February 12-13, 2009

Let us explore the following questions together:

How can I learn new ways to use technology in academic advising? What is Web 2.0 and what does it have to do with facebook, Ning, YouTube, Google, Yahoo! and other things I have heard about? Where can I find out more about social networking? How can I use technology to get better data for assessment of student learning outcomes? How can I learn to select, use, and manage technology in my advising office?

• To understand the use of social networking technologies as academic advising tools
• To learn how to use technology tools in academic advising assessment
• To explore how communication with students in advising can be enhanced by technology tools
• To get a perspective on how academic advising technologies can help advisors at your institution

Evolving Portal Environments for Academic Advising
Over the past decade, the issue is not whether academic advisors should be using technology to work with their students, but how. In a portal environment we recognize the growth of personalized Web-based student services many institutions are striving to implement. As we enter the age of portal Web-based services there is increased need to clarify the circumstance and limits in which technology can best be used to serve students. Such an undertaking has to rest on clearly articulated objectives for academic advising.

Confidentiality, Technology, & Collaborating with an IT Workforce Academic advisors are faced with many issues of confidentiality in their work. The use of social networking and other web based tools for academic advising seem to increase these concerns. The information technology community has struggled with these issues for many years. Working together with the IT workforce, academic advisors can increase their understanding of the benefits and limits of web security. Learn more about how to collaborate with the “techies” in your midst…they may even be on your advising staff!

Defining Web 2.0 for Academic Advisors Advising 2.0 is an academic advising use for Web 2.0 What does Web 2.0 mean? Explore the world of social learning, networking, and collaboration by first getting a feel for the World Wide Web as a new location for life as we know it. If you don’t know how you would use Web 2.0 in academic advising because you don’t have an understanding of Web 2.0, this is a great place to start.

Pulling Together the Elements of Advising 2.0
We all want to increase student success. New student learners may be more interested in self directed learning, group knowledge, interdisciplinary work, and the production of content than their predecessors. Advisors using Advising 2.0 concepts help students make connections between information from many sources, and emphasize how learning takes place. Increase student responsibility through Advising 2.0.