Advising
2.0: Engaging Students with Collaborative Online Tools
To increase student success,
it is critical that professionals in higher education are aware
of the technological changes and needs of the new student learners
who “continue to push learning and research to be more self
directed, focused on group knowledge, open to interdisciplinary
work, and focused on producing content” (Rainie, 2006).
This presentation will demonstrate Advising 2.0 through the
use of different web tools. The presenter will review an
advising 2.0 model that is currently being used by showing the
specific tools (blogs, podcasts, wikis, social bookmarks and
photography applications.) Details of the experience gained in
development and working with these social learning tools will
be outlined.
Web
Based Surveys
Want
some fast feedback from students, colleague or administrators?
Why not use an easy to use survey tool? This session will review
several uses of these tools, options when considering vendors,
and the pros and cons of using these easily assessable tools.
Customer
Relationship Management Systems (CRM)
CRMs
are enterprise level systems that integrate a variety of communication
tools so marketing strategies and campaigns can be implemented
This session will demonstrate these tools as they apply to advising.
It will also show points of reference to Web 2.0 tools that
have similar capabilities. Also discussed will be assessing
the pros and cons of using enterprise level vs. Web 2.0 technologies
as well as how they can complement each other.
Photo
Sharing
Online
photo sharing has changed the ways we look pictures and how
we learn. Instead of keeping our photographs and videos
on a shelf, it is now possible to share these visual representations
with a variety of individuals and groups online. Photo
sharing websites not only serve as storage spaces for pictures,
they also provide us with an arena to organize, tag, share,
comment, create, and enhance the learning experience. Advisors
are able to engage students with collaborative photo sharing
by displaying visual information, linking academic resources,
connecting to various learning styles, and engaging in group-based
advising.
Wikis
Why wiki? Because learning is social. Wikis encourage
collaboration, learning from each other, and allow for
quick information sharing. This session will
emphasize the importance of how collaborative learning
works and expectations for those who engage in wiki group learning.
There might be a short-lived project, open-ended goals,
updates to a list of references, or extensive group research
required for your students, staff and faculty at your campus.
If you are thinking about collaborative advising &
learning with your students and/or staff, you may want to further
explore the wonderful world of wikis.
Social
Networking Sites
The most commonly known social networking sites (and a few new
ones) provide a starting place for understanding the use of
small world theory and its application to web based networks
of people. Social networks provide members with ways to communicate,
share images and interests, and become acquainted (or reacquainted)
online. Get your hands on the social networking tool that seems
to be most used by your students.
Advising
Management Systems
Your
campus student information system has all the student data you
need to do your work, but sometimes it’s hard to get the data
you need when you need it. Third party tools are often used
"to get the data out." Some such tools are being developed
to respond to the specific needs of academic advising. These
provide advisor scheduling, data management, contact information,
advising notes and communication, assessment tools, and more
all in one place. How do we make decisions about these tools,
which most often are purchased and require the time and resources
of more than one unit on campus? Hear about a few tools, and
see what they might do for you. In addition, get some tips on
how to think through whether an advising management system is
right for you.
Making
Connections Between Tools
So
you take the time to make a blog, take, upload, and share photos
and videos, and podcast important advising information. Content
aggregators allow us to collect information from various sources
including blogs, microblogs, photo-sharing services, and other
tools and data in one place. The result is a webpage that is
constantly refreshed with new information. Making better use
of the content created and available for students and others
is crucial to a successful advising communication strategy.
This session will delve into the process, creation and tactics
involved with an advising aggregator website. Remember,
Alligators live in Florida, Aggregators "live" on
the Internet!
Blogs
and Microblogs
Blogs
and microblogs are all about content, what’s happening now,
mobility and the ability to find what you need, or “searchability".
In advising, they provide a form of social media that enables
us to reach our students in a manner that is accessible and
user-friendly. This session will focus on blogging tools that
are available on the web. These tools can be implemented within
minutes but have a lasting impact.
