FACULTY DEVELOPMENT IN ADVISING FOR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
Ed Acheson, George Bennett, Maryvonne Fuentes, Clarence Josefson, Randy Kok, and Anne Rammelsberg (Chemistry)

Start Date: May 2004 • Completed: July 2004
Six investigators representing the Departments of Chemistry and Physics held five days of workshops to devise strategies for improving and assessing advising within the two departments. Areas of focus consisted of (1) faculty mentoring/training in advising freshmen, transfer, and senior students; (2) orientation, training, and mentoring of the new faculty hire (effective August 2004) in the Department of Physics; and (3) defining criteria for assessment of advising. The project has enabled departmental faculty to become more effective advisors and to directly improve course scheduling for at least 20 students per year. The project also is consistent with the mission statement and several priorities and strategies in the Millikin University Three-Year Strategic Plan.

Outcomes:

• Transfer Student Orientation: The chair of each department now schedules a transfer student orientation session within the first two weeks of the semester. The orientation introduces transfer students to departmental faculty members and facilities, as well as to a number of current student majors.
  
• Scheduling for Academically Strong Incoming Students: The fall section of CH151R has been replaced with a section of CH152 geared toward preparing students for the CH253 course. (Students who follow this schedule will not complete CH151, which is a graduation requirement. However, the department can offer proficiency credit to students who successfully pass CH152.)
  
• Senior Exit Questionnaire: The exit questionnaire and interviews help faculty advise graduating students on professional and career matters. Questionnaire responses are used in on-going departmental assessment efforts. The complete questionnaire is included as Appendix I in the full Final Report (PDF file).
  
• Web Site Enhancement: The Department of Chemistry web site was significantly revised in order to make it the primary scheduling resource for majors. Scheduling resources include links to suggested year-by-year schedules and checklists of degree requirements. Students are directed to this site prior to advising appointments so they can resolve most scheduling issues on their own, which will permit a discussion of broader advising issues during the appointments. Revisions to the Department of Physics web site will be made once the curriculum has been updated.
  
• Advising Assessment Resources for New & Existing Faculty Members: The project defined criteria for assessment of advising that all faculty members can incorporate into their growth plans and self-evaluations. The assessment plan is included as Appendix II in the full Final Report.
  
• Plan for Departmental Faculty Advisor Mentoring/Training: The plan provides guidance for faculty at different career stages, including first-year faculty with previous advising experience, first-year faculty with no previous advising experience, second- and third-year faculty, and faculty in the fourth year and beyond. The plan is included as Appendix III in the full Final Report.
  

For more information on this project, see the Final Report (PDF file) or contact the project leaders listed above.