About the Series

What is the purpose of the Series?

The purpose of this series is to advance and celebrate the notion that advising students on their academic plans and decision processes is a form of teaching.  

Who is it for?

Advisors, broadly defined, are the target audience for this series.  Advisors are thought to be those who advise students from staff or faculty positions inside colleges and departments and those who advise students from positions in a variety of service and academic support units.   We hope to attract those who talk to students about a range of topics like (but not limited to) admissions requirements course and major selection, enriched educational opportunities in their programs, and strategies that help students thrive academically at the University of Saskatchewan.

What is the approach?

The series consists of seven sessions designed to recognize the expertise of advisors, to place their expertise in scholarly and practical frameworks, to share professional knowledge and perspectives, and to build the profile of advising as a vital element of teaching and learning at the University of Saskatchewan.

When are the sessions?

Seven sessions form this series.  Each session is offered twice to accommodate schedules of advisors.  While each session may be taken alone, the sessions have also been intentionally sequenced to be taken as an entire program.    Advisors completing the entire series, be they staff or faculty, may request a certificate of completion.  

Who developed this?

This series has been developed by a subcommittee of the Advising Council* as a pilot program in response to both requests by advisors and to the recommendations contained in a review of advising that was conducted at the University of Saskatchewan in 2010.  Presenters are University of Saskatchewan experts in their fields specially invited to lead sessions. 

Will this be an ongoing professional development program?

Maybe.  The series will be evaluated for its effectiveness in meeting its purpose by session participants, by Advising Council members, and by the Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning.  The feedback received will contribute to future plans for professional development for advisors.

How to register?

Click the About the Sessions tab at the top of this page to learn about dates, presenters, and topics. To find a specific session on our calendar, click the date on which it will occur.

About the Sessions

Session 1:  Developing Your Advising Philosophy (Offered Fall 2012) October 31 1:00 – 3:30, November 19 9:00 – 11:30

Session 2:   Recognizing and Responding to Students’ Academic Planning  (Offered Fall 2012) November 23 9:30 – 11:30, November 28 1:00 – 3:00

Session 3:   Assisting Distressed Students:  Warning signs, approaches and referral options (Offered Winter 2013) January 29, 2013 1:00 – 3:30, February 1, 2013 9:00 – 11:30

Session 4:  Critical Race Theory:  Let’s ‘Walk the Talk’ Together (Offered Winter 2013) February 5, 2013 9:00 – 11:30, February 7, 2013 1:00 – 3:30

Session 5:   Weaving Career Conversations into your Academic Advising Sessions (Offered Spring 2013) March 4, 2013 1:00 - 3:00, March 5, 2013 9:00 - 11:00

Session 6:  Protecting Privacy in Academic Advising

Dates:             April 2, 2013 9:30 - 11:00, April 3, 2013 1:00 - 2:30

Presenter:      Rayelle Johnson

Description:    Advisors handle and hear students’ confidential information on a daily basis.  Did you know that a student has the right to access and amend their own personal information, including their academic advising files?  Do you know when you can and should share information without fear of a breach of privacy?  In this session, learn the definition of personal information and learn the basic rules for access and for denial of access.   Participants in this session may become more confident about the rules surrounding privacy and will be able to ask specific questions relevant to the academic advising context to the University of Saskatchewan Privacy Officer.

April 2 Register here

April 3 Register here

Session 7:   Advising as Teaching:  What have we learned about ourselves and our professional development at the University of Saskatchewan?

Dates:             early May, dates to be determined

Presenters:     Kim and group + a facilitator from GMCTE or HR?

Description:    This session will be held in two parts.   In Part 1, our Session 1 presenters will lead a follow-up to their introduction to developing an advising philosophy with the idea that your reflection on your advising practice and on subsequent sessions will have enriched your thinking.    Part 2 will be of the session will be a facilitated discussion about what the strengths have been of the series itself and what could happen next to improve professional development opportunities for advisors at the University of Saskatchewan.