Building the braintrust
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Transcript of Building the braintrust
Building the #Braintrust: A comprehensive look at creating a peer
adviser program
Julie Larsen University of Washington
NACADA Region 8 Conference
Today’s Agenda
• Review a lot of information – structure, hiring, and training
• Address your questions• Get some time to dialogue• A little bit of hands on• And have you leave with more questions than
answers
Undergraduate Academic Affairs
• Advising, First Year Programs, Robinson Center, Academic Support Programs, Experiential Learning and Diversity, Office of Educational Assessment, Honors Program, Student Athlete Academic Services, Dream Project, Center for Teaching and Learning, Classroom Support Services
• A Focus on “Liberal Learning”• Adviser Education for Campus• Lead Contact with Community Colleges
How Did I Get Here?
History of the Program
• Started in 2009– Responding to new residence life spaces for
teaching, advising, and tutoring– First year two peers who saw 250 students• Expanded to UAA Office during second year
– 9/09 to 7/10 saw 2023 students– 7/11 – 7/12 saw 5340 students• 2043 Freshmen, 1027 Sophomores, 1482 Juniors, 473
Seniors• 3,866 pre majors, 180 extended pre-majors
What the Peers Do
• Staff Quick Questions drop in advising – Mon-Thurs 9 – 6 pm, Fri 9 – 5 pm– Residence Halls, Libraries, Commuter Commons
• Answer Advice@uw email• Workshops on course selection and choosing a
major• Approve Pre-Health Reflections• Summer Orientation Support• Other duties as assigned
Current Numbers
• Fall 2012 – Winter 2013: 3436 students– Total approx 4,400
• Fall 2013: 1838• Winter 2014: 1446
• Why the decrease in numbers?
What Students Say
• What about this advising session was most helpful?
• What about this advising session was least helpful?
Photo by Joel Abroad
Interaction with the Office• Co-location• Professional Staff – good, bad, better• Workshops and office support
#preprofessionalskilldevelopmentor
Hiring and Training the Peer Staff
What I Look for in a Staff
Peer Mentor• Regularly scheduled
meetings• Focused on relationship
building• Sets goals and benchmarks• Integrated part of students’
development
Peer Adviser• May be a one time meeting• Focus on knowledge sharing
and navigating campus structures/resources
• Encourages self-efficacy and agency
• Part of a students’ academic learning team on campus
What I Look for in a Staff
• Strategic, Developer, Empathy, Positivity, Woo
• How can we reach the most students?
• What are their reasons for being there?
• Doesn’t need to be a path to advising• Strive to hire folks who are better at your job
than you are
The Hiring Process
• Cover letter and resume– Reviewed by our UAA and OMAD partners– Ranked for first round cut
• Group process– Consensus building, team work, presentation
• Individual Interviews– Pro-staff in office plus current peers
Who would you hire?
Meet the Peers
AlexDivya
DominicFrancis
Hope
Meet the Peers
Tanner
Marie MalikaJuliana
Max
Working with Julie
Photo by Siim Teller
Working with Julie
• #preprofessionalskilldevelopment• We’ll talk it out, you work it out – the team is first• Transparency is key• Synthesis of their own college experience• Take initiative, and use the tools in your tool box
– let me know when you need a different wrench• The Jesuit Influence
Training Goals
• Relay the information to effectively advise– Majors, minors, and degree requirements
– Campus policies and procedures
• Ethics, FERPA, Working with Diverse Populations
• Get the staff to a place where they feel comfortable advising, including difficult conversations
• Give them an accurate representation of my supervisory style
Training Outline
How You Know it Works
• Questioning policies• Needing to debrief student situations• Presenting at the campus Leadership
Conference• Positive Feedback from the Office
LOL HFS
So What Does Work?
Identifying campus partners that have relatable learning outcomes
What I’ve Learned
Photo from amusedblog.com
What I’ve Learned
• It takes a year…so ask questions• My bias is always there…and it’s not a bad
thing• Quarters are not your friend• Just because they are students doesn’t mean
they can’t help• Re-evaluate boundaries• Trust the Process and take the leap
What Comes Next
• Additional hours with the libraries• Expansion to Greek Life?• Training as a Spring Quarter Course• Better define and establish peer role in pre-
professional advising• Workshops and programmatic offerings