W-2 Designing Web-based Advising Materials the Instructional Systems Way
Terry Musser and Wesley Lipschultz, Pennsylvania State University

The Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) is responsible for the academic orientation program at Penn State for all first-year students. Specifically, DUS academic advisers teach students about Penn State academic policies, academic requirements, and how to plan and schedule their first semester courses. While an entire day of advising is allocated for this teaching endeavor, this is certainly not enough time for the students to get a lasting and comprehensive understanding of such a new and vast academic culture.

To overcome these time limitations and promote higher-level understanding of and engagement in academic planning during the orientation program, a team of DUS advisers has developed an online advanced organizer for students to use to become familiar with much of this academic information before attending the orientation. This organizer is introduced to the students as an online tutorial to be completed before they come to orientation. Students are asked to submit information online after going through each module in the tutorial, and the information submitted is available to the advisers before the students arrive for the orientation program.

In this workshop, participants will:

• become familiar with the online materials;
• discuss the learning theories involved in designing this instruction;
• explore learning outcomes and assessment techniques; and
• examine the positive and negative aspects of designing and implementing an online educational tool.

Participants will also receive a packet containing all materials distributed to first-year students and will have opportunities to ask questions and share common experiences. This is a three-hour workshop, scheduled from 2:00 to 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 2.

W-3 The Nuts and Bolts of Establishing a Mentor Program
Wayne Jackson, The College of New Jersey

One of the fastest-growing ways to help retain either students in higher education or employees in private industry is mentoring. Both domains are looking closer at this phenomenon called mentoring as a way to help their students or employees feel comfortable in their new environment. Mentoring has been documented as a way to enhance retention rates by matching an experienced person with someone who is new to the college or business, and to provide employees with high-level administrators who will coach them as they climb the corporate ladder.

Many people think that mentoring is easy - you just match one person with another and that is all it takes. Unfortunately, it is not that easy. It is precisely that attitude that leads to a bad mentoring experience and program. Productive and successful mentoring program take time to train mentors and protégés, who need to know the ground rules of the relationship in order to assure it will be productive.

In this workshop we will look at what it takes to actually begin a mentoring program from scratch. We will begin the tedious process of how to demonstrate and provide statistical data regarding why mentoring is needed on your campus or on your job. Participants will work on statements of purpose, long-range goals, recruitment plans, orientation and training for both mentors and protégés. Participants will be well-prepared to return to their workplace and begin the process of establishing and running a productive mentoring program. This is a three-hour workshop, scheduled from 2:00 to 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 2.

W-4 Confidentiality Issues in Advising. Jeff Gardner

This session will cover a wide range of issues involving confidentiality, including, but not limited to, the Buckley Amendment. After a brief overview of advisor roles, student rights, and FERPA, attendees will be divided into small groups and given case studies to resolve. Following intra-group analysis, the presenter will lead an interactive discussion on each case. This will include querying participants on critical aspects of each case; relevant or applicable laws; proper consultations and referrals; and methods of documentation. Recently emerging issues will also be addressed, such as the impact of automation on advising / confidentiality, and military access to student records. The primary purpose of this session is NOT to provide legal advise on handling specific situations; but rather, to offer an experientially-based understanding of the responsibilities of advisors for confidentiality. This is a three-hour workshop, scheduled from 2:00 to 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 2.

W-5 Conducting Advising Research and Constructing a Winning NACADA Grant. Rich Robbins, West Virginia University, and Joyce Buck, Pennsylvania State University

This preconference workshop presented by members of the NACADA Research Committee and Grants Review Subcommittee will serve as a primer for conducting advising research and writing a NACADA research grant proposal. Topics to be addressed include the fundamentals of conducting research, research versus program evaluation, finding support for your research, which areas are related to advising are researchable, theoretical models that can be used in conducting research and authoring a proposal, the specific guidelines for a NACADA grant proposal, and the strengths and weaknesses of a proposal. Participants will review the NACADA Research Call for Proposals as well as the two-step NACADA grant application process. This is a three-hour workshop, scheduled from 2:00 to 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 2.

W-6 From Teaching to Advising in Sixty Minutes. Charlie Nutt, NACADA, Kathy Stockwell, Fox Valley Technical College, and
Tim Champardé, Lansing Community College.

Increasingly, faculty across North America are being expected to meet with students in roles as advisor. Yet training for faculty to excel in this role is minimal at best. This interactive workshop is designed with faculty in mind, as well as those who provide professional development for faculty. The first 60 minutes is an energizing and dynamic presentation that will boost the confidence of faculty to successfully advise their students. The remainder of the workshop will serve as an arena to hone and apply advising skills, custom fit to meet the needs of those who attend.

Unique to this presentation is the employment of metaphor as an effective advising tool. Faculty use this dynamic ubiquitously in teaching, and research validates its effectiveness as a powerful learning mechanism. The theory underpinning student advisement today will also be highlighted, including the concept of developmental advising. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to role-play "how to" situations in an advising session, while sharing best practices with colleagues. When and how to make referrals will also be modeled, while legal and ethical issues in the field will be emphasized.

The presenters have many years of teaching and advising experience and promise that every workshop participant will leave satisfied and prepared to be an excellent advisor. Come and re-discover why students love to be advised by faculty!

This is a four-hour workshop, scheduled from 2:00 to 6:00 pm on Wednesday, April 2; it includes a refreshment break. This workshop has a $50 fee.