S T U D E N T P E R F O R M A N C E A C C E L E R A T I O N C E N T E R

S O K A U N I V E R S I T Y M E G U M I Y A M A S A K I

Learning Center as Academic Advising Function

2015 NACADA International Conference

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Goals for This Presentation

� Review on “academic advising” in Japanese higher education

� Academic advising type and sensitivity to diversity

� Challenges to advise students who need advising support

� Ways to support academic advisors

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Student Support Services at higher education in Japan

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Third LayerSpecialized

Services

Second LayerSystemic Services　

First Layer　Daily Services

Figure 1　3 layers model for student support services（Japan Student Services Organization, 2007)

Learning Support Research Support Front Line services

“Classroom” faculty Academic Advisor Tutorial

Counseling Services Career Center Learning Support Center Health Services

Need for training, and

comm

unication for better function

Advising System at Soka University 4

�  First & Second year student → faculty member who taught a first year experience class

�  Third & Fourth year student → faculty member who is student’s seminar teacher

Current Advising Practice for Students on Probation

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�  First time: meeting with an academic advisor �  Second time: notifying parents and meeting with an

academic advisor accompanied

�  3 consecutive terms: meeting with the dean. If necessary,　suspension with faculty meeting decision

【Reference】 Soka University 2014 Undergraduate catalogue

First year experience faculty = Academic advisor for 1st year and 2nd year students

�  Faculty members who teach first-year experience class play a role as an academic advisor.

¡  For most cases, after first-year experience class, unless students put on probation, faculty do not see students again.

¡  If students who get on probation, s/he contact students for meetings.

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Advising Style 7

�  Prescriptive Advising

�  Developmental Advising

�  Advising as Learning

Sensitivity to Diversity 8

Advisors “cultural sensitivity” and their advising style

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�  Assumptions

¡  Advisors’ willingness/awareness of diversity (student differences) influence their style of advising.

÷  If advisors are at the ethnorelative stages, they have tendency to use developmental and/or advising learning.

÷  If advisors are at the ethnocentric stages, they have tendency to use prescriptive advising

Survey on advising styles, cultural sensitivity and their view on academic advising

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�  Invited to take survey to faculty and staff from three universities.

�  59 faculty and staff answered the survey

Survey Results 1: Prescriptive 11

�  Denial

¡  Although faculty and staff had a tendency to be at denial toward diversity, it had negative correlation with prescriptive advising.

¡  Especially “teaching/giving information in detail” had negative correlation with Denial stage.

¡  In Japanese culture, “teaching/giving more detail information” viewed more helpful.

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�  Defense

¡  Defense stage did not have any significant correlation to prescriptive advising.

¡  The only statement showed strong correlation to “Defense stage” was “If students want to solve problems, they should ask me. I will give them an answer.”

¡  Again, “teaching students what to do” is viewed appropriate to work with students.

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�  Minimization

¡  Minimization stage had mixed correlation with Prescriptive Advising style.

¡  Japanese faculty and staff had tendency to see commonality as “positive.”

¡  Highest correlation was between “giving an advise on what to do based on GPA and past registration” and “although people have different values, we are basically the same at the end.”

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�  Acceptance

¡  Although the assumption was made to have negative relationship between Acceptance stage and Prescriptive advising, there were more positive correlation.

¡  The particular statement which had a positive relationship with prescriptive advising was “I try to understand other people’s value who have different background.”

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�  Adaptation

¡  Again, despite the assumption, there were more positive correlation between Adaptation stage and Prescriptive advising.

¡  Especially with the statement of “Although I don’t have any answer or beyond my expertise, I give an advice” has positive correlation.

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�  Integration

¡  Again, despite the assumption, there were more positive correlation between Integration stage and Prescriptive advising.

¡  Same as the Adaptation stage, “Although I don’t have any answer or beyond my expertise, I give an advice” has the strongest positive correlation.

¡  The strongest negative correlation with prescriptive advising style was “I adjust my behavior depending upon with whom I am working.”

Survey Result 2: Developmental 17

�  Denial

¡  All the statements had negative correlation with Developmental Advising style.

¡  The most negative relationship with Developmental Advising was the statement of “I avoid people who had different backgrounds from me.”

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�  Defense

¡  This cultural sensitivity stage did not show much correlation with Developmental Advising.

¡  This result is same as Prescriptive Advising.

¡  It seems that for Japanese faculty and staff, they do not feel appropriate to put themselves at the stage of defense.

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�  Minimization

¡  Unlike the assumption, Minimization stage had positive correlation with Developmental Advising.

¡  Just as we saw with Prescriptive Advising, to view commonality is considered positive.

¡  “Because we are ‘connected’ at spirit level, we should be able to solve problems caused by misunderstanding and differences among opinions” had the strongest positive correlation with Developmental Advising.

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�  Acceptance

¡  This stage statements had positive correlation with Developmental Advising.

¡  The strongest correlation was with the statement of “I understand that people from different background have different values and goals from mine.”

¡  “It is a good thing to have various perspectives and ways to do” is considered positive.

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�  Adaptation

¡  For the most statements, Adaptation stage has positive correlation with Developmental Advising.

¡  Strong positive correlation was with “I think from multiple perspectives to some to understand situation and make judgment,” and “I try to come to mutual understanding with various values and thoughts.”

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�  Integration

¡  Most statements had a positive correlation with Developmental Advising.

¡  “I communicate with people in the way that they prefer.”

¡  “Although I have my own values, I am open to other’s values and perspectives.

¡  “I explore better ways to communicate with people from different background from me.

Challenges to advise students who need advising support

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�  Faculty advisors meet with students only when they get on probation.

�  Faculty feel “giving advice” is the best way.

�  Faculty does not reach out to students proactively.

�  Faculty believes they put importance on differences in values and perspectives.　→There is no workshop/training sessions nor common practice on academic advising for faculty.

On students’ part 24

�  There is no guarantee that students use referred learning and/or student support services.

� When we checked, only 20% of students who were referred actually used services.

�  60% of first-time probation students stay on probation.

How can Learning Center staff function as academic advisor

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�  Learning Center staff ¡  1 full-time faculty member + 5 assistant faculty ¡  2 clinical psychologists ¡  8 graduate students ¡  10 undergraduate students

�  Training Session ¡  Concept on peer advising ¡  Practice on asking questions ¡  On the job training

“Supporting faculty advisors” as Learning Center staff

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�  Learning Center staff get invited to the departmental meetings to share learning support information.

�  Faculty advisors can take their students the Learning Center or invite Learning Center staff to meet students, so that Learning Center staff support their students continuously.

�  Learning Center staff train student assistants for 1st year experience course, so that they can be peer advisors.

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�  Learning Center collaborates with Student Affairs unit. → Students who are on Financial Aid and on probation, Student Affairs staff connect students with the Learning Center.

�  Learning Center collaborates with International Student Office for an orientation to connect them with learning support as well as advising sessions.

Summary 28

�  Although there is no common ways to provide academic advising at the institutional level, Learning Center can train its staff for advising.

�  One of the academic advising role is to connect different resources. Through academic advising sessions, Learning Center staff can connect different units to support students success.

�  Learning Center staff contact students who used Learning Center periodically.

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Thank you for listening

This research received a grant from

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science JSPS KAKENHI 80596239