Advisory boards play a key role in ensuring that the learning goals are equivalent to expectations set by the industry. It assures that what the program expects to teach the student are aligned with responsibilities that will be expected of graduates.
The advisory boards play a vital role in aligning the program goal with the career/industry goal which is expressed and measured through the identification of learning outcomes. The advisory board assists the institution in molding future graduates on skills and expectations that are required on the field.
As a for-profit accredited vocational school we have Federal, State and Accreditation requirements to form governing and advisory boards. More importantly, we have an obligation to our staff and students to prepare our school curriculum and facilities with the most current, relevant and productive training. The boards make our school structure more:
Efficient with our resources
Profitable for future success
Accountable for our decisions
Effective in our training
Successful with Job Placement for our Graduates
Respected in the local community
Anna,
Could you describe what role your advisory boards play in the process of assessing student learning outcomes/goals? It's one thing to provide input to the curriculum structure and content, but there is a valuable role that could be played by advisory boards in assisting an institution assess the results of the teaching process, i.e outcomes.
Dr. Roehrich
I am fortunate to be part of an organization whose senior management supports the value of advisory boards.
I oversee program directors as well who aid in the planning of sessions and recruiting of members. We have found over the years that we benefit the best from employers and industry members who also work with us with regard to externship and employment opportunities.
Our advisory board membership is predominantly employers and externship supervisors who work with us and have, through the years been very active in providing feedback on our curriculum. By establishing this kind of relationship with them, they have more "buy in" into the process of advisory boards and are very attuned to their roles & contributions to the school.
Our continued challenge is to expand the membership to include more members in the field so that the school can receive a wider range of feedback from the industry.
With large established school,people are more willing to serve on both of these bodies, but with start up schools and small school some times it's harder to find quality people who is willing to serve and will give the time required to contribute.
Greg,
Thanks for your posting. I think you were also implying that another value of your advisory board is to providing input to the curriculum review process. By engaging the members in curriculum review, you can their commitment to continue to provide "real world" input and valuable advice for graduate placement.
The real value of the governing board is to provide fiscal oversight and bring balance to management's perspectives; I suggest the industry knowledge is secondary to the fiscal responsibilities.
R. Roehrich
I would present the value of governing and advisory boards to senior management or school owners by describing the contributions each can make to the school. At my school, the important contribution by an advisory board I would underscore is the potential for industry awareness, employment advantages, and technical consulting regarding relevant equipment and tools used by professionals in the industry. The important contribution that would be considered valuable in my school, with respect to a governing board, would be the industry knowledge and experience its members could bring and how that could contribute to the success of the school and its graduates by contributing to the vision of the 5 -10 year institutional improvement plan.
In my mind, one of the most comforting things about both boards is knowing that as school management you don't have to maintain 100% knowledge of absolutely everything. Both types of boards, if chosen properly, can provide valuable insight, and oversight to senior management. I know at our school, while we go to as many trade conferences as possible to stay abreast of industry changes and trends we aren't working daily "in the trenches". Utilizing an Advisory Board has been tremendously helpful for us to keep on top of our market to keep our curriculums current, and maintaining their educational effectiveness.
Wayne,
Take your time, it's important for you to be comfortable with your response in that context of your situation. I look forward to your response and if I can be of any help, just let me know.
R. Roehrich
I am working on the answer to the above question. Individualizing the answer to the owner of the school where I work requires behavioral considerations as well as just presenting factual information. Will get back to you soon
Wayne Barber
Douglas,
Beyond keeping the school "in check" and causing it "to think outside the box," well established governing and advisory boards bring vitality and a level of professionalism to a school from outside its walls.
R. Roehrich
I think the value of Gov and Advisory Boards is to keep the school in check and cause the school to think outside the box.
Dr. Stover:
You have aptly identified the real value of advisory committees; to the students. It's unfortunate that more schools, even the “large chain schools†haven't recognized the value that a well selected and operated board can contribute to a school's success. It would be interesting to learn if you can quantify the impact of your advisory board has had on your students.
R. Roehrich
Although we are required to maintain boards for accreditation standards, it is still a separate task to review, evaluate and present the values of each. The biggest and most recognizable "return-on-the-dollar" comes from the school's access to an educated and experienced "think tank." This allows us to research needed program improvements at the cost of a luncheon/dinner. It also provides our graduates the opportunity for an expanded job market with better qualifications and skills to meet current industry needs. Happy graduates make for increased referrals and additional revenues.
Thanks Kathleen for participatingh in this discussion.
R. Roehrich
Teri, It's a shame that funding is a problem when it is clearly an accreditation requirement. I would suggest that at the beginning of the year when you have determined the dates for that year's meetings, send a budget breakdown to senior management outlining exactly the projected cost. I would state clearly that you are sending this in advance to give them ample time to plan for the event. This will also demonstrate to them that you are a forward-thinker.
Also, I have found that a catered meal at the school is much cheaper than off-site.
Josefer, Are your department chairs responsible for making sure their board members attend? My school has 7 different programs, 4 in the Allied Health field. I am having trouble meeting the required number of board members mandated by our accrediting body for each of the programs we offer.
Josefer,
You've posed an interesting question, which unfortunately I don't have a definitive answer for. The amount of time your department chairs need to put into their advisory boards depends on several factors; a) their job description, b) expectations of senior management, c) training on creating and managing advisory boards, d) perceived and actual value received from their advisory boards; and e) their willingness to be more than average and just go beyond just complying with accreditation requirements. If you can answer these, then you may come closer to the amount of time that could/should be spent on creating and managing successful advisory boards.
In my past, I co-chaired a national advisory board with the chairman of my company. Initially, over a half-year (we met twice annually) I spent a couple of days planning and organizing agendas and collecting materials for meetings to assure they were productive. As I became more experienced, it took less and less time to prepare and to retain our effectiveness; the same would apply to your department chairs. Initially, if you could allocate ½ day with them to help them plan organize and agree on common goals, which should be sufficient. Taking the information you get from this course and applying it to your situation in a “training†capacity should help you achieve the efficiency you're looking for. As with any worthwhile endeavor, the initial efforts require additional time, but perhaps they just don't know how to get the most out of their expenditure of time and energy.
Assuming you have two advisory board meetings per program, per year; each chair could devote one hour per week towards making their board more effective. Taken in small bits, with a clear objective and accountability, they should be able to enhance the effectiveness of their boards without too much difficulty.
R. Roehrich
Senior management is not my challenge – they are into it 100%. My challenge continues to be with my department chairs, which are immediately responsible for their boards. While they clearly see the value (if for no other reason than accreditation concerns), often times we are so busy running the day-to-day and playing firemen that the time required for a top-notch advisory board meeting seems to elude us. That leads me to my questions - How many hours per week (on average) would you estimate is necessary from the department chairs in order to have successful advisory boards?
Suhas,
You might consider adding a brief perspective on the employment outlook, technology implications for your programs, and I'd suggest changing "any other business" to "new business." The new business item allows you the flexibility of tabling any items that surface which require more time, research, or reaction.
Do you provide the board with enrollment numbers and projections? If you choose to do so you might stimulate ideas on how to increase your numbers and expand your enrollment base.
R. Roehrich
