New Perspectives for Academic Advisors!
Anwar El TurkStudent Employment Coordinator
Maryam AlSaeediSystem Engineer
Qatar University Career Services Center
• Overview of the student employment program
• Identify Student Employment as a cycle of a rich learning experience
• Best practices of student employment in the academic advising unit
Session Objectives
Student Employment
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Financial worthy
experience
Valuable work
experience
Professional training
workshops
Educational experiences
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Student Employment Program
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Regular Full‐time student
GPA 2.0 or above
CareerExcellence Workshop
Student Employment Policies
Student Employment procedures
• The student must fill an online employment application form
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
1
2
34
5
The “Five” Learning Cycle
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Produce a competitive graduate willing to
face today’slabor market
Explore
Build
Implement Evaluate
Develop
Essential elements of the “Five” learning cycle
The “Five” Learning Cycle
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
The “Five” Learning Cycle Explore
AcademicEducation
Career Education
• The blend between academic & career education is essential in order to produce a graduate able to compete and excel in today’s labor market.
• The student employment program is an ideal opportunity to evolve the students career education, by choosing which job opportunity fits the students interest. The chosen job will provide the students with the required skills, knowledge and expertise necessary for the near future.
• Job opportunities range from:
• Administrative assistant• Telephone operator• Peer advisor, etc…Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
The career excellence workshop focuses on two fundamental skills:
1. Essence of work ethics.2. Ideal customer service.
The “Five” Learning Cycle Build
Career Excellence workshop
The goal is to provide an educational experience which will enhance a student’s ability to perform tasks assigned by the supervisor and which also gives them a clearer image in choosing their career path.
Career Excellence workshop
Enforce
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• The student is also assessed in the “Career Excellence Workshop” through both pre and post‐workshop assessments.
• The grading ranges from:• Weak• Good• Very good• Excellent
The “Five” Learning Cycle Build
72
1664
37474
2184
Excellent VeryGood
Good Weak Total
Career Excellence Grading
3% 76% 17% 3%
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• The student has attended and completed the “Career Excellence Workshop” and is now ready to implement his newly achieved skills and knowledge in his new job opportunity.
• The student will be facing daily issues and situations where he will be learning:
The “Five” Learning Cycle Implement
Sense of professionalism
Time Management
Discipline
Others..
Responsibility
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• Students are given a wide variety of tasks which may be outside of their comfort zones and require an ability to adapt in order to successfully accomplish.
• The assigned supervisor is given the responsibility to rate student performance ranging:
1. Unsatisfactory2. Needs improvement3. Meets expectations4. Exceeded expectations5. Outstanding
The “Five” Learning Cycle Evaluate
Comfortzone
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• Situation (I): “the student is facing difficulties”
• The assigned supervisors will be working with the student employment section to level up the students performance throughout the “IMPROVE” program.
• Workshops will first be held with the supervisors to identify the importance of positive communication, motivation, guidance and building student’s skills.
• Supervisors will work with their students on these issues and if this did not succeed they are referred to the career counselor.
The “Five” Learning Cycle Evaluate
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
The “Five” Learning Cycle Evaluate
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• Situation (II): “the student is proving to be outstanding”• The student’s outstanding performance can be recognized
through nomination for the annual student employment award.
• The first student employment award call for nominations has been launched on the 16th of November 2014.
The “Five” Learning Cycle Evaluate
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• The supervisors can nominate their outstanding students for further professional development workshops
• Another workshop is available for high achieving students called “Leadership and Charisma workshop”
• The Leadership and Charisma workshop objectives are:• develop and set goals to become a leader• Increase self‐motivation, productivity, efficiency and creativity and
improve other student employees in the department
The “Five” Learning Cycle Develop
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
885Employed students
754Unemplo
yed students
Fall 2013
1307employed students
928 unemploy
ed
Spring 2014
Employment statistics
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Total: 1639 Application Total: 2235 Application
Male students accomplishedthe Career Excellence
Workshop
Female students accomplishedthe Career Excellence
Workshop
918
1874
Statistics – Career Excellence Workshop
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Statistics – Top 10 departments hiring student employees
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
246
86
76
63
59
57
54
35
34
26
Student Services Department
Admission
Student Activities Department
Student Learning Support Center
Academic Advising Unit
Library
CAS ‐ Department of International Affairs
Students With Special Needs Section
External Relations
College of Law
Technology
1. Ease of registration process for the program2. Easier access to students by the supervisors3. Easier registration and tracking of student daily working hours.4. Avoids any miscalculations in students working hours5. Proceeds faster payments for students
ManualSystem Automated
System2013
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Student Employment & Academic Advising
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Student Employment & Academic Advising
Advantages of peer advisors
Training & Limitations
Student Employees tasks
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Advantages of having student employee peer advisors
Filtering student cases, where simple cases can be answered by a student peer advisor. Sensitive cases should always be directed towards the academic advisors.
Saving the academic advisor’s time.
Increase in trust between the student and the peer advisor due to the small age gap.
Peer advisors usually will be receiving complaints from students, and so the peer advisor will be sharing it with the academic advisor. The academic advisor will start working on fixing these complaints.
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Academic Advisors Tasks Vs. Peer Advisors Tasks
??
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• Assist the student during and after the institutional orientation or during the new student orientation for example:• Perform a presentation explaining the add/drop process.• Guide students towards the right labs & locations.• Assist with completion of necessary forms.
•Guide students towards the right university resources.
•Teach students how to register online, declare their major or minor online and to generally navigate the QU website for important information.
Student Employee Tasks
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• Help students in interpreting course codes and understanding class timing.
• Help students in understanding:• Study plan• Majors• Major & college requirements• Admission conditions
• Explain to students the required protocol & routine to follow in order to change major.
Student Employee Tasks
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• Aid students in generating and interpreting needed reports through the self‐service banner, report can range from degree of evaluation and transcripts.
• Perform administrative assistant tasks such as general administrative support, preparation and translation of meeting minutes, analysis of training sessions etc.
• Media assistance in tasks such as filming videos, designing invitation and poster cards etc.
Student Employee Tasks
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• Coordinate “class visits” for the academic advisor, in which the student will be introduced to the peers in case they require any assistance.
• Coordinate with the respective academic advisor regarding recent updates.
Student Employee Tasks
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Peer advisor should not force the student to follow a certain plan or action.Peer advisor should not command or redirect the student before prior approval from the academic advisor.Peer advisors should not portray judgmental opinions towards Professors or Qatar University Staff.Peer advisors should not handle students under probation or a low GPA; these students should be directed to the academic advisor.Peer advisors should always be expected to follow confidentiality, privacy and trust protocols.
Student Employee Limitations
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
• Train the students about the rules and conditions to follow each college’s study plan.
• Train the student employee to perform the registration process, for example add/drop classes.
• Train the student employee how to use the frequently used terminology, such GPA, probation, earned hours etc.
• Invite peer advisors & students to attend workshops organized by the academic advisors.
• Attend a training workshop done by the academic advisor strictly to the peer advisors containing all the necessary information in order for the peer advisor to successfully perform his/her tasks.
• Fix a dashboard system in each advising center where all the needed information is posted to aid the peer advisor to perform his tasks.
Training
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Questions & Answers
Questions
?
Student Employment: New Perspectives for Academic Advisors Nov 2014
Contact
Qatar UniversityCareer Services Center – Student Employment Section
Email Address [email protected]
Telephone 44033883
Thank you!