edd/581 action research proposal jami anderson action research proposal 1

EDD/581 Action Research Proposal Jami Anderson Action Research Proposal 1

Problem Statement The problem is that a significant number (75%) of admission advisors are not proficient in prospective student admission requirements into the physician associate program at the University of Oklahoma.The problem is that a significant number (75%) of admission advisors are not proficient in prospective student admission requirements into the physician associate program at the University of Oklahoma. Action Research Proposal2

Problem Description Based upon the observation of prospective student applications that have been submitted the admission advisors are doing a poor job of advising students of what processes they should complete to be a competitive applicant to obtain acceptance into the PA programBased upon the observation of prospective student applications that have been submitted the admission advisors are doing a poor job of advising students of what processes they should complete to be a competitive applicant to obtain acceptance into the PA program Admissions advisors are not current on departmental updates Recommendation letter are being submitted through CASPA and we do not accept CASPA Student are not being enrolled in appropriate prerequisite courses Action Research Proposal3

Purpose of the Project The purpose of this project is to increase the number of admission advisors that are proficient in advising prospective PA students Action Research Proposal4

Writers Role Describe how you relate to the topic. Being an academic program specialist it is my responsibility to ensure students are being advised properly with the appropriate program information I have 11 years experience in a higher education advisement environment Describe why you picked this topic. Being properly or improperly advised heavily impacts a students future Action Research Proposal5

Writers Role Describe how this topic influences or is influenced by your role in your current setting. As an academic program specialist I feel like I am responsible for ensuring prospective students are taking the appropriate courses and completing the processes required in order to obtain admissions into the PA Program Action Research Proposal6

Problem Statement The problem is that a significant number (75%) of admission advisors are not proficient in prospective student admission requirements into the physician associate program at the University of Oklahoma. Action Research Proposal 7

Problem Documentation A survey will be conducted with prospective students that have completed the application process to evaluate the quality of advising they received focusing on students perceptions of advisor effectiveness and in what areas advising might be improved. Action Research Proposal 8

Problem Documentation Action Research Proposal9 The survey will consist of 10 questions The survey will consist of 10 questions The questions will verify that some academic advisors are not meeting program goals and student learning goals are not being met The questions will verify that some academic advisors are not meeting program goals and student learning goals are not being met Identify commonalities and inconsistencies among the admission advisors. Identify commonalities and inconsistencies among the admission advisors.

Survey Questions Action Research Proposal10

Literature Review Study 1 Action Research Proposal 11 Study Author(s)Study TitleStudy PurposePertinent Findings Marie J. Lindhorst Janet K. Schulenberg The Curriculum of Academic Advising: What We Teach, How We Teach, and What Students Learn Gain better awareness and understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of advisory to improve campus advising Findings revealed that academic advising has increased student knowledge and understand of academic programs and resources increasing learning outcomes

Literature Review Study 2 Action Research Proposal12 Study Author(s)Study TitleStudy PurposePertinent Findings Sarah KeelingThe Influence of the CAS Standards on Academic Advisors and Advising Programs Study to see how the Council for the Advancement of Standards in influence academic advising programs Results indicate that participating advisors knew little about the standards

Literature Review Study 3 Action Research Proposal13 Study Author(s)Study TitleStudy PurposePertinent Findings Mary L. WardThe Essential Characteristics of Academic Advisors Identify essential characteristics of academic advisors There are relationships between essential advisor characteristics and the NACADA framework for academic advising

Literature Review Study 4 Action Research Proposal 14 Study Author(s)Study TitleStudy PurposePertinent Findings George Mikluscak Jr. A Qualitative Inquiry into the Training and Development Provided to Community College Academic Advisors Investigate factors academic advisors believe are crucial to their support as advisors Lack of training and development, lack of advising support from higher management, and the need for additional funding and staff

Literature Review Study 5 Action Research Proposal 15 Study Author(s)Study TitleStudy PurposePertinent Findings Vanessa Johnson- Dedeaux An Investigation of Students' Satisfaction with Academic Advising and Students' Impressions of Academic Advisors at a Rural Community College Investigate career/technical students satisfaction with academic advising Participants considered their advisors to have above average communications skills, helpful, and effective

Literature Review Study 6 Action Research Proposal 16 Study Author(s)Study TitleStudy PurposePertinent Findings Kyra L. SuttonStudent Satisfaction with Information Provided by Academic Advisors Identify the level of satisfaction students have with the information provided by advisors on a variety of matters Students were satisfied with core issues and less satisfied with immediate information they were provided

Literature Review Study 7 Action Research Proposal 17 Study Author(s)Study TitleStudy PurposePertinent Findings Leavvernard Jones Jr. An evaluation of academic advisors' roles in effective retention Investigate role of academic advisors and their role in retention The results of this study revealed academic advisors' roles do influence student success and retention rates, and barriers exist that negatively impact retention rates.

Action Goal The goal of the intervention is to increase effectiveness of admissions advisors. A three part intervention will be implemented over a six week period to meet the goal. The three parts will include weekly professional development workshops, collaborations sessions with mentors, and observations of advisors. Action Research Proposal 18

Selected Solutions Administer admissions advisors survey to students to gain feedback regarding the proficiency of academic advisors Pre-Assessment of admission advisors knowledge Administer an assessment to gain recognition in the proficiency of admissions advisors knowledge of college procedures and program requirements Action Research Proposal19

Selected Solutions Advisors will attend weekly Professional Development Workshops. Training sessions will occur in a classroom and computer lab and will include lecture, discussion, and hands on computer exercises. Provide and discuss advisement goals and objectives of the college Changes and updates in departmental requirements Provide People Soft and D2L software training Become knowledgable in credit transfers and prerequisite program requirements Become familiar with ethical and legal issues Self assessment and training evaluations will be conducted to monitor progress Action Research Proposal 20

Selected Solutions Weekly collaboration with assigned mentors Each advisor will be assigned a mentor and collaborate over training topics that will meet departmental objectives. Understand the Role and responsibility of admissions and advisors Providing proper course selection Building support, commitment, and respect Communication and professionalism Understanding students needs and promoting student learning Making a connection and motivation students Action Research Proposal21

Selected Solutions Observation Each academic advisor will be observed one day a week to observe their communication relations with new students Action Research Proposal22

Calendar Plan Overview General Plan Information Begins before students return to school for the fall semester Participants are admission advisors and students Plan recurs weekly with different skills in place Evaluation will occur weekly during the observation and a survey will be submitted at the end of the fall semester to students to evaluate the effectiveness of their advisor Action Research Proposal 23

Calendar Plan Week 1 Action Research Proposal24 Week 1 Pre-Assessment of admissions advisors knowledge Pre-Assessment of admissions advisors knowledge Workshop discussing advisement goals and objectives of the college Workshop discussing advisement goals and objectives of the college Working with a mentor to understand the Role and responsibility of admissions and advisors Working with a mentor to understand the Role and responsibility of admissions and advisors Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students Feedback will be provided Feedback will be provided

Calendar Plan Week 2 Week 2 Workshop discussing and updates in departmental requirements Workshop discussing and updates in departmental requirements Working with a mentor to discuss how to make proper course selection Working with a mentor to discuss how to make proper course selection Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Feedback will be provided Feedback will be provided Action Research Proposal25

Calendar Plan Week 3 Week 3 Attend a workshop that will provide Peoplesoft and D2L software training. Attend a workshop that will provide Peoplesoft and D2L software training. Work with a mentor to learn how to build support, commitment, and respect from students Work with a mentor to learn how to build support, commitment, and respect from students Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Feedback will be provided Feedback will be provided Action Research Proposal26

Calendar Plan Week4 Week 4 Attend a workshop to become knowledgable in credit transfers and prerequisite program requirements Attend a workshop to become knowledgable in credit transfers and prerequisite program requirements Work with a mentor to learn skills in communication and professionalism Work with a mentor to learn skills in communication and professionalism Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Feedback will be provided Feedback will be provided Action Research Proposal27

Calendar Plan Week 5 Week 5 Attend a work shop to become familiar with ethical and legal issues Attend a work shop to become familiar with ethical and legal issues Work with mentor to better understand students need and promoting student learning Work with mentor to better understand students need and promoting student learning Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Feedback will be provided Feedback will be provided Action Research Proposal28

Calendar Plan Week 6 Week 6 Post-Assessment of admission advisors knowledge Post-Assessment of admission advisors knowledge Self assessment and training evaluations will be conducted to monitor progress Self assessment and training evaluations will be conducted to monitor progress Working with a mentor to learn how to make a connection and motivate students Working with a mentor to learn how to make a connection and motivate students Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Observation of advisor and communication skills and interaction with students continued Feedback will be provided Feedback will be provided Surveys will be emailed to each student that enrolled in the fall semester to evaluate the effectiveness of their admissions advisor Surveys will be emailed to each student that enrolled in the fall semester to evaluate the effectiveness of their admissions advisor Action Research Proposal29

Expected Outcomes The overall goal is to is to increase the proficiency of academic advisors Understanding and meeting the needs of students Increasing institutional success Increase student learning Action Research Proposal30

Expected Outcomes Outcome 1 Bridge the gap as to why advisors are not proficient and meeting student expectations Outcome 2 Resources are created and available for admissions advisors concerning regulations, academic policies, and procedures to communicate to students Outcome 3 Students will be enrolled in the correct prerequisite courses by their academic advisor for successful admissions into the PA program Action Research Proposal 31

Measurement of Outcomes Outcome 1 Outcome will be measured through student opinion surveys, and mentor observations that will be conducted to assess advisors current proficiency to determine effective training needs Action Research Proposal32

Measurement of Outcomes Outcome 2 The outcomes of the training received from professional development workshops will be measured using student satisfaction surveys as well as mentor observations. Action Research Proposal 33

Measurement of Outcomes Outcome 3 Students will show student success by increased retention in the program. This outcome can be measured by the percentage of complete application packets received by the program deadline Action Research Proposal34

Analysis of Results How will you analyze your results Data will be compiled in an Excel sheet. I will take the outcomes of the survey, and mentor observations, and percentages of completed admissions packets and put the data into charts and graphs. The results will be compared each application period to see if the results have been effective in each area. Action Research Proposal 35

Analysis of Results How you will determine if your solution strategy was effective Through the graphed and charted data collected after each application cycle. If the data shows there is an increase in advisor proficiency provided by the survey and observation results and there are increased completed program admission packets then the solution strategy was effective Action Research Proposal36

Analysis of Results How you will present your findings and to whom you will present them I will present the findings to institutions program director so proper training and workshops can be conducted The survey and observation data will be used as an analysis to support in what areas advisors need training to become proficient in their program areas. Findings will be presented in graphs and charts presented the form of a PowerPoint. Action Research Proposal37

References Johnson-Dedeaux, V. (2011, January 1). An Investigation of Students' Satisfaction with Academic Advising and Students' Impressions of Academic Advisors at a Rural Community College. ProQuest LLC, Jones, L., Jr. (2011). An evaluation of academic advisors' roles in effective retention. (Order No. 3473534, Capella University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses,, 121. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/896067716?accountid=35812. (896067716). http://search.proquest.com/docview/896067716 Keeling, S. (2010). The Influence of the CAS Standards on Academic Advisors and Advising Programs. NACADA Journal, 30 (2), 9-18. Mikluscak, G. r. (2010, January 1). A Qualitative Inquiry into the Training and Development Provided to Community College Academic Advisors. ProQuest LLC, Lindhurst, M., & Schulenberg, J. (2007). The Curriculum of Academic Advising: What We Teach, How We Teach, and What Students Learn. The Mentor, 9 (8), 1-1. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from www.psu.edu/dus/mentor www.psu.edu/dus/ Sutton, K. L., & Sankar, C. S. (2011). Student Satisfaction with Information Provided by Academic Advisors. Journal Of STEM Education: Innovations And Research, 12 (7-8), 71-85. Ward, M. L. (2011, January 1). The Essential Characteristics of Academic Advisors. ProQuest LLC, Action Research Proposal 38

edd/581 action research proposal jami anderson action research proposal 1

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