1. Katie Mey
Western
Illinois
University
ACADEMIC ADVISOR
TRAINING:
BUILDING SKILLS FOR
WORKING WITH FIRST
GENERATION STUDENTS

2. Start with
what the
learner
knows
HOW I PICKED MY
INTERNSHIP LEARNING
EXPERIENCE (ILE)

3.  First semester as an Academic Advisor
 What it can be like to be first year and first generation
 What it is like to be new here at WIU
 What COAA training can be like
 Fall Training- full day, divided into two major segments
 Professional Development- periodic discussion or presentations &
Spring semester retreat
TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW FOR
SURE

4. SOME BACKGROUND ON
ACADEMIC ADVISING

5. Decentralized advising system
 University Advising and Academic Services Center (UAASC)
 Undeclared Advising (UA) & Transitional Advising (TAP)
 Office of Academic Services (OAS)
 Alternative Admissions Program
 Tutoring
 Departmental & Faculty Advisors
 College and major specific advisors in areas across campus
 Structure, personnel, and process vary widely
 Counsil of Academic Advisors (COAA)
 Non-regulatory, advisory counsil
 Representatives from UAASC, Advising within each Academic College, and
several related offices on campus (Admissions, Registrar, Athletic Advising,
etc.)
ACADEMIC ADVISING AT WIU

6.  The mission of the academic advising program
at Western Illinois University is to support the
overall mission of the University…
 The academic advising program should
identify resources to assist students in
overcoming specific personal, physical, or
educational problems or skill deficiencies.
The academic advising program should
identify environmental conditions that may
negatively influence welfare and propose
interventions that may neutralize such
conditions.
 The academic advising program must make
strides to keep the university free from
discrimination. It must not discriminate on
the basis of ability; age; cultural identity;
ethnicity; family educational history (e.g., first
generation to attend college); gender identity
and expression; nationality; political
affiliation; race; religious affiliation; sex;
sexual orientation; economic, marital, social,
or veteran status; or any other basis included
in institutional policies and codes and laws.
Mission
statement
COUNSIL
OF
ACADEMIC
ADVISORS

7. MAKING IT LEARNING
CENTERED

8. INPUT
- What does first gen mean
- Realize other identities do not indicate someone being first gen
- Know that they aren't that different from other students, but
lack parental guidance
- Separate first generation from millennial
- need to know more from a first generation student's point
of view about how they feel being a first generation student
- advisors need to be aware or reminded of how our
students' feel, especially if they are first gen .
- I want to know what it is they don’t know …
- What “lingo” is foreign to them?
- How to identify what they don't know
- “[we] sometimes overlook those things that seem so
obvious to us but are not so obvious to a new student OR
his/her family. Families would ask the questions, if they
knew what to ask, right?”
- ..point at the screen and show them something important
to go take care of it but by the next meeting they haven’t
done anything with that…
- How to steer them to resources
- I want to learn something I can do something with
- Something practical I can use

9. Academic advisors who attend COAA training will…
1. Define “first generation student” for themselves and with
others to create a common understanding within the
advising community
2. Utilize advising experience to identify similarities and
differences between first generation students and other first
year college students to compare their respective needs
3. Recognize motivations and perspectives of first generation
students in relation to their University and advising
experience
4. Identify elements of University and advising environment
that present particular difficulty to first generation students
5. Analyze current personal advising practices to recognize
potential barriers they present to first generation students
6. Utilize knowledge of the University and first generation
population to create strategies to effectively refer students
to appropriate resources
DEVELOPING LEARNING OUTCOMES

10.  Learning outcomes must have audience, action, condition and
degree
Academic advisors who attend COAA training will…
1. Define “first generation student” for themselves and with
others to create a common understanding within the
advising community
DIAGRAMING LEARNING OUTCOMES
(Learning Outcomes)

11.  Learning outcomes must have audience, action, condition and
degree
Academic advisors who attend COAA training will…
1. Define “first generation student” for themselves and with
others to create a common understanding within the advising
community
2. Utilize advising experience to identify similarities and
differences between first generation students and other first
year college students to compare their respective needs
3. Recognize motivations and perspectives of first generation
students in relation to their University and advising experience
4. Identify elements of University and advising environment that
present particular difficulty to first generation students
5. Analyze current personal advising practices to recognize
potential barriers they present to first generation students
6. Utilize knowledge of the University and first generation
population to create strategies to effectively refer students to
appropriate resources
DIAGRAMING LEARNING OUTCOMES

12.  Transformative learning outcomes must involve the three
dimensions of self: cognitive, interpersonal, intrapersonal
Academic advisors who attend COAA training will…
1. Define “first generation student” for themselves and with
others to create a common understanding within the
advising community
DIAGRAM (TRANSFORMATIVE) LEARNING
OUTCOMES
(Shaping the Environment)

13.  Transformative learning outcomes must involve the three dimensions of
self: cognitive, interpersonal, intrapersonal
Academic advisors who attend COAA training will…
1. Define “first generation student” for themselves and with others to
create a common understanding within the advising community
2. Utilize advising experience to identify similarities and differences
between first generation students and other first year college
students to compare their respective needs
3. Recognize motivations and perspectives of first generation students
in relation to their University and advising experience
4. Identify elements of University and advising environment that they
believe present particular difficulty to first generation students
5. Analyze current personal advising practices to recognize potential
barriers they present to first generation students
6. Utilize knowledge of the University and first generation population to
create strategies to effectively refer students to appropriate
resources
DIAGRAMING (TRANSFORMATIVE)
LEARNING OUTCOMES

14. SHAPING THE
ENVIRONMENT

15. Concrete
Experience
(Sensory
Cortex)
Reflective
Observation
(Back
Integrative
Cortex)
Abstract
Hypothesis
(Front
Integrative
Cortex)
Active
Testing
(Motor
Cortex)
LEARNING HAPPENS VIA THE LEARNING
CYCLE
We must engage all
parts of the brain and
complete the cycle
(Zull, 2002)

16.  Learning occurs best with
 Experience (input)
 Repeated opportunities to engage with material
 Multiple formats and contexts in which to engage
 Opportunities for personal connection
 Reflection, including internal and eternal processing
 Active involvement
 Basic process of learning involves
SHAPING THE ENVIRONMENT
Sense Integrate Act
(Zull, 2002; Shaping the Environment)

17. LEARNINGPARTNERSHIPS
MODEL
Support
 Validate learners’ capacity to know
 Situate learning in learners’ experience
 Define learning as mutually constructed
meaning making
Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2004)

18.  “Our concrete experience contains much of the information we need for
understanding” (Zull, 2002 p. 145)
 “Prior knowledge is the beginning of new knowledge” (Zull 2002 p. 93)
 “Knowing is feeling.” (Zull, 2002 p. 73)
 “Reflection is the search for connections- literally!” (Zull, 2002 p. 165)
 Teaching is Showing
 “We should show what we hope our students will eventually be able to do
themselves.” (Zull, 2002 p. 147)
 Action is necessary
 “The only pathway that seems unproductive for learning is the pathway that
excludes active testing of ideas, [which] lead the learner to keep her ideas inside
rather tan showing them to the world beyond her brain.” (Zull, 2002, p.219)
A FEW MORE THINGS ABOUT LEARNING

19.  COAA Training
 Fall Training- full day, divided into two major segments
 Professional Development- periodic discussion or presentations &
Spring semester retreat
 Context I am working with
 Fall Training
 30 minute morning presentation
 Afternoon discussion (approximately three hours)
 Professional Development
 Two brown bag lunch discussions, one each semester (one hour each)
SHAPING THE ENVIRONMENT

20.  Reflection prompts (Written)
 Training workbook- individual writing prompts
 Consideration of self in knowledge construction (situate in learners’
experience)
 During and between training (multiple contexts)
 Discussion prompts (Verbal)
 Small and large group context (multiple contexts)
 Work with others to construct meaning (Define learning as mutually
constructed meaning making)
 Activities (Interactive)
 Testing of ideas in a group context (abstract hypothesis and active
testing)
 Generation of ideas by learners (Validate learner’s capacity to know)
TOOLS USED

21. As a large group
 Engage with a presentation:
Professionals who can situate first
generation students in University
setting
 Andy Borst, Sara Lytle, Karolynn Heuer,
Financial aid advisor
Student panel to speak to
experiences
 Multiple versions of the “first generation
story” to engage with
 Question and answer
 Activity: On your own, develop a detailed
definition of “first generation student”
highlighting the components that are
important to consider as an academic
advisor. Then discuss these definitions
as a group in order to develop a working
definition for the group
Define “first
generation
student” for
themselves
and with
others to
create a
common
understandin
g within the
advising
community
LEARNING
OUTCOME 1

22. In small groups
Discussion prompt: Considering
all of your experience in
relation to what we have been
presented with so far today,
what similarities and
differences do you see between
first generation students and
their peers?
Report back to the large group to
make a “master list” for
discussion.
Utilize
advising
experience to
identify
similarities
and
differences
between first
generation
students and
other first
year college
students
LEARNING
OUTCOME 2

23. As individuals
 Reflection prompt: What was the experience
of your first day on the job as an academic
advisor like? Your first week?
 What did you think the job would entail? How
did you feel as you were presented with all the
documents and other information you would
need to assimilate? How about your first time on
MVS alone? How did you feel before or after
your first (or worst) student appointment?
 How might this relate to the way first generation
students feel coming into an advising
environment?
In small groups
 Activity: use your previous knowledge as
well as what we have learned today to
answer the following question on a college
admissions application as if you were a
hypothetical first generation student.
 Why do you want to pursue a college education?
Discuss what you would bring with you to college
to help you be successful, as well as your
motivation and goals.
Recognize
motivations
and
perspectives
of first
generation
students in
relation to
their
University and
advising
experience to
compare their
respective
needs
LEARNING
OUTCOME 3

24. As a large group
 Activity: if we were trying to
construct a University and Advising
Center designed to keep first
generation students from
succeeding, what would that look
like? What practices, polices, and
environments would be in place?
 Which, if any, of these reflect WIU or
our offices?
As individuals
 Reflection prompt: how would you
feel were you a traditional age
first year student facing these
barriers?
Identify
elements of
University and
advising
environment
that present
particular
difficulty to
first
generation
students
LEARNING
OUTCOME 4

25. As individuals
 Reflection prompt: considering
what we have learned today, over
the course of the semester, reflect
on your own daily advising practice
and your experience in your office.
What, if anything, do you that may
create or perpetuate barriers for
first generation students? Why are
these things problematic?
 Your thoughts will be solicited prior to
Fall semester lunch discussion and
used to guide our discussion.
Analyze
current
personal
advising
practices to
recognize
potential
barriers they
present to
first
generation
students
LEARNING
OUTCOME 5

26. As individuals
 Engage with articles on best practices
in working with first generation
students
As a large group
 Discussion:
 What do you think about the prominent
themes in advisor submissions?
 How can we to apply experience and
knowledge gained about first generation
population thus far to reduce these
barriers or better aid first generation
students in navigating them?
 Activity: identify one element that you
will change in your advising practice
and describe how you will do so based
on what we have learned
Utilize
knowledge of
the University
and first
generation
population to
create
strategies to
advise and
effectively
refer students
to
appropriate
resources
First
Brown Bag
Discussion
LEARNING
OUTCOME 6

27. As individuals
Engage with written articles on
best practices in working with
first generation students
As a large group
Discuss results of your
implementation of previously
identified strategies
Identify continuing and new
strategies for implementation
Utilize
knowledge of
the University
and first
generation
population to
create
strategies to
advise and
effectively
refer students
to
appropriate
resources
LEARNING
OUTCOME 6

28. ASSESSMENT

29.  Formative
 Multiple large group discussion prompts allow for check-ins
 What definition is developed
 What thoughts are reported back to the large group & facilitator
 What barriers are identified as a large group
 What thoughts are submitted about personal advising practices
 Small group activity collection
 Response generated to hypothetical essay prompt
 Discussion facilitator notes- small and large group
 Workbook sampling
 Summative
 Advisor training evaluation form (Fall training)
 Brown Bag Lunch evaluation (electronic)
HOW WILL THIS BE ASSESSED?

30. Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2004) Learning partnerships model: A
framework for promoting self-authorship. In M.B. Baxter
Magolda & P.M. King (Eds.), Learning partnerships: Theory
and models of practice to educate for self-authorship (pp.
37-62). Sterling, VA; Stylus Publishing.
Learning Outcomes [Powerpoint slides] Personal Collection of
Sarah Schoper, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
Shaping the Environment [Powerpoint slides] Personal Collection
of Sarah Schoper, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
Zull, J.E. (2002). The art of changing the brain. Sterling, VA; Stylus
Publishing.
REFERENCES