How do you assess and improve your advising skills and competencies when working with online students?

To assess and improve advising skills and competencies when working with online students, it's essential to engage in continuous professional development and seek feedback from advisees. Familiarizing yourself with the online platforms and tools used by students can enhance your ability to provide relevant support and troubleshoot issues effectively. Regularly collecting and analyzing feedback through surveys or informal check-ins helps identify areas for improvement in your advising approach.

Helping students with advices means you have what it takes, when the expectations of the online students becomes greater and the demand for delivery becomes almost overwhelming in finding solutions or reducing in success rate. This is a signal for improvement on what you offer. Reflect and evaluate your skills and identify your gap. With that you will know what to work improve on either by getting a mentor or enrolling for a relevant course.

Reminds me of online teaching during COVID days. The key to successful advising is just to know about the learning behavior and needs of all students. All individuals are different and needs different level of attention and explanations. I was always flexible to respond students via any platform (Email, WhatsApp). While, maintaining students attention on Zoom meetings was difficult as they always had amazing ideas to show their presence while sleeping. So randomly calling their names to know their attentiveness was the best strategy that I adopted. Moreover, identification of overall strengths and gaps is also essential to boost conducive learning encouragement.

To continually enhance my advising skills with online students, I regularly solicit feedback from my advisees, paying close attention to their needs and preferences. I also stay updated on the latest technology and communication tools to ensure effective online interactions. Additionally, I engage in professional development and training programs that focus on online advising best practices to remain a resourceful and supportive advisor.

One key insight I'd like to share is that even in the online format, it's entirely possible to establish a strong bond between mentor and mentee. Back in 2020, during the pandemic, there were doubts, but over time, it has evolved. Currently, it has transformed the way I conduct mentoring sessions with my students. Building trust is crucial for effective guidance, and the use of online tools hasn't disrupted my mentoring routine in any aspect. However, the highlight of my interactions with students lies in sharing real-life stories—whether from my experiences or others—that can illustrate a particular situation, fostering reflection and argumentation to reinforce or modify certain behaviors.

An academic advisor can identify strengths for working with online students by self-assessment, seeking feedback, and professional development in online teaching methods, communication skills, and technology proficiency. Improvements can be made through workshops, online courses, and collaboration with colleagues. Regular reflection and adaptation to student needs ensure effective support and guidance in the online learning environment.

I agree that communication with other professionals in the field is the best way to improve skills. I often advise my students to schedule informational interviews and shadow days to learn about potential career paths. These are free and easy ways to gain experience. I feel the same about our profession, it is important to stay connected with colleagues across the country to learn best practices to improve our everyday skill sets.

Utilizing tests, simulations, and graphical analyses facilitates understanding and development for mentees with diverse demands. Whether undergraduates or postgraduates, at the beginning, middle, or end of their courses, individuals benefit equally from both individual and group sessions. Furthermore, my mentorships typically include an action plan with goals to achieve, and I provide continuous support through each step of the PDCA cycle, aiming for continuous improvement to address the needs raised by the students.

Academic advisors can seek professional development opportunities to enhance online advising by attending webinars, workshops, and conferences focused on virtual advising, technology integration, and online communication strategies. Engaging in online courses related to student support, remote counseling, and digital tools can also expand skills. Collaborating with peers, joining professional networks, and staying updated with literature on online advising best practices contribute to continuous improvement in guiding and supporting online students effectively.

Academic advisors can reflect on their experiences and learning outcomes in online advising by regularly evaluating their interactions with students, identifying successful strategies, and areas needing improvement. They can seek feedback from students and colleagues, assess the effectiveness of online resources and tools used, and adapt approaches based on feedback and self-assessment. Engaging in reflective practices helps advisors refine their skills, tailor support to individual student needs, and enhance overall effectiveness in online academic advising.

While recognizing the effectiveness of current practices, I see opportunities for improvement, particularly in the feedback from applied tests, the integration of additional AI tools, and the training of fellow educators to counsel more students, keeping them engaged in our educational programs to shape them into future brilliant professionals.

You can reflect on your advising skills by creating a list of teaching goals, sign posting them to your students as you teach them, and then asking students to evaluate how well they achieved your goal. Not everyone will achieve the goal but the key is to find out why.

Sometimes adapting to student needs is as simple as asking students what their goals and struggles are and what they need from us as their advisor. Freely acknowledging the difficulty and benefits of online learning. When we pass the mic to students and genuinely listen to their needs, they feel heard and important. That’s a win, builds trust and a safe place for communication and lets the student know you believe their opinion and needs are important. The advising flows with ease from there.

Working with students that are in 100% online programs has allowed me the opportunity to understand how vital it is to make your online students feel included and valued. I give them options as to how they wish to meet with me, I allow for virtual appointments, in person appointments, telephone appointments and even find myself assisting them by email. It’s important to remember that many of our student population are working older adults and we have to be willing to meet them where they are. This is again an opportunity to evaluate higher education professionals being kept in the traditional 8-5 box when many of our students need assistance outside of those hours.

I strive to enhance my approach by leveraging resources offered by online platforms, such as recording specific activities, especially group sessions, and generating reports based on the initial interview for tracking tasks from the previous session. For one-on-one sessions, I prefer using AI tools that generate a concise summary, respecting the privacy of my mentees. Another significant advantage of online counseling sessions is the ability to share my screen and discuss tasks like final projects or clarify doubts about evaluative activities. When multiple students have similar questions, I create recorded tutorials to guide them through the virtual learning environment, benefiting everyone.

Academic advisors can adapt to students' needs and preferences in online advising by offering flexible communication channels, such as video calls, emails, and chat platforms, accommodating diverse schedules. They can provide personalized guidance and resources tailored to individual learning styles and goals, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity. Utilizing interactive online platforms for scheduling appointments, sharing documents, and tracking progress enhances convenience and efficiency. Regularly seeking feedback and adjusting strategies based on student input fosters a supportive and collaborative advising environment, ultimately improving the quality of online academic guidance.

The first thing we need to do as advisors and faculty is to shift our mindset that looks at online as "non-traditional". Students mainly seek online education for the flexibility that allows them to have school be part of their daily lives and not dominate it. With this need for flexibility, I offer a schedule that meets students where they are and not subscribe to a traditional 8-5. Over half of my 40 hour a week schedule is outside of the commonly accepted workday so that students are able to focus on our academic conversations without the stress of fitting in a call between meetings at work or picking their kids up from school.

Academic advisors can collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders to enhance online advising by sharing best practices, resources, and experiences through regular meetings, workshops, and online forums. They can coordinate efforts to develop standardized procedures, training materials, and support systems for online advising. Collaborative projects with faculty, tech support, and administrators facilitate alignment of advising practices with institutional goals and student needs. By fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, advisors can collectively enhance the quality and effectiveness of online academic advising.

Advising is more than a technique. Good advising is an art where the advisor gets a sense of the student's strengths, interests, curiosities, and potential. The advisor can anticipate the student's graduation target date, the potential for employment in the field of interest, and the likelihood that the student will want to make a change in career objectives. Electives carefully chosen can open a new world of possibilities for the student.

Two things: Keep your screen on and require the student to do the same so you can really gauge their understanding and the effectiveness of your online program. Also, don’t be afraid to just ask, “have I helped you?” or “can you repeat back to me what your next steps are to achieve [x] academic goal?” Making eye contact on the screen (and giving students your full attention) and simple, honest, point blank questions go a very long way!

While assessing and developing advising skills is important, it's also crucial to consider the advisee's needs. The most effective advisors take a collaborative approach, asking questions to understand the person's specific situation, goals and challenges. They listen actively without judgment. Advisors can improve by practicing empathy, patience and establishing trust. Focus on empowering advisees to clarify their own thinking and make their own decisions, rather than telling them what to do. With a supportive partnership approach, both advisor and advisee will gain valuable perspective.