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Final Comments

I used wetpaint for the wiki because of the visual appeal. The background options were nice. However, the ads are a bit intrusive. Although pbwiki is a bit more plain looking I think I would prefer to use it and will probably transfer all of the information over. We have a TRACS site program that the University uses (similar to blackboard, webct, etc.) that offers a wiki function. I have yet to explore its capabilities, but hope to incorporate this information into that site specifically for use by my advising center.

Final Product: Academic Advising Wiki

To view the final product, which is a work in progress, please visit:
http://educationadvising.wetpaint.com/

Slideshare: An Overview

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Social Software Final

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References

Folsom, P., Joslin, J., & Yoder, F. (2005). From advisor training to advisor development:
Creating a blueprint for first-year advisors. Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of
Academic Advising Resources Website:
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/advisingIssues/First-Year-Advisors.htm

Ford, S.S. (2007). The essential steps for developing the content of an effective advisor training
and development program. Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic
Advising Resources Website:
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Adv-Trng-Steps.htm

Koring, H. (2005). Advisor training and development. Retrieved from the NACADA
Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Website:
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/advisingIssues/adv_training.htm#over

Musser, T. (2009). Get the horse before the cart: Conducting assessment of advisor
development needs. Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising
Resources Website: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Needs-
Assessment.htm

The Reason(s)

• I figure having all of this information in one place that is accessible from any workstation at any time would be beneficial to advisors who work across different campus locations so they will not have to carry their information around with them all of the time.
• I believe current staff should assist in the training of new staff. Having a collaborative wiki that is easy to access and easy to update allows current employees to work together to provide information to new employees that is also beneficial to each of the creators.
• I feel that new advisors would want to join in on the collaboration as a part of the learning process. By contributing they can also develop a sense of belonging to the team. In addition, a fresh perspective can provide new insight to already established rules.

Step 2: The Proposal

Once you have conducted the needs assessment you can create your proposal. My proposal is to create a wiki to be used by the advising center staff in place of or in addition to a traditional hard copy advising guide/training manual/handbook/policies and procedures statement, etc.

A Few Things to Consider

• advisor perceptions of what advising means
• advising techniques and resources currently being used effectively
• advising techniques and resources NOT being used effectively
• identification of the professional development needs of the advising population
• identification of additional resources needed by advisors.

Needs Assessment Step 6: Timeline

Q. How much time should be devoted to each task?

A. Can vary. If a policy or procedure needs to be implemented by a certain date then the timeline will be based on meeting that deadline; initial product can always be updated. Assessment of the implemented social software application is also important.

Needs Assessment Step 5: Methodology

Q. What methodology will be used for distributing, collecting, and analyzing the assessment?

A. A survey (print or electronic) of advisors in the center.

Note: Since I am employed as an Academic Advisor in the College of Education Undergraduate Academic Advising Center I chose a particular need based on my work experience and chose a social software tool that I felt would meet that need based on my school experience.

Needs Assessment Step 4: Questions

Q. What research questions will be included in the assessment?

A. What social software tools can be used to enhance the services offered in the advising center? How can a specific social software tool be used to enhance a particular practice in the advising center? What could be improved in the advising center with the help of a social software tool?

Needs Assessment Step 3: Responsibility

Q. Who will be responsible for designing, implementing, and analyzing the assessment?

A. Myself initially and then the other advisors in the center.

Needs Assessment Step 2: Resources

Q. What resources are currently available for conducting this assessment?

A. Employees, established policies and procedures, and currently used tech tools.

Needs Assessment Step 1: Purpose

Q. What are the objectives for conducting the assessment?

A. Identify an area of the advising center that could benefit from utilizing a social software application.

Step 1: Needs Assessment

In order to get everyone in my center invested in the idea of collaborating to create a wiki as a resource tool for our staff it is important to gather evidence of the need of such a tool in order to make a case for its implementation and use. In other words, conduct a needs assessment (systematic process to acquire an accurate, thorough picture of a system's strengths and weaknesses, in order to improve it and meet existing and future challenges-dictionary.com).

Wiki Wiki

I have decided to share the steps of creating a Wiki for use in an Academic Advising Center. A wiki can serve many functions. According to Meredith Farkas, author of Social Software in Libraries, Building Collaboration, Communication, and Community Online, wikis "can become true community resources that position a library as an online hub of its local community." I have taken this concept and related it to the position I hold as an Academic Advisor, providing information to hundreds of students. The Advising Center is an information hub for academic advice and a resource to the thousands of students that form a community in a certain college or of a particular major. As a major resource to our students and each other in the profession I have decided to implement the use of a wiki in place of or in addition to a traditional hard copy advising guide/training manual/handbook/policies and procedures statement, etc.

Wiki