Presented by Arkansas Tech University students:
(team leader) Monique Forehand
Jennifer McGill
Mindy Patton
Corinne Smith


Our agenda was to come up with five issues
within student services where technology has
impacted how the college delivers its programs
and services to students.
The issues we have discussed are:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Career Services Guidance
Online Orientation
Digital Entertainment
Academic Advising
Counseling Services


Career guidance movement began at the turn
of the 20th century
Greatly influenced by
◦
◦
◦
◦
Industry and technology
Social change and reform
Government funding and programs
Testing and assessment of human traits



Links between school, career guidance and
development have became stronger
Focus shifted from “making a living” to the
meaning of work to the individual self
Understanding of history and development
increased insight into the role of the career
counselor

Knowledge for Youth About Careers (KYAC)

Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI)

The Career Key
• Based on Weiner's (1984) attribution change theory
and Bandura's (1982) self-efficacy theory
• Provides videodisc, CD-ROM disc, computer
diskettes, Facilitator Manual and Participant
Workbook (photocopy master) with 32 hours of
classroom & workshop activities, a Research &
Development Handbook, and a Facilitator Guide to
Scene Playback.
• The program operates on IBM PS2s and 486 DOSbased ISA computers

Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) Florida State
◦ Based on Cognitive Information and Processing
Theory as well as Beck’s Cognitive Theory
◦ Self-administered
◦ Objectively scored
◦ Provides a 48-Item measure of dysfunctional
thoughts in career choice
◦ Best used for 11-12th grade students, college
students, and adults

For more information on the services
provided by Florida State University, visit their
website:
http://www.career.fsu.edu/documents/center/
center_goals.htm
•Based on Holland’s Theory, the theory and
research most used by professional
counselors and career educators
•Provides over 20 self-help modules
•Available in Korean, Spanish, Chinese, and
Caribbean
•Offers different tests and quizzes to help
students find the career for them
•Allows you to make group or individual
purchases

These Career Key Programmers are North Carolina
State
University students in the Department of Computer
Science.
Andrew Wieselquist is the lead programmer.

Online Choices in the US:
• Education and Career Opportunities System (ECOS)
◦ ECOS is an Internet-based portfolio system, which helps
students explore and realize professional and academic
goals. Students have access to a complete,
comprehensive system for the exploration of career,
college, financial aid and life skills.
• Peterson’s GuidanceNet
◦ is an online resource center that integrates with a high
school, community college, or library web service. It
includes unlimited test preparation (e.g., PSAT, SAT,
ACT, AP, ASVAB, GED), financial aid tools, college
searches, information regarding scholarships, and career
planning tools.
•Based on Holland’s Theory, the theory and
research most used by professional
counselors and career educators
•Provides over 20 self-help modules
•Available in Korean, Spanish, Chinese, and
Caribbean
•Offers different tests and quizzes to help
students find the career for them
•Allows you to make group or individual
purchases
STUDENTS:
 Useful for at-risk
youths
 Helps to model career
implementation
behaviors
 Allows students to
honestly express their
beliefs and values
 More convenient for
students
STUDENT AFFAIRS
PROFESSIONALS:
 Gives us a more
honest idea of how
students are
developing in their
fields of career study
 Helps us motivate atrisk students
 Increases potential for
high impact career
interventions
STUDENTS:
 Lose the face-toface interaction with
mentors
STUDENT AFFAIRS
PROFESSIONALS:
 Lose face-to-face
contact with
students
 Increase in time
spent training


Orientation programs historically are created
to help students through the transition time
from High School to College, or from College
to College.
Online Orientation programs were created in
the beginning to help distance students learn
the online software needed for online classes.
•
•
•
It was discovered soon after that “just having
the correct hardware and software was not
enough to ensure success in the program.”
Thus, surveys and learning style inventories
were created to determine whether these
students were “cut out” for the distance
program.
Though these things were “limited to distance
learning related issues, not an orientation to
the college or campus support services.”


The technology for an online orientation
program would not be expensive take in of
itself.
The cost would come from having a full time
staff devoted to the online orientation
program.
•
•
•
This technology would be an interactive
website with public access.
The reason for the public access is that of
when a student is “new” to the institution,
they may not know what their login and
password is yet.
The website would include links to all
appropriate campus resources, and would
have a guided voice option on the site.


To keep the “community” feel of a face-toface orientation, and the individual attention,
there would be chat rooms and individuals
that each student would be able to be in
contact with.
This would insure that the student still feels a
connection to the campus, even though they
are not physically there.
◦ Accessibility to an orientation to those not
“physically able” to come to campus
◦ Would give same benefits without having to make a
trip
◦ Program would be available any time any place,
thus students would be willing to access even if
they are not available in regular business hours.
◦ Information can be released to students according
to their own progress
◦ Reminders about financial aid and other issues can
be sent to students online
◦ Program will also be accessible any time though out
their college career, for any questions that may
have arose
•
Student Affairs Professionals Benefits to an
Online Orientation Program
– Allows a continuous source for staff to refer
students to through out the year
– Also is not as time consuming at one point in time
for the entire campus, can be completed in slower
business times, and updates will not require the
entire campus
– Allows staff to have an opportunity for more flow of
feedback
◦ It will require more marketing to get new students
to actually access the program
◦ The site must at all times be up to date, and the
constant change of information may prove difficult
at times
◦ There may be issues training students on using the
technology
◦ If staff do not keep an individual touch with the
students there may be a loss in that “connection”
with the campus they may have received otherwise
•
•
•
The field of digital entertainment is a widely
used field among college students.
Among some of the first programs were
illegal websites where students and many
others would download music from a
selection of millions of songs.
This became a massive problem only a few
years back, and was causing some students
to unknowingly steal.



These sources were shut down for a while,
and it is not as widely prevalent as it was in
the beginning.
But some students still do not see the
“wrong” in this problem, and continue to
illegally download songs.
So, what can we do to stop this widespread
problem?



There are several sites where individuals can
legitimately download and pay for songs, and
other media types; movies, books, etc.
One of the most popular of these sites is
ITunes.
Though, students still say it is too much
money, or they do not have the money to
legitimately download these songs.
•
•
•
There is a company that was created in 2004,
that is helping Universities across the country
help their students deal with this problem.
This company is called CDIGIX.
Cdigix custom designed C-Labs to be an easy
and efficient digital media solution for college
administrators, faculty, and students by
providing schools with all the tools they need
to post and maintain rich digital media online
while complying with copyright policies.


Cdigix, also created a
program called CTrax, which requires
one small monthly fee
per student to be
payed; this money
would come from
student activity fees.
Then, each student
can have access to
millions of songs, and
download them for
pennies.
•
•
•
Using this same technology all other types of
media could be made available to students at
a fraction of the cost.
Companies are willing to do this, as well as
Universities should be, because of this
untapped market of students who have been
downloading songs for free.
Even pennies per song, is more than the
students were putting into the market before
hand.



The benefits far outweigh the cost in this
situation.
Students are no longer downloading illegally,
and the music industry is gaining back the
money that was being lost.
This is teaching students about being honest,
as well as giving the University a boost in
their marketability.




1st Formal System: John Hopkins University 1877
Early forms of academic advising were built on
strong person-to-person connections
The purpose was to create a faculty
liaison/mentor to increase communication
between the university and student
“The future of academic advising resides on the
degree to which technology can be deployed to
increase both the efficiency and effectiveness of
advising” (Beyond the Administrative, 2003).



Providing distance learners with information
that will help them be successful according to
the student’s interest, values, abilities.
Using various forms of technology to enhance
academic advising and thereby making it
more effective for all students.
“An era of greater accountability and the need
to provide better services to students” (Steele
et. al, 1999).




electronic
communication
(including email, chat,
IM, listservs, bulletin
boards, etc.)
electronic notebooks
student academic
information
management
touch-tone telephone
registration
• degree audits
• automated student
profiles
• automated transfer
articulation
• course/grade
simulation
• electronic calendars
• Web pages with selfhelp information

•
•
•
•
What does online academic advising include?
Electronic College Advising Tool (eCAT) which is a
computerized degree audit program and academic
advising tool
Chat rooms, instant messaging, email, and listservs
allow direct communication between student and
academic advisor during posted daily hour
Provides on-site support and individualized guidance
for students studying abroad and distance learners
Advisors are provided with the option
of digital advising notes that can be
shared with other faculty
•
•
•
•
•
•
Banner
Campus Management Corporation
DARS: Degree Audit Reporting System
USA Group
SunGard Higher Education
Datatel





Instant messaging chat services allow distance
learners the option of receiving one-on-one advice
from an academic advisor.
Virtual Advising is convenient – at best, it is available
anytime, anywhere.
Advisors can help students to feel a part of the
community, develop academic and career goals, be
successful learners.
Equal to, but not necessarily the same as, services
provided to on-campus students.
Organized websites provide students with a “onestop shop” to all of their academic advising related
questions.






Reduces amount of paper work.
Saves time on filing student documents.
Clears up storage space with the use of
virtual documents.
Reduces paper waste.
Due to the previous reasons, allows more
time for student-advisor interaction.
Improves quality control and accountability
between university departments.






Can be very costly.
It is easy to lose sight of the standards provided
by National Associations (NACADA and CAS).
It can be difficult for professionals to transition
from an old work system to a new from of
technology.
Effective training on new technology programs
can be difficult to coordinate and administer.
It takes a long time for students to make full use
of the capabilities that new technology has to
offer.
May take away face-to-face interactions as more
on-campus students begin to utilize chat
services rather than set up appointments.


Counseling services online have emerged
with the arrival of distant learning online and
the growing need for outreach through the
college's web site.
This is a new service on college campuses but
there have been experiments with online
counseling since 1966 when Joseph
Weizenbaum, a professor of Computer
Science at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology created a program called "Eliza."



Region 8 Online Counseling Consortium was
introduced in February 2005 as the first
online counseling consortium to provide
support to those in higher education using
online counseling.
The group meets twice each semester and
rotates meeting facilitator and location
As of March ‘07 established leadership
structure

Their mission is to:
◦ Share and establish best
practices in online
counseling
◦ Discuss common
protocols, definitions,
issues, and concerns
◦ Provide professional
development activities
◦ Provide expertise to other
colleges
◦ Serve as a resource to
state advisory committees
regarding online
counseling issues and
trends

Participating universities
includes:
◦ Long Beach City College
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Rio Hondo College
Citrus College
Coastline College
Cypress College
Fullerton College
Golden West College
Irvine Valley College
Mt. San Antonio College
Orange Coast College
Saddleback College
Santa Ana College
Santiago Canyon College
Cerritos College

Considerations when starting an online program:
◦ Soliciting buy-in and support
 Successful online counseling systems have strong
partnerships with tech support, counselors and buy-in
from administration
◦ Deciding what types of services to provide online
◦ Selecting an intake management system
 Examples include Banner System, Campus
Management Corporation, Teleconferencing and
Email-based
 For more information about Campus Management
System, go to:
http://www.campusmanagement.com/

Features can include:
◦ Can systematize random email inquiries received by counselors
◦ Requires central counselor to review/refer intakes to other online
counselors
◦ Can be more secure
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
 Password protected, encrypted
Stores questions & replies
Searchable database
Follow-up questions sent directly to counselor
Built-in referral system linked to email
Comments for counselor-only viewing
Counselor enters days available and vacation dates
Counselor can return a question for reassigning
Multiple coordinators can screen & assign
Students can submit quick or detailed questions
Menu of web referrals built-in
Spell check
Frequently asked questions

What students does it
benefits?
◦ Clients in geographically
isolated area
◦ Clients who are physically
disabled or seriously ill
and cannot leave home
◦ Clients who would
ordinarily not seek
traditional counseling
◦ Clients who would feel
more comfortable
expressing themselves in
a written format

How does it benefits
students?
◦ Provides financial, mental, and
physical help
◦ Provides self-help materials
◦ Provides outside referrals
◦ Saves time and money
◦ Provides an opportunity for
students to access sensitive
information and remain
anonymous
◦ Allows students to access
information anytime as opposed
to only during office hours.
◦ Students can "meet the staff"
online and decide best fit if they
choose to make an appointment
to meet with a counselor face to
face
◦ It provides access for students
who may live to far away for on
campus activities

Benefits to Student Affairs Professionals:
◦ Interventions with students during a time of crises
◦ Effective intervention through online services may
lead to improved student retention
◦ Allow staff to provide outreach, support and
general information to a larger segment of the
student population
◦ Staff can provide list of answers to frequently asked
questions
◦ Can be used as supplement to face-to-face
counseling services

Campuses will continue to find newer and better ways to
manage intakes and to provide additional services online

Can play a greater role in enrollment management and
retention of distance education students

Can play a greater role in supporting online instructional
faculty and programs

Regional & statewide discussions continue to define terms
and best practices as counseling systems evolves

Accountability to clients
Availability of counselor and speed and regularity with which
clients’ requests are answered
Maintaining confidentiality, ethics and security over the Internet
Handling of emergency situations
Lack of nonverbal information such as facial expression, tone of
voice, and body language
Difficulty of developing a therapeutic relationship with a client
who is never seen face-to-face
Training, evaluation and follow-up

System maintenance and upgrades

Limited ability to manage or organize a large amount of intakes






◦ Counselors need training on how to provide online services, use the
technology and time for site development, monitoring, updating and
quality control
◦ Continuous updating of the web site and on going research related to
quality and relevance of resources










Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. (2007). The Role of counseling faculty in
the California Community College. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from
http://www.academicsenate.cc.ca.us/Publications/ Papers/Role_counselingfaculty.html
Beyond the Administrative Core. (2003). Creating web-based student services for online
learners. Retrieved February 11, 2007 from
http://wcet.info/services/studentservices/beyond/resources/ac_ad.asp
Career Center at Florida State University. Retrieved February 14, 2008, from Use and
Development of Career Thoughts Inventory Web site:
http://www.career.fsu.edu/techcenter/designing_career_services/career_thoughts_inventory/i
ndex.html
Cdigix Website. Retrieved February 14, 2008 , from
http://www.cdigix.com/cdigix/AboutCLabs/tabid/63/Default.aspx
Hartley Pfhol, A. (2002). Counselor education and human services program. Retrieved February
10, 2008, from University of Dayton Web site: http://academic.udayton.edu/AnnePfohl
Jones, L. K. (1987). The career key. Retrieved February 13, 2008, from The Career Key Web site:
http://www.careerkey.org/index.asp
Journal of Distance Learning Administration. (2001). Virtual advising: Delivering student
services. Retrieved February 11, 2007 from
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall43/wagner43.html
National Academic Advising Association. (2007, November 6). Advising resources: Higher
education and technology. Retrieved February 11, 2007 from
http://www.psu.edu/dus/ncta/linkhetc.htm
National Academic Advising Association. (2004, June 17). Special reports: Technology and
academic advising. Retrieved February 12, 2007 from
http://www.psu.edu/dus/ncta/techartc.htm
Shaw, H. E., Shaw S. F. (2006). Critical ethical issues in online counseling: Assessing current
practices with an ethical intent checklist. Journal of counseling and development , 84(1), p.
41-53.