Sophomore Engagement and Advising as Learning, a 2009 NACADA National Conference Workshop Summary

by Kathy Rex

When I checked into the conference in San Antonio and got my NACADA bag, I immediately reached for the program and looked for a quiet area to study it. With my highlighter and pen, I tentatively mapped out my conference itinerary. The presentations this year covered areas such as assessment, models/applications, theory and research, and addressed populations such as veterans, adult learners, first-generation students, and students by major. I left the conference inspired, motivated, reassured, and challenged.

One workshop I attended was entitled “Sophomore Engagement and Advising as Learning.” It was facilitated by representatives from four smaller institutions across the country that are receiving support from the Teagle Foundation for a three-year project. The presenters/ collaborators developed a survey to study sophomore engagement and were at the conference to share the results. The intention of the project is to identify ways to improve the engagement and retention of second-year students through tailored individual and group advising programs.

The topic of this program appealed to me because, admittedly, second-year students are a population that I don’t necessarily acknowledge with intentional advising or programming on a regular basis. The presenters referred to them as the “forgotten middle child.” They shared the following findings about the second-year students they surveyed: their levels of hope decreased, their levels of agency (defined as their commitment to pursuing a goal) decreased, their problem-solving orientation increased, and they are searching for meaning in life. The students surveyed indicated the biggest challenges of their second year were the exploration of their identity and solidifying their social group [Stockenberg, J.T., Rossi-Reder, A., Ennis-McMillan, M., Schaller, M. (2009, October). Sophomore Engagement and Advising as Learning. Presentation conducted at the 33rd annual NACADA conference, San Antonio, TX].

The presenters discussed their findings in the context of nurturing sophomores’ cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal development. Personally, I believe this mission is what makes advising any student fun, challenging, and meaningful. One of the colleges presenting has its own Office of First-Year and Sophomore Studies and Advising and noted that, across the country, there are institutions with “sophomore experience” deans and sophomore residence halls. This same college has a sophomore newsletter. All presenters noted specific events they have started to coordinate, including a sophomore orientation, workshops on internships and exploring careers in non-profits, and even a sophomore day of service. These initiatives let sophomores know they matter and that they have resources to guide them through the self-exploration process, which the survey confirmed is a prominent concern.

The presentation was principally limited to sharing the results of the first stage of the project, so I walked away with the desire to learn more about how they intend to continue turning their findings into practice. Nevertheless, sophomores are now on my radar!