President's+Hosts

The President's Hosts is a committee of current students who give campus tours to prospective and new students as well as parents and visitors. They are our main client for this project.

Unfortunately, this committee has no online presence and finding concrete information on them is difficult. After meeting with the clients, this page should start to fill up with useful information that we can all use.

**Subject Matter Expert**

For the Subject Matter Expert project we observed and spoke to, Julie Levitt. Julie is a senior at Ithaca College majoring in Integrated Marketing Communications.She has been a President’s Host through the Office of Admissions since the second semester of her freshman year. When Julie originally signed up, the position was voluntary and only required giving tours to prospective students and their families. However, now that the position pays, it includes a wide range of responsibilities from giving tours, to greeting families as they arrive to the Office of Admission, to performing administrative tasks such as filing if there needs to be any done and making coffee for visitors. Despite getting paid, Julie finds this job very rewarding which is why she originally signed up when the job was voluntary. She really likes interacting with prospective students and their families, making the college process easier for them, and helping them envision themselves as Ithaca College students. The President’s Hosts, also referred to as tour guides, are a group of current students who give tours around the campus with the intention of highlighting important Ithaca College features and benefits. These tours are given to a variety of different groups including prospective students and their families, high school groups, visiting high school guidance counselors, and internal staff of Ithaca College. Currently, there is a generalized tour route which is switched up by tour guides if they feel it is necessary and there are facts which are supposed to be said at some point on the tour. Each President’s Host must undergo training before they can actively give a tour. Usually there is one six hour training day which takes place at the beginning of each semester when a new group of guides is hired. The group also meets twice a month throughout the semester during the lunch hour, where department speakers are brought in to talk about different assets of the campus. Another part of the training is to shadow three tours: one the new tour guide just follows, another is 50% done by them 50% done by the current tour guide, and the third tour they give themselves. While talking to Julie, we discovered that the system in place is not efficient in a few areas. One area is the type of evaluation the tour guides get, which is basically none. Julie has seen other President’s Hosts give tours and she told us that they probably should not still hold a position due to their lack of effective touring skills. Another issue is that tour guides know a generalized tour route with a bunch of generalized facts. It was admitted to us that facts are given at different points on tours each time they are given and Julie has even noticed herself that other guides are not giving families the right information. Lastly, the current system has a group of four student co-chairs who are responsible for getting in contact with the current tour guides if matters need to be discussed. Technically they are also the one who are supposed to evaluate them on their tours. However, evaluations are not getting done and biases are created since all the President’s Host are friendly with one another. In our Instructional Plan, we look to cover this issue by heavily incorporating the adult faculty advisers. In order to fix these problems, we came up with a standard training process that we believe will turn the President’s Hosts job into an even more powerful and efficient one.  1. Meet at Peggy Ryan Williams building. 2. Break into smaller groups of prospective students and families. 3. Take group to back patio of PRW and stop. 4. Introduce yourself: State your name Where you’re from Major Class year 5. Prospective students introduce themselves: State their name Where they’re from Potential major 6. Walk the group to Business School and walk inside: Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered State some classes offered Student resources Show classroom 7. Walk out of Business School, stop in front of Textor Hall double doors. 8. Point out Muller Chapel and talk: Say introduction to building History of building Student resources 9. Go into Textor Hall, walk through long hall way, passing by Bookstore and Mac’s. (Along the way talk about Job Hall, Friends Hall, and Textor Hall) Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered State some classes offered Student resources Show classroom 10. Walk out of doors across from Mac’s and walk toward Williams Hall, stop in front of Williams Hall: Point to and talk about Williams Hall: Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered State some classes offered Student resources Point to and talk about Center for Natural Sciences: Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered State some classes offered Student resources Show classroom
 * Task Analysis**

 11. Walk to Roy H. Park School for Communications, walk into building and down main hall way, talk: History of building Academics in building Majors offered Some classes offered Student resources Show classroom Mention Park Tours 12. Go into Philips Hall entrance and walk to the Campus Center/Pub. Stop and talk: Say introduction to building History of building Student Resources 13. Walk into Campus Center Dining Hall, stop and talk: Say introduction to building Student resources 14. Walk out back door of Campus Center, walk along the path around the fitness quad and talk about Hammond Health Center: Say introduction to building History of building Student Resources 15. Continue on path to Fitness Center and go inside, talk: Say introduction to building History of building Student Resources 16. Leave Fitness Center through front doors. Walk on path towards the staircase up to Upper Quad area. 17. Walk up stairs to Upper Quads between Hood and Holmes, stop and talk: Say introduction to buildings History of buildings Housing Options 18. Walk into Hood Hall and show model room. 19. Walk out of front door of Hood and walk towards library. 20. Go into library, stop in lobby and talk: Say introduction to building History of building Student Resources 21. Walk out back door of library and stop. 22. Point out Towers and talk: Student resources 23. Walk towards roundabout by Whalen Music School and stop in front of music school entrance: Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered Some classes offered Student resources Show classroom 24. Point out Hill Center: Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered Some classes offered Student resources Show classroom 25. Walk to the back of Center for Health Sciences: Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered Some classes offered Student resources Show classroom 26. Pass by Office of International studies: Student Resources 27. Walk out building, walk down the stairs, and stop and talk Smiddy Hall: Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered Some classes offered Student resources Show classroom 28. Walk through Dillingham to bottom floor: Say introduction to building History of building Academics in building Majors offered Some classes offered Student resources Show classroom 29. Exit through bottom door and walk back into the front of Peggy Ryan Williams. 30. Conclusion Thank you Last minute questions Contact information Send them off

**Instructional Plan** Being a President’s Host comes with a lot of responsibility, especially since it is now a paid position. The main focus of the job is to give campus tours to prospective students and their families. It is imperative that a positive image of the college is portrayed on the tour that is given. The impressions that the prospects and familes get are extremely important to the sale of the school. In order to maintain a level of excellence, the tour guide program must be standardized to ensure that all families and prospective students are receiving the same amount of information and are seeing the same important stops on campus. In order to do this, new tour guides will now be trained in a standard method through through a series of organized steps. Trainees will learn the information they need to present on tours as well as efficient skills to give a proper tour. The new tour guides will:
 * 1) Shadow a current tour guide
 * 2) Give a mock tour to Director of Admissions.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a written test.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Gain Attention** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In order to <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__gain the attention__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of the new tour guides they will need to shadow a current tour guide. In the beginning of the tour, the guide will introduce the job and present the trainees with information on what it means to be an Ithaca College President’s Host. The guide will run through aspects of the jobs as well as benefits of being a tour guide.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Inform the Learner of the Objectives** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__The learners will be informed of their objective__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s at the initial shadowing session. The objectives for the new tour guides will be:
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Complete a tour using the guidelines laid out by the Ithaca College Admissions Office, including all stopping points and the Ithaca College Tour Guide script.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The tour guide will clearly state all objectives as well as hand out a copy of what is expected.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__In order to stimulate recall of prior learning__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the trainees will be asked to remember their experiences with college campus tours. They will be asked to get into groups and verbally assess their experiences, good and bad. They will also need to discuss what aspects of their Ithaca College tour was important to them.This is an important step because it allows the trainees to relate the job back to their own lives, this will ultimately enhance their performance when they are giving tours.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Present the Stimulus Materials** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__In order to present the stimulus materials__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the trainees will shadow a current tour guide. This is the first time they will hear the required script that they are to present.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Provide Learner Guidance** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After they shadow the tour, the new guides will receive a “President’s Host Handbook.” The book will <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__provide learner guidance,__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> reinforcing what the new guides heard and saw on the shadow tour. This will also give them materials they need to study for their final exam, and mock tour.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Assess Performance** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next step in the training process will be a written exam. This will be a way to <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__assess performance__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and knowledge of the trainee. After the new tour guide has shadowed a current guide on a tour, they should know the script that is expected and all the stops on the route. In the written test, trainees will be asked to draw the campus route, accurately labeling stops in the order that is expected. The second part of the test will be a way to assess the trainees knowledge of Ithaca College facts. They will be asked to take a multiple choice test that simply tests them on factual information.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Elicit Performance,** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Enhance Retention & Transfer** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The final step in the training process will be to give a mock tour to a group consisting of the Co-Directors of Admissions who are in charge of the tour guide group and two out of the four student co-chairs. This final step will serve as a way to <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__elicit performance, and assess performance.__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is important for the trainee to practice the skills they have learned in a realistic manner. The trainee is expected to conduct the mock tour as if they were giving a live campus tour. This allows the new tour guide to <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__enhance retention__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of the material they have learned by applying it to a real life situation. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They are to act as if the group of people are students and family members. In order to do this they need to pretend that they do not know these people and introduce themselves, and ask the group to do the same. This is also a chance for the new tour guide to practice tone of voice, body language, walking backwards, and generally being friendly. Up until this point in the training process the trainee has not had the opportunity to practice human communication skills. It is the job of the employees taking the tour to <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__assess the performance__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of the trainee so that they may give feedback. The only time where the trainee and group members are to break character is when they are giving hands on <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__learner guidance.__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Although it is very important to keep the tour realistic the group giving the tour may pause to help the trainee if they are lost, or need assistance. This is an important way to teach because the new tour guide can recognize if they are doing something wrong, and the immediate guidance will help them to fix the problem. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Give Feedback** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end of the mock tour the trainee will meet with the Co-Directors of Admissions to talk face to face about their performance, how they did, and what they might need to improve. This will be a way for the Directors to <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">__give feedback.__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> At this point the Directors decide if the trainee is ready to give live Campus tours.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Evaluation** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In order to effectively evaluate the quality of the tour, each trainee will undergo both summative and formative forms of evaluation. Both of these are vital to the training process it allows for evaluation and feedback through out the training process and at the end.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> **Formative** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each new tour guide will be assessed on their level of performance on their mock tour. After giving their tour they will be asked to sit down with the Director of Admissions and discuss the tour and their performance. The trainee will be given an evaluation/check list where it clearly states how they did. There will also be questions at the end of the evaluation that touches on the over all performance of the trainee. This includes their body language, quality of voice, friendliness, etc. The discussion is necessary because besides being a process to be able to give a tour, this act is also performance based and involves human interactions. It is important for the new tour guides to be able to communicate effectively as well as give the facts to the prospects and their families. Formative evaluation is important because it allows the new tour guide to understand what they need to improve on and gives them time to fix the issues since it is given in the middle of the implementation process. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Summative** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to Director evaluations the trainee will be asked to take a written test. This will test the new guides knowledge at the end of the implementation of the new system. This test will evaluate the trainees knowledge of campus facts and the designated route. This is an important evaluation of the new tour guide’s knowledge of factual data. The test will consist of a blank campus map that the trainee will need to fill in with the exact route and each stop. This will ensure that the tour guide understands the importance of the route. They will also be asked to take a multiple choice test on the facts about the school. This is important because it is necessary for each tour guide knows all of the facts and where to say the facts. If the guides do not pass this part of the process, then they will not be able to become a President’s Host.