Leading the Change Through Faculty Advisor Training Dr. Diana Wagner Advising Services Coordinator Seidel School of Education & Professional Studies

Faculty Advisor Training as an Agent of Positive Change Stages of Creating Change Stages of Creating Change Designing Faculty Training Designing Faculty Training oInitial Training oOngoing Training oNew Faculty Training Creating a Culture of Training Creating a Culture of Training Reasons Major Change Fails Reasons Major Change Fails

Salisbury University  Advising and Student Self- Service Went Live in Spring 2003  6,000 students  325 faculty

Creating Major Change (Kotter, 1996) Establishing a sense of urgency Go live as soon as possible/feasible Identify risks and opportunities Create the Leadership Team Trainers need the power to affect change Trainers need the respect of faculty advisors Trainers need to understand advising

Develop a Vision and Strategy Keep the vision student-centered Develop short-term and long-term calendars to deliver training Develop a communications strategy Communicating the Change Vision Create a band-wagon culture Make it impossible not to participate Continually emphasize opportunities to institution and students

Empower Broad-Based Action Get rid of obstacles Encourage risk-taking Encourage leadership Generate Short-Term Wins Recognize and reward people Anchor New Approach in Culture Articulate relationship between advising process and student/institutional success

Initial Faculty Advisor Training Focus 1: Logistics of Advising Process Review institutional advising process Process for approving student plan in O/PS Process that students will carry out Make explicit connections to prior process Focus 2: Introduction to Advising Tools Degree progress report Student transcripts Emphasize student access to tools

Initial Training Tools Faculty Resource Web Site Detailed Step-by-Step Instructions Plenty of Screen Shots Advising Related Handouts

Ongoing Faculty Advisor Training (Each Semester Prior to Advising Period) Focus 1: Review the Advising Logistics Walk advisors through a theoretical advising appointment Review the location of advising tools (degree progress, transcript, etc) Focus 2: Get More Detailed with Online Tools Close reading of degree progress report Highlight changes since last advising period Reinforce student access to degree progress

New Faculty Orientation Focus 1: Class Management Logistics Class Rosters Student Contact Info Personal Portfolio Details Focus 2: Planting the Seed for Advising Accessing “View My Advisees” Accessing Info from Student Details Menu Alerting Advisors to Pre-Registration Trainings

Creating a Culture of Change Down With the Nay-Sayers! Drown Out Nay-Sayers Don’t Let Them Skew Your Focus on Positive Change Create a Sense of Ownership Establish O/PS Liaisons in each school/department Invite Faculty Participation in Training

Reasons Change Fails (Kotter, again) (Practically or Philosophically) Allowing Complacency Failing to Create a Sufficiently Powerful Leadership Team Underestimating the Power of Vision Undercommunicating the Vision Permitting Obstacles to Block the Vision Failing to Create Short-Term Wins Declaring Victory Too Soon Neglecting to Anchor the Change in Culture

Questions Discussion Shared Experiences

Contact Info Dr. Diana Wagner Advising Services Coordinator Seidel School of Education & Professional Studies Salisbury University 1101 Camden Avenue Salisbury, MD