- Prepare for the appointment before the student comes into your office by having the Report on Appointment pulled up on your computer that way you will not forget about it while the student is there with you. You should also add “Collaborative Documentation” to the Meeting Type, so you do not forget to include it for tracking purposes.
- If you are nervous about using the method, try applying it to one style of appointment rather than every appointment, which can be overwhelming at first. For example, you can start with appointments focused on declaring a minor, so you can establish a routine, such as: talk, plan, ask the student to complete a form, create the note and ask what changes/additions they want to make, add #collaborate and save, show the student where it instantly appears in their phone app. Then, you can apply this routine to other types of appointments (i.e. majors, scheduling, transfers).
- If you and the student are planning courses to take in future semesters, include those course suggestions in your note as you are choosing courses.
- Save commonly used comments/resources in a document for copying and pasting into a note to save time. For example, when working with students who are unsure about how to schedule a class, you can paste into the note content from a ‘class search and scheduling tips’ document with common directions you typically send students when applicable.
- After an appointment, do you find that you send an email to students containing links for things to investigate further on their own? If so, you may want to consider including those links in the collaborative note with the student. Identifying and listing resources together will help reiterate to the student what the resources are and how to find them later.
- As you are showing a student an online resource, copy and paste the link into your note, so it is not forgotten later.
- At the end of the appointment, recap your notes with the student, and ask the student if they have anything to add. You can frame it as “This [OnCourse/notes] is a helpful tool for students to remember our conversation and to inform other advisors of what was discussed if they meet with someone new in the future.”
- Include the OnCourse link in your signature, so students can see it and click on it when they receive an email from you.
- If you know your students are more likely to use an app, direct students to the Ohio State app to review their advising notes (other types of notes are not available in the Ohio State app).
- Be consistent in using the technique throughout your appointments. It can feel awkward or uncomfortable at first, but you will get more comfortable the more you use it.