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SERVICE: Advising, Counseling, and Career Development - College-Wide Advising System

Current Situation:

Primary responsibility for the delivery of advising services (advising information, academic advising, and developmental advising) resides with the Counseling Department. The services and information are provided by advisors and counselors located in the Counseling and Advising Center as well as several instructional departments. Advisors provide advising about academic policies, procedures, and degree requirements. They assist new students with enrollment procedures, advise all students about how their Lane courses will transfer to four-year institutions, and provide information about Lane's professional and technical programs. Advisors also suggest coursework appropriate for the student's chosen educational goal. Counselors provide developmental advising and career counseling as well as help students: identify and develop life and career goals; develop educational goals and plans that are consistent with life and vocational goals; develop decision-making skills; and evaluate progress toward established goals. In addition, counselors provide academic advising as well as personal counseling to help students solve problems which threaten the successful attainment of their educational goals.

Advising services are provided in both group and individual formats. Group program orientation sessions for new students are used to provide information concerning curriculum requirements and courses. Early advising sessions for returning students are conducted in groups each spring term to assist with planning for the following academic year. Group sessions are usually conducted by counselors. Individual advising is available throughout the year on a drop-in basis with both counselors and advisors and by appointment with counselors only.

Different instructional programs within the college receive different levels of advising support from counselors and advisors. Counselor full-time equivalent (FTE) is assigned to most credit departments and to assist undeclared majors and transfer students. Advisor FTE is assigned to the Counseling and Advising Center to assist all students, regardless of the department. Advisors have also developed specialized advising skills for assisting students in large programs (e.g. Business, Family and Health Careers). Outreach centers have limited counseling and advising availability (.20 Counselor FTE per outreach center). Both counselor and advisor services are not always continuously provided in the assigned locations. Counselors and advisors are not assigned to community education programs (e.g., Adult Basic and Secondary Education (ABSE), Continuing Education). However, students enrolled in community education programs can receive advising assistance at the Counseling and Advising Center.

Credit students are required to select a major when they apply for admission to Lane. One of the primary reasons for the requirement is to meet financial aid eligibility requirements. Currently, no advisors or counselors are located in the Admissions Office. Students often initially select a major without the benefit of advising services to assist them in making an informed choice. As a result, many students have an incorrect major choice indicated on the student database. This situation can negatively impact individual department FTE numbers.

In addition to the advisors and counselors, individuals within several instructional departments and support and diversity offices provide advising services. Some credit-based instructional faculty provide advising services on a voluntary basis for students enrolled in programs in their discipline. The faculty provide detailed information regarding course content, help students determine if they are prepared for specific courses, and provide information about jobs in the students' career fields. Various non-credit instructional faculty provide similar advising services for students enrolled in their programs. Support staff (i.e., instructional department administrative assistants and office personnel) provide information regarding class scheduling and availability, course content, and procedures for obtaining required department approval for special student requests.

There is no college-wide system for developing, sharing, and delivering advising information. Counselors, advisors, faculty, and staff who have various advising-related roles do not have a comprehensive base of advising information available. Also, staff providing other services to students who want to make referrals to advising may not have adequate information about advising resources. Support and diversity services (e.g., Black Student Union, Disability Services, International Student Services, Multi-cultural Center, Native American Student Association, Substance Abuse Prevention Services, Veteran's Office, Women's Programs) provide advising without the benefit of access to information, resources, and training. In addition, some college programs (e.g. Adult Basic and Secondary Education (ABSE), College High, Co- operative Education, Life Experience Assessment Program (LEAP), Training and Development, Business and Industry Services, Business Development Center, Farm Business Management, Small Business Management, Specialized Employment Services) provide advising and counseling to students and customers (i.e. businesses that contract for services from individual departments) in their programs. Those programs also have limited access to information and do not receive training from the Counseling Department.

Fifty percent of credit students and thirteen percent of non-credit students who responded to the OSRL survey indicated that they have received academic advising. Of those who received academic advising: seventy-six percent saw a counselor or advisor; ten percent were advised by an instructional department office staff member; five percent used multiple sources; three percent saw a faculty member; and one percent each used support or diversity services, family and friends, or indicated 'other.' Overall satisfaction is high among users of advising services. Of the students who received academic advising from all sources, ninety-two percent found it to be helpful. The Spring 1996 ACT Survey of credit students indicates a positive impression of advising services: seventy-three percent of those using advising services were very satisfied or satisfied, sixteen percent were neutral, and eleven percent were dissatisfied.

Staff reported in input sessions that students are often confused about the kinds of advising services provided by various individuals. Specifically, students are not clear about who provides basic academic information, advising services, and developmental counseling that relates educational plans with career and life goals. In addition, staff commented that there is no coordination of training, information sharing, and tracking of advising services across all areas of the college.

Both student and staff data suggest the value of consistent and accurate advising information so that services are delivered in an effective manner. In addition, student data strongly supports the advantages of advising and suggests opportunities to increase utilization of advising by all students. Staff data strongly suggests the importance of a coordinated delivery system for providing advising services.

Desired Situation:

Creation of a college-wide advising system designed to coordinate the delivery of advising services in all areas of the college and increase the utilization of advising services by both credit and non-credit students. Advising information, advising services, and developmental counseling relating career goals and academic programs is readily available to students. Advising information is consistent, accurate, and available to all staff who provide advising. Students receive advising services at convenient times in a variety of locations, including an advising home page on Lane's Wide Area Network (WAN). Potential students also have an opportunity to access advising services and information via the World Wide Web (WWW). An individual is assigned direct responsibility for managing the development of advising information and the delivery of advising services throughout the college. More advising services are provided by efficiently reallocating existing resources. The procedures and process for delivering advising information is well-documented, measurable, and continuously evaluated.

Proposed Solution:

Establish a managed advising system composed of advising and developmental counseling teams, based on groupings by: instructional program (i.e., 'academic clusters' or 'neighborhoods'); specific geographic locations (e.g., Students First! Center, Downtown Center, Outreach Centers); and support and diversity service areas. Each advising team may include a counselor, advisor, credit-based instructional faculty, instructional department manager, instructional department support staff, support and diversity services representative, and student peer advisors. The advising teams will function as a highly collaborative unit. A team leader manager will be responsible for management oversight of the teams. Advising team members will share a common set of responsibilities to ensure that students receive basic advising services from any team member. Individual team members will also have unique responsibilities that take maximum advantage of their qualifications, training, and skills. Refer to Exhibit 1 for a summary of team member responsibilities.

Advisors and student peer advisors will provide a broad range of general information about academic policies, degree and certificate programs, and entry and completion requirements. When students need more in-depth assistance, they will be referred to the team's counselor for assistance in developing educational plans and identifying career goals that are consistent with the student's overall goals. Instructional program faculty will provide detailed information about specific course content and career and employment opportunities in their area of expertise. Instructional department administrators will approve course substitutions and resolve situations requiring exceptions to department policies. Teams will become highly involved with developing external transfer agreements, and facilitating communication about advising issues within and between instructional departments.

The teams will be student-oriented, have a wide view of how to meet student needs, and take advantage of existing college resources. The teams will be organized so that extended hour service is available. General drop-in advising and counseling assistance will be available in a location near the Students First! Center. Direct referrals by appointment and office hours for advising team members will be coordinated by the Students First! Resource Representatives. More specialized advising and counseling will be provided by the appropriate teams in the academic clusters, geographic areas, or support and diversity services. For example, an advising team will be assigned to and located near the Career and Work Information Center (CWIC) to provide drop-in advising and career counseling to students who have not chosen an educational goal. The Support and Diversity Services Team will have an advising team assigned to work with staff who have special knowledge of specific support and diversity issues.

Teams will be formed so that college-wide resources for advising and counseling are based on the need for the service by the affected population. An inventory will be conducted to identify employees who might be assigned a percentage of their work on an advising team. Resources from all college departments providing advising services will be reallocated based on the number of affiliated students, service demand, and location. A comprehensive college-wide advising training program will be created to address the development and maintenance of team members' knowledge of advising information, technical skills (e.g., accessing the WAN); and people skills (e.g., interviewing, active listening)

The advising team located in close proximity to the Students First! Center will assist students with the admissions process. Students who are undecided or need assistance in defining an initial educational goal will be referred immediately for drop-in advising. Advisors will use a major choice matrix that enables students to make a decision that meets external criteria (such as eligibility for financial aid) while enabling them to change majors at a future time. This will ensure students are able to receive funding to enroll in classes during the period prior to their selection of an academic major. Upon admission, students will be provided with a customized intake document which includes the curriculum for their major and information about other appropriate enrollment steps (i.e., orientation, placement testing).

Expanded program orientations for new students and regularly scheduled group advising sessions for continuing students will be conducted each term to economize resources, provide College reimbursement, and enhance personal contact with students. All advising team members will be involved in the development and delivery of program orientation sessions. Specifically, instructional department faculty and administrative staff will provide students with detailed information about course content and academic preparation for their programs. The advising system will respond to peak demand periods by using a pool of trained part-time advisors and counselors. A cadre of student peer advisors (funded through Federal Work Study and part-time funds) as well as volunteers will be trained to provide advising assistance to students.

Students will be encouraged to be responsible for and own their individual educational plans. Advising information will be available electronically via the WAN with the goal of encouraging self-service. The WAN will also provide students secured access to their grades, schedules, and information about their educational progress. Lane's computerized degree evaluation system will be updated and continuously maintained by a college staff member assigned responsibility for this critical task.

Lane's Wide Area Network (WAN) and World Wide Web (WWW) network capability is adequate for the development of an advising information system. Advising information about Lane's instructional programs will be developed and maintained to provide electronic access to program and course information.

The teams will develop a college-wide, consistent, and documented process for student advising. In addition, teams will create a tracking system that provides students information about progress toward the attainment of their academic goal. This system will function in conjunction with more comprehensive student information files. The tracking system will also record information for the purposes of evaluating and monitoring the entire academic advising system. Particular attention will be given to students identified by the testing office's early warning system for high risk students. Advising teams associated with offices that are designated to provide services to high risk students will coordinate proactive efforts to contact those students. In addition, the teams will provide individualized program planning activities prior to the student's enrollment. Faculty will be encouraged to submit early warning referrals to counselors on academic cluster advising teams. Counselors will follow-up and determine appropriate intervention methods that will assist students with refining their educational goals.

Coaches from Redesign Team: Rich Freund, Sharon Williams, John Winquist
Sponsors: Linda Fossen, Mary Spilde, Larry Warford
Due Date: Summer 1998
Performance Measures:

Measurement	Tools for Measuring	Responsibility for Tracking Measurement
increase percentage of students who use advising services from 36% to 50% by July 1998 maintain 93% student satisfaction level with advising services	baseline = OSRL survey follow-up = student survey	Advising, Counseling, and Career Development Process Owner Manager

Action Plan for Implementing Solution:

Task	By Whom	By When	Resources Required
Assign or appoint a team leader manager for Advising and Counseling Services (ACS) Team.	VP Student Services, Director of Counseling	Winter, 1997
Revise existing policies and procedures to reflect advising team structure and functions	Director of Counseling, ACS Team Leader Manager, ACS team	Winter, 1997 Spring, 1997
Develop training program that covers all instructional programs.	ACS Team Leader Manager, ACS team	Spring, 1997
Develop policies for advising services, including student access to personal academic records and incentives for participation in advising activities.	ACS Team Leader Manager, ACS team, Director of Admissions & Records	Spring, 1997
Conduct survey of all providers of advising and development services. Include services related to student retention, articulation, and staff training.
ACS Team Leader Manager, Research and Planning Office, Student Services Directors	Spring 1997
Conduct a college-wide inventory to identify all employees with potential counseling and advising team assignments	ACS Team Leader Manager, Research and Planning Office, Student Services Directors, Instructional Program Managers	Spring 1997
Determine number of advising teams needed and define individual team membership	ACS Team Leader Manager, Director of Counseling, Instructional Program Managers, VP Student Services	Summer 1997
Establish pilot teams to test new advising delivery processes	ACS Team Leader Manager, ACS team	Spring, 1997
Determine evaluation criteria for pilot and future teams	ACS Team Leader Manager, ACS team
Recruit, train, and assign student peer advisors to advising teams.	ACS Team Leader, ACS team	Fall, 1997(annual process)
Develop system for regularly scheduled training of advising team members	ACS Team Leader Manager, ACS team	Spring, 1997
Develop advising information for inclusion in the advising web page	ACS Team Leader Manager, Advising Teams, Instructional Managers	Fall, 1997
Develop a new student decision matrix for Students First! Resource Representatives	ACS Team Leader Manager, Advising Teams, Students First! Resource Representatives	Winter, 1997
Document advising services delivery process for both credit and non-credit students.	ACS Team Leader Manager, Advising Teams	Winter, 1997

Team Member	Responsibilities
All Team Members	enlist the involvement of instructional faculty and staff in advising activities collect advising information from departments submit information to the College Wide Area Network (WAN) initiate articulation agreements (to facilitate transferability of coursework between Lane and other institutions) deliver advising information during peak student demand, as appropriate
Counselor	provide within the academic clusters developmental advising, career, and life counseling train and facilitate academic cluster staff and student peer advisors in advising and other professional development areas (including group skills and effective team behavior) serve as consultant to faculty and staff in academic clusters for: mediation of disputes between faculty and students; career and job placement trends; and impact on student success of changes in academic policies provide crisis-oriented counseling related to student success and retention at academic cluster locations and Students First! Center develop and conduct group activities, including program orientations that are eligible for FTE reimbursement develop student success and retention programs for academic clusters and Students First! Center provide on-site supervision for student peer advisors
Advisor	provide academic advising to students enrolled in academic cluster programs assist with group advising activities, including program orientations (may conduct group activities when FTE is not realized) provide coverage for general drop-in advising at the Students First! Center
Instructional Program Manager	develop program orientation curriculum approve course substitutions, appeals, and waivers develop clear department advising procedures, particularly concerning accessibility participate in group program orientation sessions designed for new students ensure instructional department customer service standards are met during peak registration periods
Instructional Faculty	provide specific, detailed information about programs and courses (i.e., beyond the advising information on the WAN or WWW) participate in program orientation sessions work with counselor to integrate career and program information into course curriculum
Instructional Department Support Staff	provide information to students by using WAN advising information and department information and procedures
Student Peer Advisors	assist students with understanding curricular information, scheduling, and registration provide registration assistance during peak periods work in self-service area of the Students First! Center during peak periods assist students in the Students First! Center and Career and Work Information Center assist with program orientation sessions