Engage, Interact, Inform: Peer Advisors as a Key to

Successful Academic Advisement

April J. Johnson - Academic Advisor/Peer Advisor Program Coordinator

Dr. Robert Kurland- Associate Dean

Office of Academic ServicesNewark College of Arts and Sciences & University

College-Newark Garden State C - 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM

Learning Goals• Learn innovative ways to assist students with

their transition into college.

• Identify ways to enhance the academic advisement experience for both students and advisors that will result in more effective and efficient advisement sessions.

• Discuss ways to provide leadership opportunities for Peer Advisors.

Agenda• Engage - Reflecting on your

experiences

• Interact - Discussing your campus initiatives and needs

• Inform - Providing new initiatives that have supported the mission and goals of the Office of Academic Services

Founded: 1908 - University of Newark Joined Rutgers: 1946Undergraduate Majors: 40+Graduate Programs: 20+ (JD, MA, MBA, MFA, MPA, MS, Ph.D.)

Enrollment (Fall 2012)Total: 12,011Undergraduates: 7,666Graduates: 4,345

Office of Academic ServicesServes the Newark College of Arts and Science and University College-Newark

Current Enrollment – (Spring 2013) : 3,4818 Academic Advisors/Deans with caseloads of approximately 400 – 500 students9,277 visits last year (not including new student sessions)

http://www.newark.rutgers.edu/history

Our Challenges New Student Registration (Freshmen and

Transfer)

• New students were not aware or familiar with the advisement procedures and academic policies

• New students were unfamiliar with academic resources and where to find information after leaving registration

Continuing Student Advisement

• During advisement periods for continuing students there were long lines of students that on average had to wait 1-2 hours to meet with an advisor.

• Advisement appointments were not as efficient because students were often unprepared and not familiar with how to find classes.

Reflection Questions

• Think back to your experience as a college student…What were some of the academic/transitional challenges that you faced as a student?

• What are some of the academic/transitional challenges that you have seen on your campus/office with students?

How We Addressed Our Challenges

New Student Registration (Freshmen and Transfer)

• Advisement structure that incorporates the academic policies/resources for the university

• Peer Advisor Mentor Program

Continuing Student Advisement

• Peer Advisor Triage

• Workshops that focus on Academic Resources

New Student Registration Incoming Students Fall 2012

First Year Students = 500 Transfer Students = 520

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

764

633 632 601

690

957

OAS January add/drop student visits

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012600

700

800

900

1000

1100

871 864

885

836

996

Fall Early Advisement Weeks (April)

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

637

785

640 619711

1063

OAS September add/drop student visits

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012600

800

1000

1200

1400

1212

1117

1033

961

1096

1268

Spring Early Advisement Weeks (November)

Peer Advisor ProgramNewark College of Arts and

SciencesPeer Advisors (PA’s) work collaboratively with the

Office of Academic Services (OAS) to assist in the facilitation of placement testing, new and

continuing student registration, peer advisement, and academic workshops.

PA’s also provide all new students with a warm and friendly welcome to Rutgers-Newark by serving as role models

and providing resources to all incoming and continuing students.

Basic Responsibilities • Build relationships with and serve as a

resource and mentor for new students and continuing students

• Assist with the proctoring of placement exams

• Check-in and greet all new students and parents for placement testing and registration

• Assist incoming and continuing students with scheduling classes by providing “peer advisement”

• Lead group discussions/programs articulating Rutgers-Newark academic expectations and standards

• Plan and facilitate P.O.W.E.R. workshops for first year students

What Is Peer Advisement?

To give assistance to students by providing information about the academic resources, academic policies, and services offered in the Office of Academic Services (OAS). • Degree Navigator• On-line Schedule of Classes• Web-Registration • OAS Website• Rutgers Newark Website

Peer Advisor TriageThe purpose of Peer Advisor Triage is enhance the academic

advisement experience for both students and Academic Advisors. The triage process has provided OAS with more

effective and efficient advisement sessions.

Advisement/Registration & Add/Drop Period

Check -In - Peer Advisors greet each student and proceed to ask a series of questions to ensure the student is in the appropriate office and knows the advisement procedures

Triage - Peer Advisors provide “peer advisement” to ensure that each student is knowledgeable and prepared to schedule classes

Peer Advisement Triage• Peer Advisors and Academic Advisors each

have a specific responsibility in the office during advisement and registration

• All students meet with an Academic Advisor before or after meeting with Peer Advisors. Academic Advisors ensure that students are taking the appropriate classes

• The Peer Advisors responsibility is to teach the students about academic resources and help them feel comfortable and confident about the academic resources offered at Rutgers-Newark!

Advisement Process…In a Nutshell

     • Engage - Involve students in the

process, ask questions, and listen to individual needs of students

• Interact - Provide Peer Advisement and Mentorship

• Inform - Empower students with information that will give them a solid foundation in their first year and beyond

ImprovementsNew Student Registration

• Students were more informed and had a smoother transition during their first year of college

• During the second semester students were more prepared for registration and more students registered during the advisement period.

Continuing Student Advisement • Decreased wait time for students during

advisement period

• Advisors were able to have more efficient advisement sessions

Discussion Questions 1. Do you currently have a Peer Advisor Program at

your institution? If so, what are the main responsibilities of the Peer Advisors?     

2. What are the main areas that a Peer Advisor Program can be used (or is currently being used) to enhance services/programs in your office?

3. If you could make changes to the advisement process in your office to enhance the experience for students and advisors what would the changes be?

4. How can a Peer Advisor Program support the mission and goals in the office?

POWER Workshops

P= Prepared O = Organized W= Willing E = Eager R = Ready

Peer Advisor Training • Restructured Training

• Training Manual

• Curriculum for Learning Goals

• Hands On Training Opportunities

• Assessment During Training

• Academic Advisor/Deans Involvement in Training

Future Goals/Initiatives• Peer Advisor Program Class

• Peer Advisor Manual With Additional Resources

• Restructure First Year Advisement – More Opportunities for One-on-One Peer Advisement

• Additional Assessment

• Additional Workshops

• Increased Outreach Efforts to Students on Campus (Residence Hall Advisement, Mobile Advisement)

QuestionsApril J. Johnson, M.A.Academic AdvisorPeer Advisor Program Coordinator Office of Academic ServicesRutgers, The State University of New Jerseyaprcatch@rutgers.edu

Robert M. Kurland, Ph.D.Associate DeanOffice of Academic ServicesRutgers, The State University of New Jerseyrkurland@rutgers.edu

Thank you for your time and participation!