final paper persuasive campaign

Successfully Navigating Community College 1

Successfully Navigating Community College

Gina Peace

Bucks County Community College


Abstract

The purpose of this campaign was to identify, if you are a full time student at Bucks County

Community College, should you stay to receive your associate’s degree. This campaign also

details if you do attend Bucks County Community College should you advise before registering

for your classes. In addition, it explains how advising can help a student have greater success

within the college. After researching this information, it is clear that students who do advise have

a better experience then students who don’t. Community College is a big time of uncertainty for

a lot of students and they need guidance in order to follow through on their course of action. In

order for the experience to be a successful one, advisors and students need to work hand in hand

in ensuring that the needs of the student can be met. When this occurs students and advisors have

a more successful advising experience.


Introduction

The target audience for this campaign would be first and second year college students.

The purpose of this campaign is to persuade current full-time students to meet with an advisor

and to remain at Buck’s County Community College to complete their associate’s degree. The

demographics are going to range over race, age, and income. There is going to be multiple

different demographics because there is a large variability of people from all different

backgrounds. However, all of them have the same common goal of trying to successfully seek

higher education.

There is all different people who have different incomes. The students who attend Buck’s

would fit into lower class, middle class, and upper class. Lower class students would attend

Bucks because they can easily gain grants from the state and it’s affordable and convenient for

them. Middle class students are sometimes forced to go to community college for affordability as

well, some time there is more than one child that has to be sent to college. Upper class students

may attend Bucks because of their lack of ambition, parents may send them without their

wanting.

Age is greatly ranged in community colleges. There is sometimes older people who

attend classes just to further their knowledge. Also not only do students attend college courses

after high school, some students are taking college courses while still in high school. Community

College is also a very multicultural place to attend. People from all different ethnic and religious

backgrounds attend Buck’s. Being that the target audience is so broad, their values would vary

as well. However, again their attitudes all possess the same attitude; to seek a higher education.


According to Sandoval-Lucero et al., “Almost half of all students of color and forty

percent of under resourced students are enrolled in community colleges.” (2) Many minorities

and people who have lower-incomes frequent community colleges in hopes of having a positive

experience that will lead them further in their journey. Sandoval-Lucero et al argue that,

“Community colleges have the potential to significantly impact the higher

education outcomes for the students that they serve. Community colleges offer a

significant option for students among the wide array of choices offered with the

U.S. system of higher education, as they promote dearly held democratic values

of access, equality and opportunity.” (3)

In addition, to making college affordable and accessible to many that it may not have been

before, community college also opens doors for many people so that they can experience higher

education without cultural restraints.


(Allen et al 3)

Data and Evidence

In order for each student’s needs to be met, so that they feel they are being successfully

advised there are steps that need to be taken, and there are specific things that need to be

recognized. According to the article, “What Kinds of Advising Are Important to Community

College Pre- and Posttransfer Students?”, it explains how college should go about fulfilling the

needs of its students, by focusing on different aspects of communication in regards to advising.

The study states the following:

“C.L. Smith and Allen identified 12 advising functions in five domains essential

to quality academic advising: integration, referral, information, individuation, and

shared responsibility. Curricular integration functions involve holistic advising

that helps students connect their curricular and cocurricular choices to academic


career and life goals. Referral functions assist students in accessing campus

resources to address academic problems (e.g., math or science tutoring) as well as

non-academic problems (e.g., childcare, mental health counseling), that if left

unresolved are likely to interfere with students achieving their educational goals.

Through information functions, advisors provide students with accurate

information about degree requirements and help students understand how things

work at their institution (i.e., understanding timelines, policies, and procedures

with regard to registration, financial aid, grading, graduation, petition and appeals,

etc.). Individuation functions include knowing students as individuals and taking

into consideration their unique skills, interests, and abilities. Finally, shared

responsibility involves helping students develop planning, problem solving, and

decision making capabilities so that they come to assume greater responsibility

for their education.” (2)

The first step to making sure the student’s needs are being met is to tailor advising to each’s

student’s needs. This may be a hard task, but it can be done as many colleges employ these

methods successfully.

The second step to making sure that each student’s needs can be met we must also make

sure that our advisors are being proactive. Allen et al. claim,

“This finding suggests that advisors at community colleges and 4-year institutions

need to be prepared to advise on a comprehensive set of advising functions. In

light of their high mean importance ratings and low variability in both groups of

students, however, some kinds of advising should be given priority. Information

functions are paramount; advisors must give all students accurate information


about degree requirements and help them understand how things work at their

institution with regards to timelines, policies, and procedures to successfully

navigate the educational landscape. Some integration functions are also highly

important to students before and after transferring. In particular, students want

advisors to assist them in connecting their academic, career, and life goals to each

other and to choices in their major or program of study.” (5)

It’s obvious that an advisor can’t be immersed in each students life, but they should make sure

that each student feels like their advisor makes it an appoint to attend to their personal needs.

Due to the ranging demographic of students that attend Buck’s, there are many different

situations that advisors will have to attend to. Personalizing their efforts will make it easier to

deal with the student at hand. In turn students will feel more at ease as far as their academic

journey is concerned.

The third step to making sure that each student’s needs can be met is by ensuring that the

advisors are properly educating their student’s, in regards to the many help options they have

available at the college. The advisors should educate the student regarding what classes to take in

order to achieve their associates. They also need to educate them on what the proper steps to

what the next step is after Buck’s as well. The advisor should also explain to the student what the

effects of not completing your associates or bachelors can have. According to Allen et al., “In

any case, accessing resources to address academic and nonacademic problems it’s crucial for the

successful advancement of pretransfer students to the upper division level.” (6) It’s important

that both students and advisors realize that without advising many people can end up taking the

wrong course unknowingly.


(Allen et al. 4)


Furthermore, transfer counseling is also an important aspect of advising that many

students are concerned with. Many of the students that attend Bucks are interested in continuing

education after receiving their associates. They seek to move on to another college in order to

receive their bachelor’s degree. Sandoval-Lucero et al explains,

“However, a more recent study indicated that the majority of community college

transfer students do complete their degrees within six years of transferring to

baccalaureate degree- granting institution. In addition, there are many benefits to

attending a community college in terms of selection of programs, career and

academic pathways, and increased earning potential. The latter is especially true

for students of color, women, and immigrants. Community college attendants also

benefit the community in terms of partnerships with employees, retaining of

displaced workers, higher retention rates at baccalaureate institutions, lower crime

rates and lower utilization of public assistance. In fact, the latest research supports

the importance of the community college sector of higher education in

contributing to the achievement of the national college completion goals.” (3)

It’s obvious that success at a community college can have a major positive effect on ones futures

endeavors. If a student receives top quality advising, they will excel within our community

college as well as outside of it, with what the advisor has instilled within them.

Challenges: Data and Evidence

Advisors are going to face a multitude of issues when it comes to advising students. One

issue is how to approach advising a student who is not as academically successful as some other


students may be. The advisor must make the student feel as if they are able to achieve whatever

goals they set forth. Bahr’s findings state,

“…that White and Asian remedial math students in community colleges

experienced a small, but significant, increase in the likelihood of successful

remediation associated with receiving advising. Among Hispanics, this beneficial

effect of advising was significantly less than that for Whites and Asians, but the

effect remained positive. However, Black students who received advising were

slightly less likely to remediate successfully than were Black students who did not

receive advising. One interpretation of this finding, is that some aspects of the

advising process tends, on average, to discourage unprepared Black students from

the pursuit of college level math skills perhaps in a fashion akin to the cooling out

processes described by Clark.” (705)

Cooling out is what happens between an advisor and a student when the advisor gives the student

less than top notch advice when it comes to making decisions for their future. Due to this

occurrence many students may be deterred from advising because they feel as though the advisor

doesn’t have their best interest in mind.

The next challenge that advisors are going to face is deciding whether to use a traditional

advising approach or a developmental advising approach. A traditional approach includes,

“…advisors limit their activities to providing information about courses,

explaining registration procedures, and ensuring enroll in appropriate courses.

Crookston describes it as perspective: the relationship is based on authority and

provides little opportunity for the student to exercise control. This results in a


relationship which is highly convenient and desirable to some advisors, allowing

them to control yet remain relatively uninvolved in the relationship. In essence,

much of the traditional advising system moves little beyond an administrative

function, concentration on short-term rather than longer-term goals, and does not

involve either party in active participation in developing student career goals.”

(Broadbridge para 16)

On the other hand we have the developmental approach as well. The developmental approach is

characterized by,

“Moving beyond a unidirectional traditional activity, involving both parties, in a

goal-related two-way integrative activity. Interaction must be meaningful and

productive for both student and advisor; mere contact is insufficient. Both parties

must share responsibilities and undertake an active part in the scheme is the

relationship is to be effective.” (Broadbridge para 17)

The approach that has the most positive result is the developmental approach. Students find this

approach most satisfying because they feel they have more control over their future, they have an

active advisor who is concerned with their need, and they are made completely aware of the

options that are put before them.

Strategic Persuasive Goals

As mentioned before there are certain steps that need to be taken in order to properly

advise someone. According to Elizabeth D. Phillips, in the article, “Improvising Advising Using

Technology and Data Analytics”,


“Academic advising conferences must be available to students each academic

term; academic advisors should offer conferences in a format that is convenient to

the student; academic advising caseloads must be consistent with the time

required for the effective performance of this activity; the academic status of the

student being advised should be taken into consideration when determining

caseloads.” (48)

As well as it is the responsibility of the student to seek the advisors guidance it also the

responsibility of the advisor to make sure that the student is staying on the right course in order

to succeed. This may be a difficult task for some advisors, as they may have to advise a large

group of students. How can an advisor navigate this while making sure that each student is

completely taken care of?

Bucks County Community College has tried to implement technology into advising in

order to better assess its students, but also to give students more access to their advisors. The

recent upgrades in WebAdvisor have made advising somewhat easier. However, there are even

more ways that we can improve web advisor in order to make the experience better for advisors

and students. Phillips states,

“For example, a student who has nursing as a major struggles to earn a “C” in

anatomy and physiology or an aspiring engineer does badly in calculus,

chemistry, or physics, the system will flag that individual for additional academic

support and offer advice on choosing a different program.” (51)


Unlike WebAdvisor, this tool will help students who have made a few missteps in their courses

stay on track. It will also eliminate the incident of the student who gives up at the end, because

they are unaware of these mishaps.

One concept that I will incorporate into the campaign is Langer’s theory about language

use. Langer’s views on concepts and conceptions were that everyone has their own views on

what symbols mean to them individually and there are universal symbols that everyone shares

the same views about. According to Langer, “All human communication and hence all

persuasion relies on concepts and conceptions. So naturally, there is the possibility of

misunderstanding.” (Larson 128) The concept that this campaign entails is to persuade current

full-time students to receive their associate’s degree at Buck’s and to properly advise.

One aspect of Langer’s concept is signification. In the book Langer states, “Signification

means a sign that accompanies the thing being considered.” (Larson 128) There are many

symbols that accompany our school’s campaign. For example, they use “think smart” as their tag

line for their campaign. In my campaign I will incorporate signification by wearing the school’s

logo. Another aspect of Langer’s concept is denotation. In the book Langer explains that,

“Denotation refers to the common and shared meaning we all have for any concept.” (Larson

128) When people look at the logo or the slogan and think that they could possibly go to Buck’s

to achieve higher learning is an example of denotation. In the campaign it will be implemented

on its own. The effect that the student gets from watching the video will be a part of denotation.

Next, Langer describes how connotation is used in language. Langer explains that,

“connotation refers to private, metaphorical, emotional (and perhaps propagandistic).” (Larson

129) I plan to incorporate this into the campaign by having students give testimonials regarding

their experiences with advising. The positive ones will show the good connotation while the


negative ones will show the bad connotations. Finally, Langer introduces discursive symbols.

According to the book, “discursive symbols are usually made up of sequential, smaller bits of

meaning that unfold across time to yield ultimate meaning.” (Larson 129) In the campaign, an

example of discursive symbols will be the opening statement of the video that details a specific

statistic which grabs the attention of the audience.

Another focus of the campaign will be using nonverbal messages. The first aspect of

nonverbal messages will pertain to the media that is necessary in order for this campaign to be

successful. It is obvious that we are going to have to disperse ads in order to attract attention.

Social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram are great mediums for banner ads and short

video commercial clips. An ad regarding the Buck’s County Community College App to aid this

campaign in educating the students on alternatives. There is also an interactive ad that plays in

between songs on Pandora radio. The presence of television ads regarding registering and

advising will also increase the success of the campaign. Finally the most obvious of them all is

the presences of physical ads like posters hanging around the school, directing students to advise

or to do transfer counseling.

In reference from what we learned from our textbook there are different ways to

incorporate nonverbal messages into the commercial. I plan to use Kinesics, which is physical

movements, along with bodily communication. I also plan to use physical appearance, I will

wear something with a Bucks logo and then switch it up. I will also include artifacts within the

video. The presence of certain facial expressions and eye behavior will be incorporated as well.

In regards to the campaign I want to use the theory of reasoned action/planned behavior

in order to help us succeed in persuading our audience. We know what our audience’s behavioral

intentions are. Most likely they are planning to come to Buck’s to pursue their associates degree


and transfer. Since our goal is to persuade them to participate in advising in order to have a

successful experience, we must stress the importance of how letting others change their behavior

will lead them off course. Within our campaign we must highlight the behavior which lead to the

most positive outcome. We may also highlight the negative behavior so that the student will be

aware of it and hopefully intend to avoid that behavior at all costs.

Discussion

My campaign proposal is the best course of action to take because most importantly my research

proves it to be effective. It also doesn’t take away from the experience that Buck’s students are

currently offered. The comfortability they have now will still exist. The new plan only expands

on old ideas in order to better implement them into the student’s success. It not only allows the

advisor to better assist the student but also lightens their load.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we found that a more hands on advising experience was more effective for

most students. When students felt like they were being assessed with their best interests in mind,

they had more success. Also when students have more access to their advisors they feel as

though the institution really cares about their needs. Finally, the incorporation of electronic

advising and other alternative sources made advising become a more flexible experience for the

students. All in all, when students feel they’re best interest is being taken in consideration they

make better choices and are successful in their academic endeavors.


Bibliography

Allen, J. M., Smith, C. L., & Muehleck, J. K. (2013). What Kinds of Advising Are Important to

Community College Pre- and Posttransfer Students?. Community College Review, 41(4),

330-345. doi:10.1177/0091552113505320

Bahr, P. (2008). Cooling Out in the Community College: What is the Effect of Academic

Advising on Students’ Chances of Success?. Research In Higher Education, 49(8), 704-

732. doi:10.1007/s11162-008-9100-0

Broadbridge, A. (1996). Academic advising--traditional or developmental approaches?: Student

perspectives. British Journal Of Guidance & Counselling, 24(1), 97.

Phillips, E. D. (2013). Improving Advising Using Technology and Data Analytics. Change,

45(1), 48-55. doi:10.1080/00091383.2013.749151

SANDOVAL-LUCERO, E., MAES, J. B., & KLINGSMITH, L. (2014). AFRICAN

AMERICAN AND LATINA(O) COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS' SOCIAL

CAPITAL AND STUDENT SUCCESS. College Student Journal, 48(3), 522-533.

final paper persuasive campaign

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