Webinar Archives

NACADA and Noel-Levitz webinars conducted by since 2006. The videos of all these presentations, along with handouts and other helpful documents, are available for downloading on Blackboard, in the "Academic Advising" community (ACADEMIC ADVISING (ORG_DONNELJN_128), under "Webinar archives".

Noel-Levitz Advanced Advising Webinar Series
presented by Bernita Sims-Tucker, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Maryland Eastern Shore.  This Webinar provides information on an innovative model for intrusive, collaborative advising designed to increase the on-time graduation of full-time, first-generation students of color. supplemental advisors.

NACADA Webinar Archives 2006-07
Advising as Teaching
In this first NACADA-sponsored Webinar presentation, NACADA Past President Nancy King (Kennesaw State University) described academic advising as a teaching and learning process that includes a curriculum, pedagogy, and learning outcomes.

Academic Advising Syllabus
In this Webinar broadcast, Karen Thurmond (University of Memphis) and Charlie Nutt (NACADA Associate Director) considered the "common language" that students, faculty, advisors, and administrators need to understand if we are to clearly define outcomes, expectations, and assessment of learning for academic advising. They discussed how academic advisors can communicate to students the purpose and value of academic advising, the student outcomes for advising, and student and advisor responsibilities. 

Components of a Successful Faculty Advising Program
Most colleges and universities around the country understand that Faculty Advisors are absolutely critical to the health and well being of advising programs, and so faculty advising responsibilities are deeply embedded in the institutional mission. Yet surprisingly little is being done systemically to encourage quality faculty advising, to craft faculty advisor development programs, and to recognize and offer incentives for excellence in advising. In this NACADA-sponsored Webinar presentation, Jayne Drake (Temple University) addressed the need for broad institutional commitment to faculty advising from key stakeholders; the importance of clearly articulated mission, process, and goal statements; the components of a successful faculty advisor development program; and the incentives and "rewards" important in acknowledging and promoting excellence in advising.

Student Learning Outcomes
Historically, academic advising has moved from a clerical activity to a student-centered activity to the present recognition of academic advising as an integral learning experience of the college community and culture. However, until college campuses move away from only program or delivery outcomes that primarily focus on the behaviors of those planning and delivering the advising experiences and begin to carefully develop, teach and measure student learning outcomes for academic advising, advising will continue to be on the "edge" of the learning mission of the college campus. In this Webinar broadcast, Tomarra Adams (University of Louisville) provided a foundation for the development of student learning outcomes as well as hands-on strategies for teaching these outcomes, activities and experiences for students, and strategies for measuring the outcomes.

Expanding Your Comfort Zone
As noted by Grewe (June 2007, Academic Advising Today), "Recent statistical trends project that ethnic minorities will become a numerical majority in the United States by the year 2010. The impact of this growth is pervasive and is evident in the current generation of students who are starting to matriculate through collegiate programs, as they are the most racially and ethnically diverse in this nation's history. For those involved with student development at the postsecondary level, this indicates a need to adapt current policies and practices to better meet the unique needs of our students. As academic advisors who are charged with facilitating students toward the development of their total potential, this means the development of new skills and strategies in order to provide more effective advising services."

Academic Advising's Integral Role in the Academic Success and Persistence of Students
Susan Campbell, NACADA President, Universityof Southern Maine, and Charlie Nutt, NACADA Interim Executive Director, Kansas State University College of Education offer suggestions on the key research that demonstrates the connection between academic advising and student persistence; strategies to affect change based on the research; and strategies for utilizing the research to influence key administrators.

NACADA Webinars 2007-08
Academic Advising's Integral Role in the Academic Success and Persistence of Students
NACADA President Susan Campbell (Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of Southern Maine) and NACADA Executive Director Charlie Nutt discussed the recent research that clearly demonstrates the connection between quality academic advising and student persistence and provided strategies for using this research to affect change in your institution's culture. The information they presented is essential for key administrators on college campuses concerned about student persistence and graduation rates or those whose goal is to convince key administrators of the value of academic advising.

Legal Issues
Steve Robinson (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) discussed Confidentiality and FERPA, the Law of Agency, Due Process, and relevant court cases.

College Student Mental Health: Information and Suggestions for Academic Advising
Dan Wilcox (Assistant Director, Counseling Services, Kansas State University), Ruth Harper (Professor of Counseling and Human Resource Development, South Dakota State University), and Jeffrey Herman (Counselor, Lehigh Carbon Community College) discussed: the “Report to the President” which summarizes what has so far been learned from the incident at Virginia Tech; how to recognize a student in emotional distress; ways to respond to a student in crisis; the importance of making an appropriate referral; methods to increase awareness among students regarding services available to them.

On the Horizon: The Future of Academic Advising and Technology
Coordinator: Karen Thurmond, University of Memphis: In this ground-breaking Internet broadcast, seven NACADA emerging technology pioneers share their experiences with technology usage in academic advising.  Learn about the six areas of emerging technology which the 2007 Horizon Report (published by the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative) predicts will impact higher education within three adoption horizons over the next one to five years - and hear from NACADA members who are already venturing onto this arena in areas such as podcasting, Live Meeting Rooms, course management systems, and social networking.

Academic Advising and Support in Residential Learning Communities
Derek Jackson and Nick Lander (Kansas State University) discuss Residence hall role in overall student learning; Historical background and organizational structures; Campus politics that impact partnerships; Fiscal considerations; Staffing models and other staff related issues; Approaches to academic advising and support; Additional forms of advising; and Resources you can use.

Shared Responsibilities: What Advisors and Administrators Need to Know to Better Assist GLBTQA Students
As advisors, administrators, and as representatives of our institution we have a responsibility to learn about diverse student experiences, analyze the work we currently do, and work together to take action!  Many advisors and administrators are interested in knowing how to better serve diverse populations, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and allied (LGBTQA) students but don’t know how to assess their current efforts and create an action plan for the future. In this Webinar, Jennifer Joslin (LGBTA Concerns Commission Chair) and Casey Self (NACADA Vice-President and former LGBTA Concerns Commissions Chair) discussed how education, assessment and action are necessary to better assist LGBTQA students on our campuses.

Advisors Help Students SOAR to Academic Success: Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation Learning Strategies are the Keys
Kenneth Kiewra (Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln) contends that most students have not been taught how to learn. Instructors have taught them subject matter, but not how to learn such content. Consequently, students are grounded by ineffective learning strategies like sketchy note taking, outlining, and rehearsal. Academic advisors can help students SOAR to success by teaching them the simple SOAR study system— Selection, Organization, Association, and Regulation. Selection begins with good attention strategies and culminates in a detailed set of notes for further study. Organization involves constructing graphic organizers like hierarchies, sequences, and matrices that reveal information’s structure. Associations are formed between new information and prior knowledge to foster understanding and retention. Regulation of learning occurs primarily through self-testing. Students able to SOAR can learn effectively in any academic setting.

Swirling to a Degree: The Ups and Downs of College Transfer
Karen Thurmond (The University of Memphis), Todd Taylor (University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine), Michelle Foster (Valencia Community College), and Jobila Williams (College of William and Mary) explored the many issues that surround “swirling” and suggested ways in which two and four year colleges can partner to provide strong transfer advising.

Ensuring Advisor Success: Mastering the Art of Advising through the First Year of Advising and Beyond
Pat Folsom and Jennifer Joslin, University of Iowa: Mastering the art of advising is a developmental journey. Advisors develop excellence experientially. As they work with students over time, they gradually synthesize their conceptual, informational and relational skills. This Webinar is for new advisors at the beginning of this journey and the people responsible for the training and development these advisors will need along the way. The Webinar's focus is on managing the first year of new advisor development, whether that development is self-managed or provided through a formal advisor development program. The Presenters share a New Advisor Growth Chart that sets clear, reasonable expectations for new advisor development; use the chart to demonstrate how to set developmental goals; address issues to consider in creating a road map and offer examples for self-managed development plans and formal advisor development plans.

Making Career Advising Integral to Academic Advising
Ken Hughey, Kansas State University and Joanne Damminger, Rowan University: Career advising can enhance advisors’ work with students and facilitate students’ career and academic development and decision making. Career advising helps students to understand the relationship between their academic programs and career opportunities, to make academic and career decisions, to clarify and set career and academic goals, and to develop plans to achieve their goals. Given the number of career and academic options and the complexity of the changing workplace, career advising is increasingly important. Gordon (2006) stated, “All students need career advising, even those who enter college already decided on an academic major” (p. 5). As a result, it is important that advisors respond to the diverse needs of students. Integrating career and academic advising focuses on preparing students for the future and assisting them to make informed career and academic decisions.

Advising Student-Athletes on a College Campus
Derek Van Rheenen (Director of U.C. Berkeley's Athletic Study Center) presented participants with a skill set that will assist them in advising student-athletes on their campuses.