Advising Student Development at Al Akhawayn University

Two Approaches to Advising Developmental advising : Developmental advising student as whole person Course related advising : Course related advising student as course consumer

Course related advising Three sources of confusion: 1. The MATH sequence 2. The COMPOSITION requirement 3. The CORE CURRICULUM

MATH in SHSS Degrees SHSS degrees require TWO MATH courses MATH 1300 Either MATH 1301 or 1399 Students who are Arts BAC can start with MATH 1399 and then take MATH 1300 All others should take 1300 and then 1301

MATH in SBA Degrees SBA degrees require TWO MATH courses MATH 1300 MATH 1301 MATH 1300 is pre-requisite for ACC 2301 and ECO 2301, which are pre-requisite for many other SBA courses

MATH in SSE Degrees CS degree requires – MATH 1304, 1303, 2301, 3301 GE degree requires (minor in Math) – MATH 1304, 1303, 2301, 2303, 2304, 3301 EMS degree requires – MATH 1303, 2301, 2303, 2304, 3301 N.B. MTH1304 is not prerequisite for MTH1303 but students are advised to start with MTH1304

Math Course Titles MTH 1399: Introductory Math Concepts – a.k.a. Pre-Calculus MTH 1300: Discrete Mathematics – a.k.a. Discrete, or Discrete for Business MTH 1301: Calculus I – a.k.a. Calc MTH 1304: Discrete Mathematics for Engineers – a.k.a. Discrete

Composition ENG 1301 & 1302 Pre-requisite for HIS 1301 HIS 2301 COM 1301 LIT 2301 PSC 2301

CAD Sequence SSK 1203 Computer Skills SSK 1201 Skills for Learning & Research SSK 1205 Interpersonal Skills & Social Interaction SSK 1202 Critical Reading & Problem Solving SSK 1204 Applied Independent Learning Methods

Advising at AUI New arrivals have a CADvisor for 2 semesters – CADvising offers support, advice, a place to ask questions, an identifiable person CADvisors send students on to School Advisors School Advisors receive their advisees by appointment in pre-registration week School Advisors input course selection using

Developmental Advising Questions to ask: 1.How are you doing in your courses this term? 2.What’s your workload? 3.How well do you manage your time? 4.Do you really want to be an engineer?

Why focus on student development? University-level students develop in multiple areas. In order to integrate growth in all areas, students need support in all areas. Trained staff can provide a source of non-judgmental feedback and create a safe learning environment outside of the classroom. ACADEMIC CAREER EMOTIONAL PHYSICAL MORAL ETHICAL

Shouldn’t students just study?? The academic side of university life is, indeed, important; but, AUI also hopes to help shape: Leaders Good neighbors and good citizens Career-ready employees Ethical decision-makers Self-confident adults Well-rounded individuals

Challenge and Support Students grow and develop when they are challenged. Students need support to work through new ideas, behaviors, and styles of thinking. The AUI experience is a combination of living and learning, where growth can occur in the residence hall, the classroom, a club, a professor’s office, or the cafeteria!

Multiple Areas of Student Growth Achieving competence Managing emotions Developing autonomy Establishing identity Freeing interpersonal relationships Developing purpose Developing integrity Chickering (1969) Education and Identity

For example: Achieving Competence Students believe that their poor grade in an “easy” course reflects a lack of competence But their English skills are weak; they don’t like to read; they confuse effort with result With faculty advice, they can start to identify the source of the problem: perhaps it isn’t their work in the course, but their ability to apply multiple skills to the learning task Learning about one’s own strengths and weaknesses beyond the actual course is a major step

Establishing Identity Sexual orientation Body image Values development Acceptance of personal responsibility Identity development

Developing Competence Academic transition issues Failure to see logical consequences of actions Experimenting with substances or relationships Trying on different communication styles

Cognitive Development Perry (1970, 1981) has developed a model that suggests how students make sense out of the information, theories, experiences, and opinions that confront them in college classrooms. DUALISTIC STUDENTS are those who see the world as a place of absolutes such as right or wrong, true or false. Knowledge is seen as existing absolutely. Dualistic students tend to think of their role in terms of "right" answers and the role of the professor or staff member as providing those answers.

Students at the dualistic stage Require structured interventions Prefer rule-based guidelines Expect to be offered ready-made choices Are just starting to develop critical thinking skills Have a tendency to « follow the crowd » May see conflict in terms of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’

Cognitive Development MULTIPLISTIC STUDENTS recognize that there are multiple perspectives to problems. However, they are unable to evaluate each perspective adequately. A typical multiplistic response might be "We're all entitled to our own opinions.”

Cognitive Development RELATIVISTIC STUDENTS see knowledge as relative to particular frames of reference. They show a capacity for detachment; they look for the "big picture," think about their own thinking, and evaluate their own ideas as well as those of others.