How Marist College is using the Sakai collaboration and learning environment (CLE) course management system (iLearn) to support on-line academic advising and improve communication and collaboration among faculty advisors and student advisees.
1. Innovations in Academic Advising: A Sakai CLE for Academic Advisors and Advisees[Viewable at http://www.slideshare.net/markavandyke/sakai-2010-innovations-in-academic-advising] Dr. Mark A. Van Dyke Associate Professor, School of Communication & the Arts Dr. Reba-Anna Lee Assistant Director, Academic Technology and Learning Marist College, 3399 North Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (USA) June 16, 2010 Contact: mark.vandyke@marist.edu
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3. Pioneered “Collaborative Learning Constellation” concept (CLC)2 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
4. Marist Collaborative Learning Constellation* 3 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 1. Problem: Barriers to collaboration created by separate course sections, meeting times, and CLE sites 2. Solution: Central project collaboraton site connects orbiting course sites 3. Result: 70 students, 15 teams, 4 sections of 2 courses, spanning 2 semesters 4. Outcomes: Increased contact, cooperation and communication, authentic learning, time on task, use of student talents *Click here for additional information about the Marist CLC
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6. “If academic advisors want to reach their advisees, and their advisees are living in a digital world, then advisors need to become part of that world as well” (Gordon, Habley, & Grites, 2008, p. 303)
7. “Counselors, advisors and faculty must not only … accept, but need to embrace technology” (Bellcourt, 1998, ¶ 2-3)4 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
23. One-on-one access to advisors (Wagner, 2001, ¶ 4)7 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
24. Marist’s iCollaborate Advising Model 8 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
25. Marist’s iCollaborate Advising Model Clear, concise explanation of curriculum 9 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
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27. Marist’s iCollaborate Advising Model Information for special populations/self help assistance 11 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
28. Marist’s iCollaborate Advising Model Links to related Marist sites assistance 12 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
29. Marist’s iCollaborate Advising Model One-on-one access to advisors 13 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
30. Marist’s iCollaborate Advising Demo 14 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
31. Feedback From Advisees 15 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 Results of poll conducted spring 2010
32. Feedback From Advisees 16 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 Last year, I implemented an iLearn project site to support our communication and collaboration about academic advising. After using this site, how would you rate your satisfaction with this site as an academic resource?
33. Feedback From Advisees 17 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 How often a semester do you visit my iLearn site? Comments: Very useful. The drop-box allows for the four year plan to be viewed and changed at any time.
34. Feedback From Advisees 18 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 As a tool for communicating and collaborating about academic advising, how how would you compare my iLearn advising site to other communication and collaboration tools (e.g., e-mail, Marist Web site)? Feel free to add your comments. Comments: Very useful. The drop-box allows for the four year plan to be viewed and changed at any time.
35. Feedback From Advisees 19 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 What aspects of the iLearn advising site are you most satisfied with? Please use the text box to explain your answer. Comments: Very useful. The drop-box allows for the four year plan to be viewed and changed at any time.
36. Feedback From Advisees 20 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 What aspects of the iLearn advising site are you most satisfied with? Please use the text box to explain your answer. COMMENTS: Comments: Very useful. The drop-box allows for the four year plan to be viewed and changed at any time.
37. Feedback From Advisees 21 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 What aspect of the iLearn advising site are you most dissatisfied with? Comments: Very useful. The drop-box allows for the four year plan to be viewed and changed at any time.
38. Feedback From Advisees 22 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 What aspect of the iLearn advising site are you most dissatisfied with? COMMENTS: Comments: Very useful. The drop-box allows for the four year plan to be viewed and changed at any time.
39. Feedback From Advisees 23 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179 What changes or additions to my iLearn advising site would improve the academic advising process for you? COMMENTS:
40. Conclusion √Fast, Efficient, Powerful, Flexible, and Open! Dr. Van Dyke, I just wanted to thank you for creating such an awesome iLearn advising website. As a transfer student, I have found so much useful information that has helped guide me through my first semester at Marist. Your Study Abroad forum has been the most useful to me. I met students on here who shared their study abroad experiences in London, which had a large influence on my decision to study abroad next semester. I was also able find these students on Facebook and connect with them on even more. This allowed me to view pictures from their study abroad experience which was really cool!Overall, just wanted to say thanks and tell everyone to really take advantage of this useful iLearn advising website created by Dr. Van Dyke! Discussion Forum Comment by Student Advisee Questions? 24 11th Sakai Conference - June 15-17, 2010 Van Dyke – Innovations in Academic Advising #179
Notes de l'éditeur
Sakai (branded as iLearn for course sites or iCollaborate for project sites at Marist College) has proven its ability to support a variety of teaching, learning, and research activities with it’s online collaborative learning environment.As explained on the Sakai Web site, it’s -- flexible enough to be tailored to the individual needs of institutions, teachers, and students. -- powerful enough to satisfy nearly any teaching, learning, or research requirement.-- and open enough that member institutions and even individuals can propose improvements that benefit the entire Sakai community.Marist successfully launched Sakai/iLearn in phases between 2006 and 2009. We also pioneered the Collaborative Learning Constellation (CLC) concept, which combines course sites and project sites to create a constellation of sites the removes some of the barriers created by individual course sites that constrains collaboration among students and faculty in different courses and semesters. This concept is illustrated on the next slide.
This concept was developed in 2008, by students and faculty in public relations and senior communication capstone courses.Students in two sections of a spring 2008 public relations case studies course (32 students, 7 teams, 2 sections) developed communication plans to support Marist’s campus-wide launch of Sakai/iLearn. Students in two sections of a fall 2008 communication capstone course (38 students, 8 teams, 2 sections) refined and executed these plans. This collaborative learning constellation approach used a project site to connect all students and faculty from each section, spanning two semesters of work.
Granted, Sakai contributes much to teaching, learning and research. But can we imagine ways that Sakai might support other academic activities?Take for instance the online needs of academic advisors and student advisees – an activity that is often associated with service rather than teaching or research.
Look how closely the capabilities of Sakai fit the needs of virtual academic advising.
So what if we constructed a Sakai platform to support academic advising?Here are the criteria for excellence in Web-based advising, established by the National Academic Advising Association.
These requirements served as a “best practices” guide to help design an iCollaboration site to support an individual faculty member/academic advisor and his academic advisees at Marist.
Here is a screenshot of the iCollaborate advising site. You can see from the menu on the left that it looks similar to an iLearn course site.The concept for this site grew from the notion that an academic community of faculty advisors and student advisees could benefit from the same kind of online learning community that is created by iLearn course sites at Marist.
The following screenshots demonstrate how the Marist iCollaborate advising model meets the criteria for excellence set by the National Academic Advising Association.A tour of the site reveals even more.
NOTE: One of the benefits offered by this site, was the ability it offered to communicate directly with the faculty advisor on a one-on-one basis, 24/7, during fair weather or foul weather, regardless of whether the student was on campus near the faculty advisor’s office or off-campus, miles away from the advisor. It even incorporates social media tools to allow advisors to meet advisees in their preferred communication environment.One of the most popular features of the site, was a Wiki that enabled students to sign up virtually for each semester’s pre-registration advising appointments, instead of having to physically come to the advisor’s office to make appointments using a list posted on an office door – which is normal policy at Marist. This Wiki also enabled the advisor to monitor his list of appointments from home, office, or even on the road … without having to check the sign-up list on the office door.
For use in an actual demonstration of the site.
Feedback from advisees indicates that the iCollaborate advising model has been well received by students. This poll was conducted using a Surveymonkey online instrument that was distributed electronically via the iCollaborate advising site to approximately 40 advisees in spring 2010. Of these advisees 17 responded, for 43% response rate.
72% were satisfied or very satisfied with this site as an academic resource.
More than half of the advisees used the site multiple times during the semester.
More than 83% rated the site more useful or much more useful than other academic resources for advising.
Students identified a variety of benefits associated with the site.
The following slides depict comments from the survey.
This comment was posted in a forum designed to enhance communication and collaboration among advisees within the iCollaborate site who were considering study abroad options and advisees who currently studied abroad or had completed a study abroad program.This one comments seems to summarize sentiments of advisees.The benefits of this academic advising model are clear. Feedback from the survey will be used to improve the site and make it even more student friendly.Questions?