence on where and how to confirm information relevant to their path.
- Among material in this course and the students’ own personal, social, and/or work life?
- By connecting with people (cohort, colleagues, faculty, and profession) through the learning process as well as addressing other aspects of life such as academic challenge, personal changes, and other situations of conflict or concern, this course will provide students with the problem-solving skills needed to become successful navigators of both their education and their life long goals.
- Among ideas within this course?
- Human Dimensions Goals
- What could or should students learn about themselves?
- Learning about oneself and contributions to ones learning as well as Contributions to the learning of others.
- What could or should students learn about understanding others and/or interacting with them?
- The advising course will cover aspects of how the learner fits within the institution and their desired profession.
- Caring Goals
- What changes/values do you hope students will adopt?
- Feelings?
- Exploring aspects of feeling overwhelmed, experiencing life’s interruptions, and developing self-confidence.
- Interests?
- Development of personal and professional interest through research and reflection on selected/intended professions.
- Values?
- Planning on how to mentor colleagues and cohort members, process of giving back to the profession and other students, goals for becoming university alumni and opportunities to facilitate learning for others.
- Feelings?
- “Learning-How-to-Learn” Goals
- What would you like for students to learn about:
- how to be good students in a course like this?
- Time management, University resources, Growth/Learners Mindset, Self-care, Work/Life Balance techniques, Communication (norms, standards, and etiquette)
- how to learn about this particular subject?
- Locating past syllabi to determine workload and time commitment expectations to make decisions about number of courses for a given semester. Locating university policies and procedures that impact students options, academic standing, financial aid eligibility, and professional credentialing.
- how to become a self-directed learner of this subject, i.e., having a learning agenda of what they need/want to learn, and a plan for learning it?
- Course components on the process of inquiry, how to reignite the inquisitive/learners mindset, components on making meaningful connections between course materials, guides on understanding the why and how of learning, and guidance on aspects of the new culture of learning and the power of collectives/community/collaboration.
- how to be good students in a course like this?
The Advisor That Cares 