Faculty members discussed their roles as teachers and advisors on Monday as part of the Teaching and Learning Circle, “Teaching a Class of One: Intersections of Teaching and Advising.”

The discussion centered on problems commonly faced by advisers and methods that were effective in their roles as teachers outside the classroom.

Many of the participating members stressed that while e-mail is a useful tool for advising, the real work is best done through face-to-face meetings.

“You can’t do advising totally online” said Susan Yager, associate director of the Center for Teaching Excellence.

The group read and discussed the article “Educating the Whole Person,” by Robert M. Berdahl, former president of the University of Texas at Austin.

One of the topics discussed was the immense workloads placed on advisers, as many of the group members have hundreds of students to advise.

Different approaches are often needed for different students; some need to be pushed while others need to be reined in, some questions can be answered via e-mail but others require lengthy meetings.

“One adviser may have eight or ten roles a day,” Yager said.

Another point stressed by the panel was the importance of faculty-student contacts. The group members described to each other how advisers serve as a bridge between the student and the institution.

“Often we’re the main contact a student has with the faculty,” said Amy Bartachek, adviser in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Advisers often put themselves in the student’s shoes and draw lessons from their own experiences with advisers when they were in college.

“This is a rare opportunity, something that challenges us to be better at our jobs,” said Beverly Madden, director of Career Planning and Placement Services.

“There’s a real synergism you get when you get all these people together. It helps clarify what you believe in,” said Vicky Thorland-Oster, coordinator of Undergraduate Student Services for the electrical and computer engineering department.

“This is our learning outside the office,” said Bartachek.