The Advising Power Hour Series features ongoing workshops/presentations to support faculty and professional academic advisors
Through participation, advisors will:
- Obtain context for the delivery of academic advising and its connection to student retention
- Increase their proficiency in UMBC’s advising technologies
- Gain knowledge of the application of academic policies to guide students in decision-making
- Gain knowledge of campus and academic resources to support student development and success
Please review the recordings for our past offerings below. Thank you for participating!
Advising As Teaching
The scope and nature of an academic advisor’s role is vast and all-encompassing. Although most commonly associated with course registration, the role of an advisor spans serving as a teacher who aids in developing students’ abilities to make informed decisions during their individual academic journeys. This session provides an overview of advisors’ roles as teachers.
Academic Policies & Procedures
Effective advising practices are rooted in understanding institutional policies and procedures and articulating those policies and procedures for students, which aids in their decision-making. This session provides an overview of UMBC’s academic policies and procedures that impact advising practices.
Navigating Advising Tools & Technology
Advising tools and technology support advisors in advancing their advising practices and can aid in serving students more effectively and efficiently. This session provides an overview of common tools at UMBC to advance the practices of UMBC’s advising community.
Understanding FERPA in the Context of Academic Advising
As academic advisors, it is imperative that we have an understanding of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to protect student academic records. In this session, we will provide an overview of FERPA and how it applies to advising notes, phone calls with parents, and profile sharing.
Advising Specific Student Populations Part I
Specialized advising is often necessary for specific student populations. From schedule constraints to class accommodations and the need to recommend additional campus resources, understanding these nuances is vital to student success and retention. Content experts from UMBC’s Student Disability Services, Academic Center for Student Athletes, and International Student Scholar Services will share best practices for advising and supporting student-athletes, international students, and students with disabilities.
Advising Specific Student Populations Part II
Specialized advising is often necessary for specific student populations. From schedule constraints to class accommodations and the need to recommend additional campus resources, understanding these nuances is vital to student success and retention. Content experts from UMBC’s Registrar’s Office, Off-Campus Student Services, Academic Success Center, and the Office for Academic & Pre-Professional Advising will share best practices for advising and supporting pre-transfer, transfer, and veteran students.
Understanding the Process Part I
This session is intended to provide an overview of processes related to advising, such as the end-of-semester academic suspension review and the satisfactory academic progress review processes.
Understanding the Process Part II
This session is intended to provide an overview of UMBC processes related to advising, such as course petitions, academic clemency, non-applicable semester, and excess credits requests.
Advisors’ Role in Creating Students’ Sense of Belonging
Belonging is a critical component of student success and retention. In this session, participants will learn about the current landscape of student belonging. We will discuss the importance of the role of the advisor and other student support staff in fostering a sense of belonging. Attendees will be able to assess their practices for creating a sense of belonging and identify strategies they can employ.
Empathy Fatigue & Self-Care for Student Support Staff
Ali & Johns (2018) state that students depend on their student support team for compassionate care and empathy during critical points in their academic and personal lives. Students may visit advisors to check their progress towards a degree or look for quality advising support when faced with unmanaged stress, untreated mental health conditions, imposter syndrome, or advice on juggling school schedules with other family or work-related responsibilities (Habley, 1994). However, over time, student support team members may begin to experience empathy fatigue from constantly witnessing and absorbing the difficulties of students. The Office for Academic & Pre-Professional Advising will collaborate with Retriever Integrated Health to facilitate a discussion on how to cope with empathy fatigue.
It’s Not What You Say, But How You Say It: Employing Asset Based Language to Student Communications
This session was presented at the NACADA 2023 Region 2 Conference and the NACADA 2023 Annual Conference by Monique Ransom. In this session, we will examine equity-mindedness and the theoretical foundation, applications, and extensions of Rendón’s Validation Theory in the context of academic advising approaches and strategies for supporting students experiencing academic challenges. Attendees will engage in interactive activities and discussions with peers and share ideas regarding employing equity-mindedness and asset-based language in their advising practices with students experiencing academic challenges.