Teaching the Curriculum: A Conversation on Academic Advising as Pedagogical PracticeKevin D. EganCenter for Interdisciplinary InquiryDrexel University

Teaching the Curriculum

“An excellent advisor does the same for the student’s entire curriculum that the excellent teacher does for one

course.”1

• Goals:• Understand the theory behind “advising as learning”• Highlight the benefits of advising as a means of teaching

the curriculum through student empowerment, interdisciplinarity, and self-directed learning

• Use design thinking methods (AEIOU and affinity diagramming) to explore applications

and opportunities across programs

1 Lowenstein, M. (2005). If Advising is Teaching, What Do Advisors Teach? NACADA JOURNAL, 25 (2), 65-73.

Design Thinking: AEIOU2

• A: Activities are goal-directed sets of actions. What are the pathways that people take toward the things they want to accomplish, including specific actions and processes?

• E: Environments include the entire arena in which activities take place. For example, what describes the atmosphere and function of the context, including individual and shared spaces?

• I: Interactions are between a person and someone or something else, and are the building blocks of activities. What is the nature of

routine and special interactions between people, between people and objects in their environment, and across distances?

2 Martin, B., & Hanington B. (2012). Universal Methods of Design. Minneapolis, MN: Rockport Publishing

AEIOU Cont’d

• O: Objects are the building blocks of the environment, key elements sometimes put to complex or even unintended uses, possibly changing their function, meaning, and context. For example, what are the objects and devices people have in their environments, and how do these relate to their activities?

• U: Users are the people whose behaviors, preferences, and needs are being observed. Who is present? What are their roles and relationships? What are their values and biases?

Advising as Learning• Ties the goals of self-development to the curricular mission of

higher education• “Logic of the curriculum” – students should be able to3:

• Understand how courses relate to one another• Understand and critically assess the mission statement of the

university• Understand how their curricula relate to that mission statement• Generally understand the context and broader educational goals of their choices/requirements

3Lowenstein, M. (2005). If Advising is Teaching, What Do Advisors Teach? NACADA JOURNAL, 25 (2), 65-73.

10 Principles4

1) Academic advising should facilitate student learning about the mission of the college

2) Academic advising should facilitate learning of both lower- and higher-order thinking skills

3) Academic advising should facilitate student learning about means to achieve goals imbedded in the institution’s mission statement

4) Academic advisors should view students as actively constructing their understanding of that mission

5) Academic advising should incorporate knowledge about how the individual student learns

4 Hemwall, M., & Trachte, K. (2005). Academic Advising as Learning: 10 Organizing Principles. NACADA JOURNAL, 25 (2), 74-83.

10 Principles Cont’d6) Academic advising should consider how social context affects the

learner’s understanding of the meaning of education7) Academic advisors must recognize that the possibilities for

learning are influenced by the advisees’ preexisting concepts and background knowledge

8) Academic advising must be a dialogue in which the learner has the opportunity to express and discuss goals and ideas

9) Academic advising must be a dialogue in which the academic advisor guides the learner

10) Academic advising must guide students so that they can learn from errors, disturbances, and contradictions

IMPs and Advising• Techniques for teaching the curriculum

• Application process• Pre-advising meetings•Vision statement and plan of study

• Integration of advising and classroom experience•Advising syllabus

• Assignments• Partnered curriculum development• Faculty and professional interviews

Applications• AEIOU• Affinity diagramming – using AEIOU, map relationships in your respective programs• What are possibilities for new relationships?• What are strengths/areas of improvement?• Where might techniques of “teaching the curriculum” be employed?

Questions/Comments?