Preconference Workshops

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

You can sign up for Preconference Workshops while registering for the conference. If you have already registered for the conference and would like to add a Preconference Workshop or the First-Timers Orientation and Luncheon, you can log back in and add it to your registration. Please follow these steps.

 

P1: Life Design: Advising and Coaching Students Through Change, Transition, and Decision-Making

8-11 a.m. | Cost: $70
Quentin Alexander | James Madison University
Locksley Knibbs | Florida Gulf Coast University
Shantalea Johns | Wayne State University
Erica Brown-Meredith | Norfolk State University

This preconference workshop aims to provide academic advisors with knowledge and practical skills to incorporate the Life Design Framework into their advising practices. This framework will assist students with decision-making processes about their future, particularly those from vulnerable. Life Design is a human-centered problem-solving methodology that provides a set of mental frameworks and mindsets students can apply to navigate the change and transition they experience in life. Advisors accept the challenge of ushering students through higher education by encouraging their development to make decisions about their future. However, rarely are we given a plan to help students navigate this process. The Life Design methodology offers advisors an opportunity to teach students a methodology that helps them find purpose in their decision-making process, adopt a plan, and map out the future they desire. This preconference will include lecture, hands-on activities, group discussions, and reflective interactions. Take aways include understanding the Life Design method and action plans for implementation. This is a high-participation workshop.

P2: Job Search Bootcamp

8-11 a.m. | Cost: Free, registration required.
Presenters TBD

Are you less than a year from finishing your graduate school program or new to the profession? Are you getting ready to enter the job market? Do you want to learn more about how to navigate the nuances associated with a job search? Then our job search boot camp is for you! Join this FREE preconference workshop and learn more about how to prepare for your impending job search. We will offer self-assessments, critique your cover letter and resume, conduct mock interviews, and explore other factors to help you conduct a successful job search.

P3: From Data to Dialogue: Harnessing Automation and AI for Personalized Academic Support

9-11 a.m. | Cost: $50
April Newcomer | Virginia Tech 
James Newcomer | Virginia Tech 


Automation is the use of machines or software to perform tasks automatically without human interference. Almost every field - from fast food to finance - increasingly uses automation; advising is no exception. Automation is not a replacement for advisors; it is an augmentation, doing the prescriptive parts of advising so that advisors can focus on the more developmental and holistic aspects of their practice. This session will focus on specific ways that tools like Google Workspace and generative AI can be deployed by advisors to make their work easier and their time more productive. Attendees will see a spectrum of examples, from simple solutions they can implement right away to complex systems that show what is possible with time and effort. Easy-to-follow samples of code will be made available, and we will workshop specific applications in real time using generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Replit.

P4: Maximize Your NACADA Membership and Your Conference Experience

11 a.m.-noon | Cost: free, registration required

All participants are invited to discover the opportunities to maximize their membership experience. Through activity and discussion, attendees will learn more about the resources and leadership opportunities available within NACADA and the divisions that make up the association's structure.

In this session, participants will acquire ideas for making the most of their conference experience. NACADA leaders will help guide the conversation to inform all participants of the numerous pathways available to take full advantage of their NACADA membership. Join the discussion to discover how you'll get the most out of your NACADA experience and network with colleagues.

First-Timers Orientation and Networking Luncheon

noon-1:30 p.m. | Cost: $50

For this special event, we have designed a short presentation, followed by some guided networking activities for our first-time attendees while they enjoy lunch with their colleagues before the opening session and keynote.