1. Research and Advising Case study: Maastricht University/University College Maastricht Advisors' Forum: Using Research to Empower Advising NACADA Annual Conference 2016, Atlanta
Oscar van den Wijngaard
Coordinator Academic Advising
University College Maastricht

2. Context
Maastricht University lists enhancing the employability of its graduates as one of its main objectives in the Strategic Programme for Research conducted by or on behalf of the university plays an important role in the development of the overall policy as well as specific interventions within the advising curriculum.

3. Vision level – research* suggests:
Maastricht University students:
Feel insufficiently prepared for the labor market;
Are not sufficiently aware of their own strenghts and potential, in relation to the labor market;
Oftentimes do not see the relevance of what they learn for their future careers;
*sources: Maastricht University graduate surveys 2015, ROA, 2015; Competencies: Requirements and acquisition, A. Kuenn et al. ROA, 2013
Vision

4. Our interpretation and conclusion:
A lack of awareness and self-efficacy calls for more intentional academic advising,
that helps students develop a better sense of awareness of their own
life and career goals;
strengths and competencies and opportunities for further growth and development;
ability to plan their studies (and other relevant activities) accordingly.
Vision

5. Operationalization
Building on what we already have, the further development of an institution-wide policy in the form of an academic advising curriculum that supports these objectives
in other words:
A central role for academic advising within the university’s vision for enhancing student employability.

6. Connecting the dots with the aid of academic advising
How can I connect my pre- and extra-curricular work and experience to what I am learning?
What do I learn in my academic study?
Academic Expertise
Experience
Skills
Personal Attributes
Academic expertise = programme
Skills = explicit and intentional skills embedded in programme
Experience = non intentional in the curriculum
Personal attributes = what defines me as a person?
In connection and intertwined
What defines me as a person?
What are the skills I learn and develop during my study?
Vision

7. Implementation level – research* suggests:
Maastricht University’s Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) identified key competencies as defined by employers:
While “21C skills” are important, most employers value domain-specific knowledge as much
The perceived gap between what is learned and what is required is much smaller than is often assumed.
*source: Fitting to the job: the role of generic and vocational competencies in adjustment and performance, H. Heijke, C. Meng, C. Ris, in: Labour Economics 10/2, 2003, 215–229
Practice

8. Our interpretation and conclusion
Students often underestimate the relevance of what they learn in terms of domain-specific knowledge and ‘academic’ skills (they perceive a ‘gap’)
Students would benefit from an explicit exploration of their own competencies – and comparison thereof with the actual expectations of employers.
Practice

9. Practice Operationalization
A workshop in which students list and evaluate
1. what they think they are learning at uni;
2. what they expect the labor market demands;
Based on a discussion and exploration of actual differences and similarities between both perspectives, they develop a more realistic appraisal of the relevance of what they learn.
This re-appraisal is then being applied to a review of goal-setting and curriculum planning within small groups – followed by individual sessions with the academic advisor.
Practice

10. Conclusion Research contributes significantly to
a better understanding of student needs and thus the need for a comprehensive advising policy at the institutional level; and
a better understanding of specific aspects of the student experience at university and after graduation and thus provides material for concrete advising interventions (workshops, presentations, individual advising, etc.)