A novel approach to adviser training for relational skills

Abstract Text:

The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Task Force on First Year Student Success recommended that workshops should be developed to enhance relational skills of academic advisers.  The topic of the first workshop developed was “Student Issues: Recognition and Referral”.   In contrast to other workshops covering similar topics, this workshop incorporated undergraduate students that had overcome a variety of barriers to their success.  We maintained a small interactive workshop approach, limiting adviser enrollment to 12 advisers per workshop and incorporating an equal (or greater) number of students.  During the 3-hour workshop, participants discussed common barriers to assisting students during a brief presentation on common student issues, effective communication skills for advisers, and campus and community resources available for referral.  In addition, students assisted in role-playing exercises designed to simulate adviser meetings with a student in crisis, and the session ended with a panel discussion allowing advisers to ask questions directly to any of the students or the session leaders.  Over 50 advisers from across campus have attended these workshops, and the session was also replicated at a regional meeting of the National Academy of Academic Advising.   Advisers attending these workshops provided feedback through a survey at the end of the session rating six different aspects of the workshop on a 1-10 scale.  Ratings for each aspect of the program ranged from 8.5 to 9.2, with advisers rating the student panel and student role-playing as the most impactful aspects of the workshop at 9.2/10 and 8.8/10, respectively.   These data suggest that relational workshops for advisers are more impactful when a student perspective is included.  Adviser comments reflected that many advisers lack confidence in their ability to respond appropriately to a student in crisis, and that their confidence increased as a result of participating in this workshop.  In summary, adviser participation in relational workshops that include student participants enhances adviser confidence in their ability to recognize student issues and respond appropriately and effectively; these skills ultimately should improve student retention and success. 

Keywords: academic advising, student success