Evaluation of a seminar pedagogy as a means for developing positive advisor/advisee relationships

Objectives. The goal of this project was to conceptualize, develop, implement, and evaluate a weekly, academic advisor's seminar. The intent was to maximize the advisor's exposure to his advisees and minimize the time dedicated to do so, while helping advisees begin to develop performance-based abilities. The seminar series involved dissemination of basic information to the doctor of pharmacy students about the College, faculty ranks, and curriculum vitae development, among other topics. Further, it encompassed career-planning exercises, including listening to and interacting with outside speakers, discussing curriculum/educational issues (eg, academic integrity), and conducting reflection exercises. Methods. The evaluation component of this study used a single group posttest design with a retrospective pretest component. The self-assessment instrument was comprised of 10 assessment items and 5 open-ended questions. The Rasch rating scale model, in combination with the Wolfe and Chiu procedure, was used to evaluate data provided by the instrument. Results. Curriculum vitae development was listed most frequently as the topic/concept that would be most useful to students' professional development. Further, the ability of students to self-assess their learning needs improved as a result of the seminar. In addition, there was an increased student development of interpersonal communication skills and self-confidence in that skill. The last major finding demonstrated that, overall, students enjoyed and learned from the invited guest speakers. In particular, discussions on residency opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry were noted as favorites among the students. Conclusion. This paper described an advising strategy that successfully nurtured pharmacy students in the development of their performance-based skills in a manner that was structured and time efficient.