Advising to Make the Grade

FYE Assignments that Benefit

Students and Advisers

Veronica Giguere

Florida Institute of Technology

Advising to Make the Grade

• Bring advising into the first-year seminar

through purposeful assignments that touch on

key student skills while creating a robust advisee

portfolio

• Learn how one university integrates advising

into the first-year seminar curriculum through

time management, midterm grade reflection,

and faculty student interviews

Benefit Students and Advisers

• Examine assignments that meet shared goals for

both first-year student advisers and first-year

student seminar instructors

• Receive exercises and examples that you can

modify to suit your own course and department

objectives

Florida Institute of Technology

• Private, four-year research institution in

Melbourne, Florida

• ASC 1000 – University Experience (UE)

– Coordinated through Academic Support Center

– Required for FTIC as part of undergraduate core

– One credit, A-F; meets 1 hour over 16 weeks

– Introduction to campus, academic strategies,

university resources, and campus life

First-Year Seminar Instruction

• 2010: 590 FTIC enrolled in ASC 1000

– 24 sections taught by alumni, faculty, staff

• 2011: 690 FTIC enrolled in ASC 1000

– 27 sections taught by alumni, faculty, staff

– 12 of these sections taught by advising staff (4)

• 2012: ~700 FTIC expected

– 30 sections taught by alumni, faculty, staff

– 12 of these sections taught by advising staff (4)

Shared Goals for First-Year Students

• Reflect upon goals (academic and personal)

• Become acquainted with university procedures, campus resources, and local community

• Develop academic skills and strategies to persist through the first year and beyond

• Work with adviser to create and maintain an academic schedule to fit academic and personal goals

• Use campus resources, including faculty and staff services, to persist through the first year and beyond

Six Key Assignments

• Who Are You? – Week 1

• 168 Hours – Week 4

• Student Résumé – Week 6

• Midterm Grade Evaluation – Week 9

• Registration Planning Sheet – Week 12

• Faculty Interview – Week 14

Who Are You? – Week 1

Shared Objectives

• Familiarity with students’

goals, interests, and personal

motivations

• The “whole story” rather

than simply “name to face”

168 Hours – Week 4

Shared Objectives

• Introduction of time

management strategy

• Awareness of academic and

personal time split

• Familiarity with weekly

format for resource

management

Student Résumé – Week 6

Shared Objectives

• Awareness of goals and

objectives beyond first year

• Importance of academic and

service activities to

employment

• Interaction with career

management services and

community opportunities

Midterm Grade Evaluation – Week 9

Shared Objectives

• Record and reflect upon

midterm grades

• Practice calculation of grade

point average

Registration Planning Sheet – Week 12

Shared Objectives

• Familiarity with choosing

courses for next semester

• Use time management skills

to schedule classes per

personal goals and interests

• Prepare for meeting with

adviser to register for classes

Faculty Interview – Week 14

Shared Objectives

• Initiate conversation with

faculty member within

department

• Assist in transition from

advising center to faculty

adviser within department

Challenges to the Model

• Sharing information when the adviser is not the

instructor

• Common objectives for different majors

• Uniform grading of assignments

• Paper completion vs. online completion

• Student perception of assignments/activities

Improvements & Modifications

• Adviser input modifies assignments

• Specific advising = Detailed assignments

• Electronic assignment completion

– Paperless

– Immediate feedback

– Central repository for assignments

Something for Everyone!

• Limited number of exercises with rubric

• Download at: http://my.fit.edu/~vgiguere/

– Presentation slides with notes

– Exercises with grading rubric

– Syllabus & Grading Policies

• Contact Information

– vgiguere@fit.edu

– (321) 674-7115

– Additional social media (“Veronica Giguere”)