Clicking on Success: Teaching the
Wired Generation to Use Online
Advising Resources
Mark Rohland
Advisor
Academic Advising Center
College of Liberal Arts
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Code #81
NACADA
Annual Conference
October 7, 2012
Wired for College?
The problem:
• Students can use technology, from Twitter to
Tumblr, with ease.
• It’s no longer news that youth are “wired.” Back in
2003, Yahoo reported that “findings show the
younger generation uses the Internet as their
media ‘hub’ and they feel empowered by the
abundant media choices available to them.”
Yahoo! (2003). Yahoo! and Carat unveil research results showing
teens are truly “born to be wired.” [Press release]. Retrieved from
http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1107.html
Wired for College?
• However, students are not necessarily wired for
using online advising resources to participate
actively in improving the quality of their academic
experience.
• Many students are surprisingly uninformed,
unskilled, and/or insecure about using basic online
resources, such as the registration system and
college catalog.
Wired for College?
• There may be several reasons for this failure to use the
tools that would help them advise themselves:
 Students may be busy.
 Students may be unmotivated to learn outside of
class.
 Students may be afraid of making mistakes.
 Students may prefer to learn face-to-face.
 Students may not yet have developed self-direction.
• However, many students need to build competency in
using online advising resources if they are to succeed.
Rewiring for College
The solution:
• We can “rewire” students to learn and use online
advising tools by building on existing strengths.
• Clearly most students have the technological
competence needed: cf. smartphones!
• Our job is to facilitate a transfer of knowledge and
skills so they are more confident and motivated to
use online advising resources and direct their
academic careers, becoming better self-advisors.
Rewiring for College
• This facilitation can be basic. We can point out
similarities and discuss ways to use new tools in
familiar ways: course schedules are like playlists,
degree audits are like video games.
• Some of us may be more technologically savvy
than others, but we can all help students learn
what we know about online tools and present them
as “free apps.”
Clicking on Success:
Playlist
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Related Theory
Scenarios
Benefits
Challenges
• Role Play
• Discussion
Theory
• These ideas are based on the theory of strengthsbased advising as developed by Laurie Schreiner,
Edward “Chip” Anderson, and many others.
• My key notion: “Teaching students to transfer
strengths from one setting to another, such as
from the playing field to the classroom, is a critical
component of a strengths-based approach to
advising” (Schreiner & Anderson, 2005, 24-25).
Schreiner, L. & Anderson, E. C. (2005). Strengths-based advising:
A new lens for higher education. NACADA Journal, 23(2), 20-29.
Theory
• Strengths-based advising theory suggests that
transfer or reframing of existing technological
strengths to advising resources requires the following:
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Identification of the strength and its context.
Identification of new area to which it could be applied.
Demonstration of the connection to new area.
Practice of transfer and assessment of success.
LET’S EXAMINE SOME SCENARIOS!
Catalogs
• Introduce idea of using catalog for information on
curricula, policies, instead of answering their
questions immediately.
• Ask how much they’ve used the catalog.
• Ask how much they google, search websites, and
ask what they like to search and how. Emphasize
points of similarity with catalog searching.
• Show their answers in catalog, and ask if there’s
anything else they’d like to look up. Let them do it.
Catalogs
• As relevant, provide “college knowledge.” An
obstacle to catalog use may be not knowing how
to search with college terms like curriculum,
probation, bursar.
• Ask what’s been learned and have student write
down relevant URLs.
• In subsequent sessions, have them build on
knowledge, navigating to catalog information of
interest, reinforcing that this is just “surfing.”
Choosing Courses
• Inquire about degree of confidence selecting
courses and registering.
• Identify problems: procedural? curricular?
• Introduce broadly similar tools they may have used
(iPod playlists, online shopping).
• Inquire how and why they do it (obtain pleasure,
explore interests, reach goals).
• Suggest connections to online course selection.
Choosing Courses
• Suggest better use of course selection system by
analogy from known tools where sampling and
evaluation are important.
• Example: choosing courses by time vs. choosing
by songs by title and length only on iTunes.
• Have students try course selection with you (while
you coach) to assess understanding of procedures
and strategies.
Degree Audits
• Using degree audits helps students review and
plan progress more actively.
• But many students find them confusing. Inquire
about audit use before reviewing their progress.
• Acknowledge that some audits are hard to
understand and use.
• Showing the audit helps, but connecting to online
experience aids comprehension.
Degree Audits
• Suggest concepts from other systems of some
complexity.
• Example: video games—scoring points, moving through
levels (credits, requirements). Inquire about their
experience.
• If audit has planning features, connect to strengths in
creating and changing sets of things, like Flickr photos.
• Assessment: have them explain audit requirements or
plan a semester with you.
GPA Calculation
• GPA calculation is simple arithmetic, but students often
want you to calculate for them.
• Inquire about student’s experience adding points and
calculating averages (sports, eBay, credit cards, math
classes).
• Show that GPA calculation is similar. Go to institutional
explanation (e.g., catalog) and briefly walk them through,
pointing out online analogies (e.g., slugging percentage).
• Demonstrate a 15-credit semester yourself, then have
student try a sample semester to assess understanding.
Faculty Connections
• Faculty connections and advice are crucial, but students
are often reluctant to reach out.
• They can transfer online social strengths to facilitate.
• Ask how they find out about and connect to new people
online (Facebook, LinkedIn).
• Suggest similar and appropriate ways to find out about
faculty: web pages, bibliographies, Blackboard, e-mail.
Some faculty tweet and text too!
• Ask student to contact a faculty member electronically—
e.g., ask about his or her research—and report back.
• Collegiality = academic social networking.
Summary
• Make simple inquiries into students’ online
interests related to use of online advising
resources.
• Make an initial connection for them and
encourage exploration.
• Find ways to assess how they are
transferring and building strengths in new
areas.
Possible Student Benefits
• Some benefits would be obvious, some would
need testing.
• Increased student motivation, interest, and
confidence around curricular planning.
• More appropriate course choice.
• More awareness of college policies.
• Better learning outcomes and possibly retention.
Possible Advisor Benefits
• Less prescriptive, more individualized
advising.
• Better understanding of gaps in student
knowledge.
• More advisor skill using online resources
(instead of paper).
• Contribution to institutional goals such as
retention.
Possible Challenges
• Lack of time to explore strengths during sessions.
• Competing demands on student time.
• Developmental considerations:
– Some students not yet motivated to take control
of academic development even when confident
in and knowledgeable about online tools.
– Fear of doing the wrong thing persists.
– Autonomy and knowledge grow at different
paces.
Role Play
• Pairs: Student and Advisor—”Be” a typical student
or advisor in your school/college.
• Ask your students what problems they have with
course selection/registration.
• Ask them what they do online that involves
selection.
• Discuss similarities and differences between
registration and personal selection.
Role Play: Observations
• What did you discuss?
• What are some reasons students have
trouble with course selection?
• What other strengths could students tap into
to help them master course selection?
Discussion
• What problems do your students encounter using
online advising resources? E.g., are there
strengths using technology they need to build first?
• What are some more barriers and opportunities in
getting students to use online resources
effectively?
• Digital divide: how much is the difference between
wired (advisors’) and wireless (students’) tools an
issue?
Finally….
• Any final thoughts?
• Please feel free to e-mail me
(mrohland@temple.edu) to share your
experiences!
• Thank you very much!