In my independent study, I aimed to develop a simple system using digital technology that would allow the academic advisor to guide a student through selecting and enrolling in courses for the 2022-23 academic year. I started this project with a survey for program directors to find out what they knew about the current pre-registration process and their interactions with the students they advise. I did this in two formats; one was a collaborative Google Doc, and the other was a Google Form. I discovered they were unfamiliar with the pre-registration process and depended on the Registrar’s Office to guide the student through it. 

​

To help with this problem, I designed a Google Form that would walk students through the process, giving them the information they needed at the time they needed it. I also worked on several Google Documents that would help students choose their courses, and I produced a few short videos giving the students instructions on enrolling in those courses. This would be a simple enough process for the student and allow the advisor time to invest in the student in other areas.

​

I abandoned the project after realizing that I was working outside of the Student Information System (SIS) that we use, and it was creating far more work than what I was willing to do. It became busy work, and it was not a realistic project. A better project would be to teach the students how to use and navigate the SIS. I also need to invest my time in teaching academic advisors how to guide the students through this process. A digital leader must continue encouraging students and faculty to learn and become proficient in our digital systems rather than working outside those systems.

​

I put all the information students needed in a Google Slide presentation that walked them through the process step-by-step, but I did not meet my goal of having the academic advisor walk a student through the process. Because of a lack of time, the Registrar’s Office helped the students instead of the advisor. This is something I need to improve. My action research project is to discover how the Registrar’s Office can help with student retention. According to the literature, students are more likely to persist in their degree if they connect to the college's academic and social systems (Alohani, 2016). An academic advisor can be a great help to a student who is struggling. It can give the guidance a student needs in selecting courses which will help a student be more successful in their academics and professional life and improve graduation rates (ElAlim Etway, 2017; Loucif et al., 2020; Walters & Seyedian, 2016). The way the registrar can help is to make sure the academic advisor has all the information they need, and they know how to use that information. The conversations students have with their advisor will be far more effective for retention than the registrar helping them select courses.

​

It is time for pre-registration again. I plan to improve what I did with this project last year. This year I will provide the information and training the academic advisors need. I have also built into the academic calendar the time necessary for advisors to meet with students.