Dr. Steven Roth Dr. Brian Keintz Professors, Graduate School Keiser University, Fort Lauderdale

SESSION OVERVIEW 1. Characteristics of Adult Learners 2. Keiser University Advising Model 3. KU Resources for Students 4. Successful Model Qualities 5. Adult Student Self-Efficacy 6. Best Practices in Advising Adults

Adult students over 24 years of age Seeking advanced degree for career. Goal oriented. Working full or parttime. Majority are women. Diverse ethnicity and origins.

Malcolm Knowles (1970) The Modern Practice of Adult Education. 1. Autonomous and self-directed. 2. Bring experience and knowledge. 3. Goal oriented. 4. Relevancy oriented. 5. Practical-useful knowledge preferred. 6. Desire to be shown respect.

Intensive Advising for C, F, 2.7, and Probation. Entry course for All New Students. Professors as Advisors Keiser Graduate Student Contact for Attendance & GPA Lapses. Pre & Mid Term Contacts by Instructors. Advisor Authority for Scheduling & Status Changes.

Professors as Advisors Keiser employs 12 professors who serve as advisors. Well trained to be self-directed. Two hour meeting, weekly to review student progress. Access to all courses.

C & F ADVISING All students receiving a C in the previous term are advised. Advisors makes contact by phone and follows up with email. Provides academic resources and advice on implications of the grade. Schedule retake of all F s. 2.7 UNDERGRADUATE GPA Considered at risk. Student assigned to advisor. Advisor contacts student weekly. Reports progress weekly.

Pre & Mid Term Contacts by Instructors. All Professors call all students enrolled in their class first and fourth week. Student progress and support resources are discussed. Referrals made to the appropriate advisor. Advisors call students returning from leaves.

Entry course for All New Students. Leadership course also addresses success issues. Writing, Language, and Technological Skills assessed. Referral made to appropriate advisor. Student Self-Efficacy -

Advisor Authority for Scheduling & Status Changes. Changes are initiated by advisors. Not referring students to registrar, admissions, or other departments. Advisor is a one-stopshop for most actions.

Contact for Attendance & Grade Lapses. Students who do not meet weekly attendance requirements are contacted immediately. Grade lapses also received calls and emails, as well as intervention resources.

Intensive Advising for C, F, 2.7, and Probation. Entry course for All New Students. Professors as Advisors Keiser Graduate Student Contact for Attendance & Grade Lapses. Pre & Mid Term Contacts by Instructors. Advisor Authority for Scheduling & Status Changes. Other Student Support Resources Keiser University Graduate School Center for Excellence. Graduate School Writing Center

Wiseman & Messitt (2010) POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES Accessible and Flexible Helpful-Facilitates Formal and Informal Rules Students socialized into professional networks and development. Demonstrates Interest in the student s academic progress and personal well-being. NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES Advisors Unavailable Information Unknown, or Incorrectly Facilitated. Displays disinterest in the student academically or personally. Disinterest demonstrated. Helpful but not in-depth attention to the whole student.

Self Efficacy - people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives. Bandura (1994)

PROMOTING SELF EFFICACY 1. Early social support important. 2. Benefit from emotional support. (acceptance, encouragement and praise) 3. Require instrumental support. (financial support, child care, help with household duties) 4. Women benefit more from instrumental support. Lundberg, McIntire & Creasman, (2008)

Established relationships away from school including: Family, Friends Employers. Lundberg (2004) 19% - Said workplace provided support. Equipment, data, personnel. Study leave. Tuition reimbursement. 13% identified institutional support as important. (on-line, child care, flexibility, study resources)

Survey Details Asked student their satisfaction with: 1. Quantity of telephone contacts 2. Quantity of email contacts 3. Promptness 4. Knowledge 5. Follow-through 6. Quality of Advising 7. Availability 8. Career Planning Assistance 9. Interest Personal Well-Being 10. Interest Academic Success

Satisfaction with Advising -KU MSE Knowledge 6.13 Telephone 6.08 Promptness 5.96 Follow-through 5.93 Academic Interest 5.92 Quality Advice 5.82 Personal Interest 5.77 Email 5.76 Availability 5.69 Career Advice 5.67 5.40 5.50 5.60 5.70 5.80 5.90 6.00 6.10 6.20

SURVEY HIGH MARKS Knowledge of Advisors Quant of Phone Contact Promptness NEED IMPROVEMENTS Career Advising Availability Quantity of Emails (Email) Intensive Advising for C, F, 2.7, and Probation. (Phone Contact) Entry course for All New Students. (Knowledge) Professors as Advisors (Availability) Keiser Graduate Student (Email) Contact for Attendance & Grade Lapses. (Phone Contact) Pre & Mid Term Contacts by Instructors. (Phone Contact) Advisor Authority for Scheduling & Status Changes. (Prompt)

FACULTY INTERACTION Brewer (2010) found increases in student performance when a faculty advisor contacted the student weekly. Students on probation or at risk showed the most improvement. FACULTY PRESENCE Studies of adult learners show that availability and presence of faculty in on-line courses is critical to self-efficacy and success. (Kupczynski, et. al (2010 Further, availability and access were critical qualities for faculty advisors. (Barnes, Williams & Archer, 2010)

Make your advisees feel connected: Set up virtual office hours or conference call at the beginning of each semester. Ask open-ended questions that focus and probe on advisee actions, study habits and goals. Be aware as well as knowledgeable of your student s educational history. Be empathetic, but honest. Have a thorough understanding of academic policies and procedures in order to correctly advise and offer accurate information (Marques, 2005).

Advising should be available, not only during the school day, but on evenings and weekends too. Introductory personalized video from the advisor to each advisee with orientation information and guidelines and tips to the beginning student. Provide periodic student surveys to assess the level of student satisfaction and to use student feedback to upgrade services in advisement (Dahl, 2004)

Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press. Barnes, B.J.; Williams, E.A. & Archer, S.A. (2010). Characteristics that matter most: Doctoral students perceptions of positive and negative advisor attributes. NACADA Journal. 30 (1), 34. Retrieved from ERIC, ID # EJ886808. Dahl, J. (2004) Trends in online advising. Distance Education Report. 8 (12), 4. Retrieved from ERIC, ID # 13491308. Knowles, M. S. (1970). The modern practice of adult education; Andragogy versus pedagogy. The Association Press, N.Y. Kupczynski, L., Ice, P., Wiesenmayer, R., & McCluskey, F. (2010). Student Perceptions of the Relationship between Indicators of Teaching Presence and Success in Online Courses. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9(1), 23. Retrieved from EBSCO host. Lundberg, C.A., McIntire, D.D., & Creasman, C.T. (2008). Sources of social support and self-efficacy for adult students. Journal of College Counseling. 11 (1), 58. Retrieved from EBSCO host. Marques, J.F. (2005). Best practices in adult advising: A team conclusion. Recruitment & Retention in Higher Education, 19 (8), 5. Retrieved from EBSCO host. Wiseman, C.S. & Messitt, H. (2010). Identifying components of a successful faculty-advisor program. NACADA Journal, 30 (2), 35. Retrieved from EBSCO host.

Thank You!

Participants will learn: 1. Current literature on adult student self efficacy and persistence.. 2. Critical factors for adult student success in on-line education. 3. The advising model applied to adult students at K.U. Graduate School. 4. Successful and unsuccessful elements of the application of this model at KU. 5. Best practices for similar online institutions with similar populations. Program Description: How an adult student feels about their academic skill is as critical as their knowledge and competency in their own area of study. Self efficacy, or students beliefs about their own abilities to succeed, has been linked to retention and successful career entry. An effective advising strategy, and academic program design that helps an adult learner experience success academically can improve retention of adult learners in career colleges. The elements of self-efficacy and best practices for developing it will be the focus of this session. Current literature, best practices, and feedback from current students on innovative advising strategies at a regional career university will be presented and discussed. This is session will be beneficial to both faculty and administrators.

1. Introduction of speakers and session objectives. 2. Brief overview of the student population and demographics at KU. 3. Brief overview of the model of advising at KU Grad School. 4. Review of related, current literature on adult persistence. 5. Discussion of literature on adult student self efficacy. 6. Presentation and discussion of specific advising strategies. - Introductory videos/calls. - Advising team=professors. - Follow-up with every C, F, 2.7 GPA, and Probation. - Student scheduling authority in the hands of the advisor. - Introductory course - Other on-line resources. 7. Results of assessment of advising strategies. 8. Discussion of lessons and best practices. 9. Conclusion.