Choose Your Own Adventure Motivating Students to Maximize Their Academic Engagement Through Experiential Learning Presenters: Carson Creecy and Kate McIlraith

To share practical strategies for motivating students to engage in experiential learning Why is this important? What is the advisor’s role? Using Strengths-based advising and Motivational Interviewing Goal Setting and Mapping Presenters Colleagues Student voices Practice/Review Techniques Learn to use a new tool Share wisdom and experience Enjoy the Journey Engage in activities Think creatively

Promotion of Experiential Learning in the Admissions Process “You’ll work hands-on with professors to learn, discover, and innovate.” –WSUV webpage “Directed studies and internships encourage students to gain real world experience and engage in projects aimed at serving the community...” –WSUV DTC program main page “Why U of I?” webpage videos: Choose Your Own Adventure

What is experiential learning? “The process of making meaning from direct experience.” – Christian M. Itin author Reasserting the Philosophy of Experiential Education as a Vehicle for Change in the 21st Century I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. - Confucius

Why is Experiential Learning Important? Choose Your Own Adventure Overall educational experience Retention Career preparedness and professional experience Personal enrichment Getting the value out of your tuition dollars

The Advisor’s Role in Encouraging Experiential Learning “Perhaps the idea of making connections between in-class and out-of-class activities sounds obvious. Yet without some concrete illustrations of how to do it, and why it can be helpful, the suggestion risks becoming an abstraction.” (Light, 2001) Choose Your Own Adventure

Tools for “The Talk”: Going beyond suggestions Choose Your Own Adventure

Strengths-based Advising Uses student’s talents as the basis for educational and career planning Shifts the focus from problems to possibilities Strengths are pathways to goals (Schreiner & Anderson, 2005)

Motivational Interviewing OARS: Ask… Open-ended questions Affirm Listen…Reflectively Summarize (Stolz, 2012) Choose Your Own Adventure A person-centered, directive method of communication for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence. (Miller & Rollnick, 2002)

Motivational Interviewing Examples – “What would you do if there were no limits or constraints?” – “What do you think would make your educational experience better?” – “What types of activities do you think would help you achieve your academic and career goals?” Choose Your Own Adventure

Experiential Activity Role-playing: One person is the advisor and one person is the student. The student is feeling ambivalent about how their semester is going and generally uninspired by college. The advisor should use motivational interviewing and strengths-based advising techniques to get the student to identify/discuss a strength and/or a long-term goal. Choose Your Own Adventure I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. - Confucius

An Adventure with a Plan: Mapping the Path to the Destination Choose Your Own Adventure

Chiropractic College “Get involved in Research.” Academic Advisor Faculty Mentor Research research Honors Program Get to Know Professors Student Leadership Ride Horses Bat Research

Stand Up Comedian Theater Productions Academic Advisor Faculty Mentor Humor Magazine Internship with Second City Improv Group Intramural Sports Political Science Local Comedians Comedy Open Mic Forensic Debate

Building an Archive: Choose Your Own Adventure Use this or another hand out “Dream Resume” Tweet it! #GoalMap

Choose Your Own Adventure

Goal Setting/Mapping Activity Choose Your Own Adventure Choose a partner and think of a career or educational goal that an advisee might have. Use the provided tool to map a path to the goal and include/identify experiential learning activities that would help them reach their goal. I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. - Confucius

Conclusion Advisors can play a critical role in helping students make experiential learning a reality Strengths-based Advising and Motivational Interviewing techniques are excellent tools for motivating students to engage in experiential learning Setting SMART goals and using a mapping tool can help guide students toward engagement Choose Your Own Adventure

Questions? Carson Creecy: – – Phone: (360) Kate McIlraith: – – Phone: (360) Choose Your Own Adventure

Works Cited Light, Richard J. “Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds,” 2001, Harvard University Press Miller & Rollnick (2002). Motivational Interviewing (2nd Ed.): Preparing People for Change. Schreiner, Laurie A. and Anderson, Edward. “Strengths-Based Advising: A New Lens for Higher Education,” NACADA Journal, Volume 25 (2), Fall 2005 Stolz, Cheryl, “Using Motivational Interviewing (MI) Principles in Academic and Career Advising,” WSU ACADA Level 2 Training, June 13 th, 2012 Choose Your Own Adventure