Present a discussion of each case study in which you clearly demonstrate knowledge and application of the learning outcomes (see outcomes and expectations presented below). It is not expected that each outcome be addressed in the discussion for each case study. A set of questions to guide the conceptualization and development are available at Guiding Questions. The cases studies and guiding questions are available as Word files and PDFs in the files section of this course.
At least eight different references from coursework are to be cited in your responses to the case studies with at least two references cited for each case study. A reference list is to be presented in APA style (7th or 6th ed.). The discussion for each case study is to be no more than 1200 words.
Expectations for Addressing the Learning Outcomes in the Final Project
Learning Outcome 1—Apply advising strategies and practices to institutional advising programs and individual advising (e.g., from Foundations of Academic Advising, Interpersonal Relations for Academic Advising, Administration of Academic Advising).
Expectation—At least two advising strategies related to advising programs and/or individual advising are to be discussed.
Learning Outcome 2—Apply theories of learning (e.g., from EDCEP 829 Learning Principles), student development (e.g., from Student Development Theory), and career development (e.g., from EDCEP 863 Trends in Career Development) to assist students with their academic and career planning.
Expectation—At least two of three types of theories (i.e., learning, student development, career development) are to be discussed.
Learning Outcome 3—Understand the influence of multicultural factors on the advising relationship and the content of advising with students (e.g., from Multicultural Aspects of Academic Advising).
Expectation—At least one culture-specific advising intervention that addresses the needs of students is to be presented and discussed.
Learning Outcome 4—Apply knowledge of the needs and characteristics of specific groups of students and apply to academic advising (e.g., from College Students with Special Needs, College Student Athlete, formerly ).
Expectation—At least one specific group of students (e.g., students with disabilities, students who are undecided, student athletes) is to be discussed.
Guiding Questions
Questions to Guide the Conceptualization and Development of Case Studies
The questions presented below are intended to serve as a guide and help with ideas in preparing your discussion of the case. The case study is to be presented in paragraph form; the questions are not to be answered individually in your presentation.
What does the information given tell you about the issues for the student and the type of help he or she might need?
What are possible issues that need to be addressed by the student?
What are goals that might apply to the student?
What decisions might need to be made (either by the advisor or the student)?
What theory or theories could be used to help understand the student’s situation and how do these help in developing advising interventions or strategies with the student?
What research could be used to inform your advising with the student? How does this apply to working with the student?
How would you go about helping or advising the student? What type of advising approach would you take with the student and why?
What resources would you recommend for the student?
What additional information would be helpful to know?
To what extent do diversity or multicultural issues need to be considered with the student? What are considerations related to this?
What are key considerations that would guide your advising with the student?
Should a referral be considered? If so, provide a recommendation and a rationale for the recommendation?
What institutional policies might need to be explained to the student?
CASE STUDY 1
The Case of Fred
Fred is a student at a small rural community college. He has come to see Linda, an advisor in the college’s general advising center, to receive help with registering for his third semester at the college. He is a pre-engineering student. Linda does not typically work with pre-engineering students. She mentions this to Fred and offers to help him set an appointment with his assigned advisor who specializes in helping students to prepare for engineering majors. Fred refuses to go back to see this other advisor who helped him enroll for his second semester. He tells Linda that he has been diagnosed with Autism and this other advisor does not understand him so he is only comfortable working with her. She helped him enroll for his first semester and he liked the way she helped him.
Linda agrees to work with Fred and asks him about his plans for the future. Fred states that he will be graduating with an associate’s degree from this college and then transferring on to an engineering program at a large state university nearby. Linda knows that the engineering program at that university is quite selective. She also has heard from other advisors that this program does not accept engineering or physics classes from community colleges and requires that students complete at least three years at their university, even if they have completed two or more years at another college.
Before further advising Fred, Linda decides to check his grades for the classes he has completed and the midterm grades for his current classes. She sees that he has all A’s in his calculus and physics classes, but has a D in a General Psychology course and an F in an English composition course. He is currently retaking the English composition course and does not seem to be doing any better. When she asks what happened in those classes, he expresses that there are too many people in those classes and the teachers do not have much time to talk to him. He says he cannot understand the assignments and does not understand why he has to take those classes. His other instructors have always had time to help him. Linda recalls that the psychology and English classes at this college tend to have about 50 people in them while there are usually only 10 to 15 people in the calculus and physics classes.
CASE STUDY 2
The Case of Jane
Jane is a new student transferring to a small private university from a community college. She and her father are meeting with Dave, a transfer advisor at the university, during a transfer orientation day. Jane had applied to the nursing program at the university. She was not accepted this year but brought in a letter to the advising session to show that she had been invited to apply again the next year. She would like to enroll for classes now to prepare for next year.
Dave notices that Jane speaks with a heavy accent and her father hasn’t said anything yet. He asks about their background and learns that they are refugees. They are members of a community who lived in Southeast Asia but were persecuted there and were forced to leave their home country. They have only been in the US for 7 years. Jane’s father does not speak English, but has come along to give her support.
Dave has helped some students get prepared for this nursing program before and has spoken with the nursing advisors. He reviews Jane’s transcript to see how well prepared she is for the program. He sees that Jane has taken several English as a Second Language classes and did fairly well in them, but just barely passed her English Composition classes. He also sees that there are three science classes which are prerequisites for the nursing program and she has just barely passed those as well. She failed one of those science classes twice before she managed to get a passing grade. He knows the nursing program is competitive enough that applicants need to have an A in at least one of these three classes and no lower than B’s on the other two. He sees that Jane has all A’s on four social science classes she has taken. He asks Jane about the social science classes and she tells him that she had a lot of fun in those classes and loved the teachers. He also asks about the prerequisite science classes and learns that she struggled with those because she didn’t really enjoy them and she couldn’t understand many of the words that were being used in them. Dave asks Jane why she decided to go into nursing. She tells him that another young woman from their refugee community recently completed this nursing program and has been very successful. This woman was the first in their community to ever go to college. Jane wants to do the same as this woman as do several other young women from her community. Her parents are very excited to have her become a nurse. She translates this part of the conversation for her father and he enthusiastically nods.
CASE STUDY 3
Case of Trey
Trey is an African-American offensive lineman in his second year at a large public predominately White university. Trey purposefully sits in the front row of each of his classes; he does not wear the team sweat suits to class and he makes a point to visit individually with each instructor every semester. He currently has a 4.0 GPA which he is wants to maintain. He visits his European History instructor during her office hours to get feedback on his response to a practice essay test question. She reads his practice response to the questions and provides him with positive feedback. They talk for a while longer; she asks where he is from and how he chose the university. He reveals that he is a member of the college football team. When Trey gets his grade on his European History exam, he is upset that he only earned a C. Two of the sample test questions he discussed with his instructor were on the exam and his test answers was very similar to his practice responses; yet, he scored only 12 out of 20 possible points on each question with no explanation as to why he did not earn all points. He immediately believes it is because she learned he was an athlete. He goes straight from the classroom to his academic counselor, Ashley.
“She thinks that just because she is the instructor she can get away with this. But this isn’t right. She lowered my score just because I’m an athlete. What can we do about this?”
Ashley knows that Trey is proud of his 4.0 GPA and has a goal to maintain that throughout his college career. In previous conversations she has been encouraging but also cautions him on the difficulty of maintaining such a high standard. If Trey’s European History instructor does have a bias against athletes, there is little that she and or Trey can do about it. His final grade in the class could jeopardize his perfect GPA. Also, Trey is a history major and he may fear that he will have to take additional classes from this instructor. As an undergraduate tutor, Ashley had another athlete tell her about a similar experience. As a young White college student just becoming aware of the reality of racism and bias, she completely agreed with the student and encouraged the student to take action. That proved to be a mistake, one that Ashley does not want to make again. She empathizes with Trey and wants to help him sort out all possible sides to this issue before deciding on the best course of action. She asks, “Did you talk with your instructor about the grade?”
“No. I was too mad when I first saw the grade,” Trey said.
“Well, the first thing I would like you to do is make an appointment with the instructor and let her explain how she came up with the grade. Then come back and let’s talk about the situation.”
