Advising Needs of First Generation Students – Taking a Closer Look

Presenters: Louis Macias (Commission Chair, University of Wisconsin-Madison), Heather Doyle (Dalhousie University)
60 min - March 23, 2016 (DW67 – Season 10)

In an April 2015 NACADA Webinar, Academic Advising and Social Justice: Privilege, Diversity, and Student Success, Louis Macias (University of Wisconsin-Madison) began a discussion exploring the value of first generation student anti-narratives, specifically those of high-achievers, in enhancing professional practice and success-promoting psychological orientations among students. Following that webinar, Louis became the Chair of NACADA's First Generation College Student Advising Interest Group, and he returned to the webinar venue in March 2016 to build on his initial presentation, as well as the personal stories shared by First Gen NACADA Leaders in a September 2015 webinar, Advising Needs of First Generation Students: NACADA Leaders Share their Experiences. In this 60-minute videocast presentation, Louis is joined by Heather Doyle (Dalhousie University), who shared the results of her work on a project providing support to first generation students through mandatory advising and student success programming. The results of Heather’s work was published through the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). In this informative hour, Louis and Heather consider the full spectrum of first generation student experience, from those who are high-achieving to those who enter college having not yet met the general entrance requirements for their program of study.