Let's Technology Share

If you've been keeping up with the conference blog (and I hope you have), it should come as no surprise that I'm advising technology nerd. So, I'm pretty excited that Kelly wants to have a group discussion about technology use in advising with the advisors from Region 2. It sounds like her session should be a great learning experience for all involved. I can't wait to see what everyone is up to.

If I tweeted you, “I see you’re doing a session at #nacadaR2. Cool! What’s it about?”, how would you reply via Twitter?

It’s about learning how other universities are using computer platforms to reach out to and communicate with undeclared students.

Why did you decide to do a presentation on this topic?

I wanted to explore how academic advisors are using computer platforms to work with students. When I've gone to conferences in the past, it seems like the sessions only focused on one computer platform. I don't remember seeing the various platforms talked about in a unified way so I thought it would be a lot of fun to get a group of advisors together to talk about these different platforms and see how they're being used.

Why do you think this is important for NACADA Region 2?

The theme of the conference is looking back to move forward. My presentation will explore how we’ve used computer programs in past, how we are using them now and how we’ll use them in the future to meet the objectives of advising programs.

What’s the most important idea you hope attendees leave your session with?

I hope attendees gain an understanding of the availability of computer platforms and a framework for using these platforms in the best ways, both now and in the future. I also hope attendees see that because of the computer platforms, the future of advising will be exciting and ever changing.

What are you most looking forward to about the conference?

I hope to learn more about how advising programs are developing and preparing to meet the needs of our students and what people anticipate the future needs of our students will be. Also, I want to learn about new advising techniques and strategies.

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Session Title: How Can Faculty Advisors to Undeclared Majors Use Facebook, Youtube, Banner, and Other Popular Computer Communication Applications to Improve Retention Rates of Undeclared Students?
Day & Time: Thursday, April 7 @ 2:30 PM
Abstract: How can academic advisors for undeclared students continue to work effectively with millennial-generation students during this time of economic downturn when resources are dwindling while expectations for programs to meet specific outcomes are increasing? This roundtable presentation will focus on how computer communication applications are currently being used in Academic Advising Programs and how they can be used in the future to better serve the millennial generation. Specifically, the discussion will concentrate on improving retention rates by improving how we facilitate social interactions in cyberspace, teach students about academic policies and keep them up-to-date on curriculum and policy changes. Come share how your university is currently using communication applications to reach students, listen to what other universities are doing, and synthesize best practices to draw conclusions about what can be done in the future!

Kelly McKenzie is the Academic Advisor for undeclared students at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. She’s been an active member of the advising community for 3 years. You can reach her at kmckenzie@po-box.esu.edu.