For Faculty Advisors

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>Guidelines
>Desirable Faculty Advisor Traits
>Strategies for Giving Effective Feedback
>Field Experience Checklist
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Comments or feedback? E-mail us at sphfield@umn.edu

Guidelines:

• Before advising students, faculty advisors should know and understand what the student intends to do or would like to do after graduation. Then, encourage a field experience that helps them go in that direction.
  • View site selection criteria, current opportunities, and funding resources
    
    
• If the student's area of interest is not your expertise, refer the student to other faculty who are experts in that area.
  • Search faculty expertise and interests (PDF)
    
    
• Possess good advisor traits.
  • Jump down to view desirable faculty advisor traits
    
    
• Make sure that the student's proposed field experience will meet the students' goals and objective, and verify that the contract states that clearly.
  
  
• Help the student fulfill his/her contract by ensuring flexibility of the field experience to fit the student's schedule.
  
  
• Advise the students to take the field experience after they complete at least one semester of coursework.
  
  
• The faculty advisor cannot be both the field experience site supervisor and faculty advisor.
  
  
• The faculty advisor should contact the site preceptor at least once during the field experience to discuss the student's progress.
  
  
• The faculty advisor should give feedback to the student.
  • Jump down to read tips on giving effective feedback
    
    
• An IRB review and approval may be required depending on the nature of any research the student conducts as a part of his/her field experience activities. Faculty advisors are strongly encouraged to review the IRB guidelines and review the process with the student while negotiating the field experience contract to determine if an IRB proposal needs to be developed and submitted for review. Remember to allow enough lead-time for the IRB review process.

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Desirable Faculty Advisor Traits

• Approachable.
• Interested in the student's academic career goals.
• Gives assignments that balance grunt work with more substantive tasks.
• Provides feedback.
• Provides adequate resources, materials to help the student to find a suitable field experience site.
• Shows appreciation for student's efforts.
• Give professional career path advice.
• Introduces student to others who can assist with career opportunities.

Strategies for Giving Effective Feedback

A. Manage Your Attitude

Stay calm: Unless a delay will result in disaster, never give anyone feedback when you’re angry or upset.

Be clear about your goals: Know what you want to accomplish by having this discussion. Sacrifice smaller points in the interest of larger objectives.

Express appreciation: Sincerely telling someone what you appreciate can make constructive feedback easier to accept.

Don't criticize or argue: You want problem-solving, not conflict. If you start to criticize or argue, STOP!

B. Empathize

Imagine their point of view: Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Anticipate their reaction to your comments.

Ask questions to understand their situation: If you aren't sure of their point of view, then ask questions and listen. When someone gives you feedback, be sure that you understand their viewpoint before you automatically launch into your counter-arguments.

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C. Neutralize

Talk about facts and observations, not assumptions: To reduce defensiveness, use neutral language. Focus on facts and observations. Avoid accusations and blaming.

Talk about the problem, not the person: If you are upset with someone, don't talk about their negative personality traits. Focus on the issue.

Share observations with "I-statements". Minimize the word "you": An "I-statement" expresses what you have observed or felt, NOT what the other person is doing wrong. "You" sounds accusatory, not neutral. Try saying “I have observed . .” or “I have noticed . .” or “I have felt . .”.

D. Educate

Discuss the effects of the problem:Explain why you are concerned about the situation – that is, the effect on you, your co-workers, your work, the company, etc. People often do not realize the impact of their behavior on others, even when it seems obvious.

Use reversals or analogies to shift their point of view: Encourage the other person to see things differently by reversing the situation – that is, putting them in your shoes – or using an analogy to give them a different frame of reference.

Describe your feelings with "I-statements": To communicate their effect on you, try saying “I feel“ or “My problem is”, NOT “You always“ or “You should”.

E. Cooperate

Look for common goals:Identify shared interests, needs, or concerns as you try to solve the problem.

Engage in give and take. Expand the options: Be willing to make concessions and compromises. You may also be part of the problem! Propose strategies and solutions that neither party may have previously considered.

End with action steps: Agree on what will be different in the future – both what they will do and what you will do. Unless you end with action steps, nothing is likely to change.

(All material on yourofficecoach.com is copyrighted to Marie G. McIntyre. All rights reserved.)

Field Experience Checklist

Local and National Field Experiences

International Field Experiences

Submit a Grade

When both the student evaluation and the preceptor evaluation are complete you will receive an email to:

1) Review the evaluations at: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/sphfieldexp/

2) Submit the field experience grade for this student at: http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/faculty/Grades.html

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