Kansas State University Academic Advising Graduate Programs

Academic Advising Case Studies
Administration Case Studies (EDCEP 837 grandfathered in Master’s students)
Student Athlete Case Studies (EDCEP 864)

Final Projects for Spring 2023 are due March 8, 2023 in CANVAS  

Please contact Pam McGlynn by February 1, 2023 if you intend to graduate Spring 2023.
Be sure to read the Procedures for Spring 2023 Graduation

**Students who took EDCEP 839 Assessment of Academic Advising or EDCEP 812 History and Philosophy of Higher Education as their elective and chose to do Case Studies as their final project should complete three (3) Academic Advising Case Studies.**

The Final Project does NOT need to use the K-State ETDR template.

Video Overview of Final Project

Dr. Christy Craft has created a video overview of the final project requirements. This is very helpful if you are not familiar with the final project. Please take the time to watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLX9AvXzEYsLinks to an external site.

Master of Science in Academic Advising Final Project Requirements

Introduction
The Graduate School of Kansas State University requires comprehensive examinations. In order to fulfill this requirement, the Academic Advising faculty of the Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs adopted the Academic Advising Final Project to ensure that all master’s degree students possess the necessary knowledge and competencies. In developing these projects, students will demonstrate and apply what they have learned about academic advising from their coursework. Completed projects are to be uploaded to Canvas by the due date in the semester in which one plans to complete the degree. The final projects will be reviewed and evaluated by the advisor and program committee members.

Specifically, students are expected to demonstrate knowledge and competence in the following four student learning outcomes of the academic advising program:

1. Apply advising strategies and practices to institutional advising programs and individual advising (e.g., from EDCEP 835 Foundations of Academic Advising, EDCEP 836 Interpersonal Relations for Academic Advising).
2. Apply theories of learning (e.g., from EDCEP 829 Learning Principles), student development (e.g., from EDCEP 838 College Student/College Environment), and career development (e.g., from EDCEP 863 Trends in Career Development) to assist students with their academic and career planning.
3. Understand the influence of multicultural factors on the advising relationship and the content of advising with students (e.g., from EDCEP 851 Multicultural Aspects of Academic Advising).
4. Apply knowledge of the needs and characteristics of specific groups of students and apply to academic advising (e.g., from EDSP 853 College Students with Disabilities, EDCEP 854 College Student Athlete, formerly EDCEP 752).

Final Project Components

1.   Title Page. Include your name, contact information, date of project submission, month/year of graduation, and advisor.

2.  Table of Contents.

3.  Introduction. The introduction is intended to be a brief description of your final project and its organization.

4.  Philosophy of Academic Advising. Your personal philosophy of academic advising (approximately 500 words) is to include the purpose of academic advising, the role of the academic advisor, and values, beliefs, and principles that guide your academic advising practice.

Final Project Options

Option 1—Case Studies
Select three of the cases provided to address the four learning outcomes. Two must be from the Academic Advising Case Studies. One case must be associated with the restricted elective listed on your Program of Study: Administration of Academic Advising (EDCEP 837) Case Studies or Current Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics (EDCEP 864) Case Studies, formerly Intercollegiate Athletics and College Student Athletes (EDCEP 761)

Students taking EDCEP 839 Assessment of Academic Advising or EDCEP 812 History and Philosophy of Higher Education as their elective should complete three (3) Academic Advising Case Studies.

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.

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 (7^th ed.). The discussion for each case study is to be no more than 1200 words.

Option 2—Comprehensive Plan for Academic Advising
Develop a comprehensive plan for an academic advising program for a college campus. Your plan must clearly demonstrate knowledge and application of the four learning outcomes and must include:

The rationale for the program, including how the program will fit the institutional type, mission, and student body; Clearly articulated mission and goals for the program; A description of the academic advising model and delivery system to be utilized; A plan for a comprehensive professional development program for the academic advisors; and An assessment plan with multiple measures for assessment, including student learning outcomes.

The total length for this option is expected to be no more than 20 pages. At least eight different references are to be cited in the presentation of the project and a reference list is to be presented in APA style (7^th ed.).

Option 3—Alternative Project
Develop an alternative project, approved by your advisor, that addresses the four learning outcomes. The expectation is that the presentation of the project clearly and explicitly demonstrates knowledge and application of the four student learning outcomes (see below for outcomes and expectations). It is expected that the way in which the knowledge and application of the learning outcomes are demonstrated will be addressed.

Presentation and Quality
The project is to be completed as a Word file. One-inch margins, double spacing, and at least 12-point font are to be used. The document is expected to be a high quality, graduate document and the content is expected to be substantive and professional in presentation. APA style (7th ed.) should be used in the presentation. An excellent reference for APA style is the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/).

An APA 7th Ed. Workshop by Dr. Lisa Rubin is available on Mediasite to anyone with a K-State eID.   https://mediasite.k-state.edu/mediasite/Play/d75a586567fe439e82122b927b876ead1d

Evaluation Rubric and Expectations
The entire project will be reviewed based on the following criteria and the rubrics presented below: thoughtfulness and conceptualization; substantive and relevant content; demonstration of knowledge and application of the four learning outcomes and their relation to academic advising; and technical and stylistic presentation (e.g., writing style, organization and flow, APA style, grammar).

Scoring Rubric for Final Project

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 EDCEP 835 Foundations of Academic Advising, EDCEP 836 Interpersonal Relations for Academic Advising, EDCEP 837 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 EDCEP 838 Student Development, 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 EDCEP 851 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 EDSP 853 College Students with Disabilities, EDCEP 854 College Student Athlete, formerly EDCEP 752).

Expectation—At least one specific group of students (e.g., students with disabilities, students who are undecided, student athletes) is to be discussed.

Project Assistance
If you have any questions about the final project requirements or process, contact your advisor.

Preparing for Project
It is highly recommended that students maintain textbooks, readings, coursework, and other materials for each course in a personal computer file or folder. Students may not have access to Canvas courses once they have finished the course. These materials will be essential for completing the final project.

Examples of Final Projects

Two final project examples in PDF are below. They are posted with permission and presented as examples. They are not intended to be a model, as final projects will vary in terms of presentation (e.g., format, content, focus).

• Final Project Example – Option 1 Case Studies
  Thomas Rath – Summer 2021
  https://academicadvising.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/option-1-thomas-rath.pdf

• Final Project Example – Option 2 Comprehensive Academic Advising Plan
  Jennifer Schleicher – Summer 2021
  https://academicadvising.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/option-2-jennifer-schleicher.pdf

Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you have any condition, such as a physical or learning disability, which will make it difficult for you to complete the work as outlined or which will require academic accommodations, please notify your advisor before beginning the project.

Academic Honesty
Kansas State University has an Honor and Integrity System (http://www.k-state.edu/honor/basics/) based on personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance that, in academic matters, one’s work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Graduate students, when they register, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the K-State Honor and Integrity System. The policies and procedures of the Honor and Integrity System apply to all full-time and part-time students enrolled in graduate courses on campus, off campus, as well as online. A component vital to the Honor and Integrity System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge, which applies to all assignments, examinations, and other course work undertaken by students. The Honor Pledge applies to the completion of the final project for the MS in Academic Advising. Uploading the completed file of the project to K-State Online indicates concurrence with the Honor Pledge; the final project is not be shared, transmitted, distributed, or copied in any manner or format except for uploading the completed file to K-State Online.

The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: “On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work.” A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic honesty. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation.

To find examples of actions that would be considered academic dishonesty, go to the following Web site: http://www.k-state.edu/honor/basics/violations.html

Academic Advising Case Studies
Administration Case Studies (EDCEP 837)
Student Athlete Case Studies (EDCEP 864, formerly EDCEP 761)

Revised 11/2022