College launches virtual advising center
Welcome to our series, COVID-19 Innovations. Here, we chronicle the innovative ways that career and technical educators continue to engage students as lifelong learners and prepare them for rewarding careers, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the 2020–21 school year.
At St. Petersburg College (SPC) in St. Petersburg, Florida, advisers and staff had to move quickly to provide remote advising services before the start of the fall 2020 semester. The college created a Virtual Advising Center with advisers available on-demand over Zoom. During virtual advising sessions, students received personalized help with registration, course planning and scheduling, transfer information, financial aid and more.
Staffing and promotion
Work schedules were created so that at any given time, a minimum of 20 advisers would be online and available to help students. Preparation included Zoom training for advisers as well as training for staff members who would manage the online environment and connect students with an adviser. In addition, the college’s marketing department communicated the new initiative to the thousands of students who would participate.
Enrollment success
The Virtual Advising Center launched two weeks before the beginning of the fall term. More than 75 college staff members — including career and academic advisers, administrative support staff, advising managers and associate provosts — took part in the daily operation. During the first three weeks of the initiative, more than 3,100 students met virtually with advisers. Through the success of the Virtual Advising Center, the college met its budgeted enrollment goal for the fall semester by the first day of the term.
After the peak registration period ended, SPC made virtual advising a regular component of student services. SPC students can now choose between appointments with advisers over Zoom or phone, the drop-in Virtual Advising Center over Zoom, and walk-in advising on campus (following COVID-19 protocols).
Interested in more COVID-19 innovations?
ACTE’s latest publication, High-quality CTE During COVID-19: Challenges and Innovations, generously sponsored by MajorClarity, describes challenges faced by CTE educators during COVID-19. The publication shares examples of innovative practices and provides recommendations for how CTE leaders can better prepare the post-COVID-19 workforce, embracing lessons learned during the pandemic.
