What have you done so far?

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I have created a personally curated resource of advising information.

Reflecting on how far I have progressed toward implementing my innovation, I feel very proud of all the work I have completed. The advising.blog, ePortfolio has become such a useful part of both my personal learning and my professional development.

I have created a professional learning plan.

My professional learning plan is for advisors to create a professional portfolio. Giving advisors choice, ownership, and voice (COVA) in their creative process, I aim to show them what a valuable opportunity they have to create a significant learning environment (CSLE) for their learners. Building collaboration into my professional learning strategy, I seek to fortify relationships among the advising teams. Piloting professional learning in phases allows for input, modification, and improvements. Teambuilding through professional learning is just another example of how I am being intentional about facilitating a caring culture. Sharing the why, what, and how helps to guide the advising innovation. This professional learning opportunity seeks to connect advisors with their passion and valuable purpose.

I have assessed my innovation through action research.

As I evaluated my innovation plan and its purpose, the theme of learner agency was common. Ultimately, my innovation seeks to flip the advising interaction, so my action research strategy evaluates in what ways a flipped advising module on degree planning facilitates student agency in making curricular choices during the first year of college? The four-stage action research process invites the advising team to critically evaluate their practice through data analysis.

I have built a pilot Advising 101 course.

The instructional design online learning course guided me through creating my innovation within a learning management system (LMS). In my efforts to create a significant learning environment, I was able to apply the skills I learned through the CSLE course. The process of creating the Advising 101 course was also my first big reveal of the innovation idea to other advisors within my advising unit. By asking advisors to participate in the usability testing of this early prototype of an advising course design. Sharing with advisors at my organization provided me with valuable insights and information on the overall innovation plan.

I have prepared to share my innovation.

I plan to share my innovation ideas through an open invitation to advisors everywhere through publication within my professional organizations and learning networks. The multiple literature reviews and the publication process revealed a need for further discussion, collaboration, and exploration of how technology (digital learning) can be leveraged to humanize relationships.

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I have pivoted the one advisor against the world (early innovation idea) toward much larger-scale innovation strategies. Many of which I never dreamed possible, yet here I am proposing them. As stated in my final reflections on creating significant learning environments,

“I now understand the bigger picture project and goal. In addition to making sure learners have a positive advising experience, we can help create a strong learning foundation that learners carry with them into their academic subjects and beyond to their lives and futures. The task that was already humbling enough is now even more so. We owe it to our learners to put in the hard work it takes to create significant learning environments”

The Advisor That Cares, Creating a Significant Learning Environment

I have grown and evolved.

Reflecting on my Learning Manifesto, I can see that my heart is aligned with my purpose. These early thoughts and plans reflect every step I’ve taken toward this innovation. Thanks to the ADL Program, I am equipped with a growth mindset plan, and I continually revise and evolve that excitement about learning new things toward my learners’ mindset. Having researched my learning philosophy really helped me in this personal evolution. As I evaluated what I believed about learning, I released myself from limiting beliefs and a fixed mindset.