“Guide and Inspire” Advising Tips Series (Jan 2022)

Setting Goals and Plans – “Guide and Inspire” – Supporting Your Advisees in the Second Semester

While university life offers plenty of opportunities and freedom, it also calls for a higher level of independent thinking and self-understanding. Some students might feel overwhelmed or lost in direction. Take the opportunity to engage your advisees in reflection over the past semester and plan for the coming semester(s).

Here are some topics that you may want to discuss with your advisees:

	Can they see their interests/goals more clearly after having studied for one semester? (as distinguished from what their peers do)
	What learning experiences inside and outside classroom do they wish to attain? (ask them why to enhance self-awareness)
	How these study choices (e.g. major/minor) and varied experiences align with their goals? (help them verbalize and reflect on the relationship between their plans and goals)
	How to make a balanced and achievable academic plan? (encourage them to reflect on how they could have done differently to achieve better results)

As Dr. Tom Barry (Faculty Academic Adviser, Faculty of Social Sciences) shared in one of our workshops, one effective way to better engage students is to “collaborate” as much as possible. Ask for their ideas on how to draw up plans which will increase their sense of ownership and involvement in the process.

Time Management – “Guide and Inspire” – Supporting Your Advisees in the Second Semester

When you meet your advisees, check how well they have mastered the skills to set priorities and manage time. Failure to manage their time effectively and the lack of self-discipline are common underlying causes of missed assignments, poor results, low motivation and further procrastination.

Here are some time management strategies shared by Dr. Elizabeth Barrett (Faculty Academic Adviser, Faculty of Education).

Discuss what the student perceives to be the problem Ask questions to identify where/how/when/with whom they complete course work. Ask what strategies they use to manage their workload and due dates. Ask what they have tried to improve the situation.

Provide a list of strategies that students can ‘test’ to see what might be the best fit Handle Large Assignments: Break down large assignments into smaller tasks. Make internal deadlines for completing smaller parts of the assignment (e.g. outline, first draft) Plan time in the schedule for revising/proofreading (or even going to the Writing Center for support) Remove Distractions: Disconnect from digital distractions and focus on tasks on hand Multi-tasking is a myth Schedule “e-breaks” Reduce Procrastination: Just get started however small the part Finish what they have started every time which will give them motivation to continue Do the most important to-do task in the morning first

There is no one-size-fits-all strategy. Let your advisees test out a few strategies and invite them for an update in 1-2 weeks.

Useful Resources:
Video Summaries of Main Ideas of the following books
(on Youtube “Philosopher Notes by Brian Johnson”):

• Deep Work (Cal Newport): https://youtu.be/KX_2a_jsGYw
• The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod): https://youtu.be/1sqhxl7hHSE
• The Procrastination Equation (Piers Steel): https://youtu.be/I3GqcZJdswo
• Solving the Procrastination Puzzle (Timothy Pychyl): https://youtu.be/jW0JtF7ZcMw

Convert Set Backs into Come Backs – “Guide and Inspire” – Supporting Your Advisees in the Second Semester

With the suspension of face-to-face teaching again for the whole semester 2, students who had found online learning difficult might encounter further set backs in their studies. Indeed, in AASO we at times meet students who want to review their “unsatisfactory” performance. Some of them have low grades, some average grades while some are scholarship holders. What is common to them is the experience of negative emotions like disappointment, self-doubt, shame, guilt, fear …

As suggested by Dr. Matthias Buehlmaier (Faculty Academic Adviser, HKU Business School) in his “Lessons from Ten Years of Advising”, you can try to calm them down, tell them that they are not alone and share a “story” of how other students overcame challenges to give them hope. To first-year students, in particular, the University may look like a huge machine which works in ways different from their secondary schools. Some students may take longer time to adapt to University learning.

Below are some more tips for your advising meeting:

	Focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. Look at the courses that they did well in and remind them of their other achievements.
	Listen to them patiently. Dig beneath the symptoms to find the causes to identify possible solutions with the students.
	Do not equate success with grades.
	Instill the growth mindset that one can learn from experiences.
	Help them see the problem in a positive perspective proportionate to the issue. Some students in stress tend to see everything as irreversible.
	Suggest them to use the GPA calculator in AASO’s website to know the actual impact of the “unsatisfactory” result and to set new GPA target.
	Refer the students to get professional help from CEDARS-CoPE for psychological issues which may interfere with learning.

Trust is key so that your advisees will open up and continue to see you. Don’t miss any opportunity to build a good relationship early on with your advisees. Should your advisees experience problems related to online learning, you may wish to revisit AASO’s “Ten Advising tips for FAAs during Online Teaching and Learning“.