Human Biology & Pre-Health Advisor
Training Manual
A comprehensive training manual and workbook to effectively onboard new
Human Biology and Pre-Health Advisors
The Project
As a new supervisor, I was tasked with the hiring and training of two new academic advisors for the Human Biology and Pre-Health advising team. In past trainings, new staff were required to shadow experienced advisors and practice creating academic plans on their own, which were reviewed and checked over by their supervisor. Policy information was not clearly explained and often acquired only when an issue related to the policy arose in the course of their work. To improve the training process, I created an interactive training manual that provides an overview of their position, major and university-wide policies, and academic planning samples and practice sheets. The manual also includes a checklist and links to a university-level training series to provide the new advisor with a broader and more comprehensive learning experience. I used Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat to create and edit the manual, Heyzine Flipbooks to provide an interactive element to the manual, and Storyset to customize images that were incorporated throughout the manual.
The Process
User Analysis
To create the Human Biology & Pre-Health Training Manual, I began with my own experience as an advisor and selected knowledge and skills that a new advisor should know as soon as possible. I also interviewed our newest hires who had less than three years of experience in order to obtain insight on what they felt were gaps in their initial training. Understanding university-wide policies and how to create an accurate academic plan were frequently mentioned and were important to include in the manual. I also obtained feedback directly from my supervisor on what to include in the manual since she has over 15 years of experience at the university and in advising. My supervisor served as a subject matter expert (SME) and provided more in-depth knowledge on policies that directly affect our advisors and student population.
Outlining
After obtaining feedback from our newest hires to our most experienced advisors, I began creating an outline/text wireframe to determine how the content of the manual would be laid out. The outline helped to create a structure and a table of contents that were later hyperlinked to different sections of the manual for ease of use. Initially, the outline was created as a training timeline, attaching what information should be learned each week throughout the first 4-6 weeks on the job. By understanding how soon information should be learned with the training timeline, I could more easily organize the contents of the manual into a specific order.
After creating the outline, I began writing the content for each section. Much of the text added into the manual was from readily available resources, such as the Human Biology Curriculum Guide, and included steps for adding a major, university policies, and key websites. My main goal was to put information from many different resources into a single, easy-to-navigate reference guide. I kept text in the manual clear nad concise, and included hyperlinks to university webpages that provided more in-depth information. I created tables for the professional school prerequisite pages and the human biology academic plan samples to simulate how the advisor would write out an academic plan when meeting with their students. Practice academic planning worksheets were included to provide the advisor with on-the-job scenarios which apply directly to what they are learning.
Style Guide
The style of the manual needed to be consistent with MSU colors, which are green and white. I used two levels of green, a deeper shade for headings (#0B9A6D) and a lighter shade to be incorporated into graphics (#6BC2A8). Text color was white for headings (#FFFFFF) and black (#000000) for body text and subheadings. Graphics from Storyset were used as the color theme could be easily incorporated. Graphics help to break up text and improve the visual experience for the new advisor. Heading fonts (Montserrat) are aligned closest to MSU branding text, and the body text (Calibri) is simple and clean.
Integrating Interactive Elements
The guide was written fully in Microsoft Word, with images added as well. Microsoft Word was the best program for creating a text-heavy resource. Headings were also created in the appropriate order for accessibility standards, specifically for screen readers. Once complete, the Word Document was published as a PDF so that the integrity of the guide was maintained and not easily changed. I created a title page in Canva that included text, colors, and graphics inline with the rest of the manual, which was then added directly to the PDF. To make the final product have an optional interactive element, I uploaded the PDF version to Heyzine Flipbooks. Now, the guide includes digital pages that include sound and can be manipulated by the user. This may not be the most effective tool for accessibility concerns, but a fun option if a user is looking for something more interactive.
Feedback
Throughout the project and primarily during the outline stage, I obtained feedback from both my supervisor/SME and the newest academic advisors to ensure the manual provides the knowledge and skills advisors require to perform their job effectively. Feedback was provided directly in the word document, and upon completion of the manual I had a final review conducted by all stakeholders involved. After the two new advisors were hired and completed their initial training during the first 4 weeks on the job, I asked for their feedback and to highlight any gaps in the training that was not being filled by the manual or university-wide training courses. The manual was given strong praise for its detail, but reviewers recommended that it incorporate more shadowing opportunities with established advisors and have a clearer timeline. Such feedback is essential to making continuous improvements to the new advisor training.
Making a training manual requires the input of many stakeholders with a range of experience. The newest hires can give a more recent perspective on what they wish they had received in their training, while experts with extensive time in the field can provide guidance on incorporating policy and curriculum information. I found that in creating this guide, simplifying content and focusing on a few key points improved the reading experience. Mirroring what an advisor will be experiencing on the job offers essential opportunities for practice and application, helping the new advisor feel more comfortable with their job requirements when first taking on advising appointments. There is some limitation in the interactivity of this guide, but opportunities to observe colleagues, visits to different department offices on campus, and integrating into campus life can help the new advisor feel more confident in their role. I also think this guide could be made into an online course using Articulate Storyline in the near future.