Running Head: FINAL PROJECT

Final Project
Meghan Birdsey
EDU 510
Dr. Mary Mills

Final Project
Analysis and Application
Mental
Representations
Logic:
When making a
decision or
problem solving
using logic, one
uses the
information at
hand to make their
decision. This
decision is based
off of cause and
effect from past
experiences

Example
When speaking to
potential students
an Admissions
Counselor is able
to form an opinion
of a student based
off of the initial
conversation.
There are many
factors that are
taken into account
when forming this
opinion that will
later be used in a
recommendation.
In one case, a
student may say
that they had
trouble adhering
to deadlines and
staying focused in
their previous
educational
experiences. This
would lead an
Admissions
Counselor to
believe that this
student would not
do well in an
online accelerated
degree program.

Perkins
Principles
The principle
that can be
applied to this
mental
representation is
playing the
hidden game.

Improvement
s
When on the
phone with
students,
Admissions
Counselors
have a motive
behind
everything
they talk to the
student about.
The
conversation is
set up in a
strategic way
to learn more
about the
student. This
allows an AC
to determine
whether or not
the student is
qualified for
the program.
Admissions
Counselors
work very hard
at this process
to ensure that
students are
not stressed
about the
conversation.
ACs attempt
to make the
interview
process into a
simple
conversation
that allows the
student to trust
and open up to
them. During

Instructional
Strategies
In order to train
an Admissions
Counselor to
have this logical
understanding of
students and the
many different
backgrounds they
may encounter it
is important to go
over many
different
scenarios. In this
case, trainees
will be taught
many if-then
scenarios.
Admissions
Counselors will
also learn as they
proceed in their
position, they
will learn some
if-then scenarios
themselves and
will be able to
respond
automatically. It
is important to
maintain
consistency
throughout the
admissions
department;
therefore these
common
scenarios will be
reviewed with all
Admissions
Counselors. This
process also
allows for

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this process,
ACs learn
about the
academic
background of
their student
among other
things.
Logically, if a
student has not
completed high
school or a
GED they
cannot move
forward with
the admissions
process.

Rules:
When someone is
presented with a
problem they may
use a set of
standards to react.
These guidelines
are set in stone
and must be
followed.

In order to remain
consistent and to
ensure students
are qualified for
their degree
program of choice
Admissions
Counselors must
follow a certain
set of materials
when speaking to
students. This is
non negotiable
and helps to make
sure that the
student has all of
the information
provided and the
Admissions
Counselor has
ensured that this
student will be
successful in this
program. If this

The principle
that can be
applied is play
the whole game.

Unfortunately,
in any job
there are
people who
take short cuts
to meet their
goals. These
short cuts are
not in the best
interest of the
company or
the student. In
order to
properly serve
our students
and maintain
university
standards,
Admissions
Counselors
need to play
the whole
game. If these
rules are not

Admissions
Counselors to
gain students
trust and make a
connection. This
connection helps
to build a
relationship
between
Admissions
Counselor and
student. Going
back to school
can be a
somewhat scary
process, having
someone to
confide in and
ask questions is
extremely
beneficial to the
student.
In further
training of
Admissions
Counselors, this
set of standards
will be reviewed
and the trainees
will be tested on
the material. It is
of the utmost
importance that
new employees
are well versed in
the schools
mission and
standards. If a
current employee
is not
understanding of
this process or is
struggling they
will be worked
with individually
to ensure that the

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Concepts:
During the
decision making
process one may
refer to a general
idea in order to
move forward.
This idea will help
to shape the
understanding of
the problem.

set of standards is
not followed there
will be
consequences. For
example, during a
conversation with
a student an
Admissions
Counselor must
make sure to go
over four
verification
statement in order
to make sure that
the student has a
full understanding
of their
conversation and
is also
understanding of
the potential
commitment.
For an
organization to run
smoothly it is
important for each
department to
have a general
understanding of
other departments.
These concepts
are formed based
off of each
departments role
and behavior with
students.

followed,
students are
enrolled who
are not
qualified for
the program.
This not only
has negative
affects on the
student but
also the
university. This
type of student
is at risk for
earning
unearned Fs
because they
do not commit
to their
coursework.
The principle
applied to this
mental
representation is
working on the
hard pasts.

Too often, it is
easy for
departments to
place blame on
each other.
This is due to
lack of
understanding
of each
departments
role within the
university.
Acts such as
placing blame,
and not
following the
proper
processes that
coincide with
other
departments
creates a toxic
environment
for both

admissions
process is being
properly
conducted and
they are playing
the whole game.

One way an
organization can
ensure that
employees know
the concepts of
each
departments role
is to offer a
shadow program.
During the
training process,
a new employee
will shadow a
member of a
supporting
department. This
will help to see
what everyones
day to day is like.
In the future, this
will help to better
assist students
who may not
know who to

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Analogies/Cases:
This mental
representation
uses comparisons
in order to
problem solve.
The comparisons
will help to find
the similarities
between what is
being compared.

Being an
Admissions
Counselor requires
many different
factors. This
position is not just
selling a school
but also relating to
a student. In many
conversations, if
an Admissions
Counselor is able
to relate a part of
their life or
education to a
student this helps
the student to not
only feel more
comfortable
during the
conversation but
also to see how
school is a good
option for them.
For example, if a
student begins
talking about
working as a
server, the
Admissions
Counselor who
also worked as a
server will be able

The principle
that can be
applied to this
representation is
playing out of
town.

employees and
students. To
ensure that
each employee
has a full
understanding
of each
department,
training is
necessary to
work on the
hard parts of
this process.
The goal of
speaking to
students and
learning more
about them is
to find out
what is driving
them. Often, if
an Admissions
Counselor
relates
personal
experiences to
their students
situation this
allows them to
better
understand
what the
Admissions
Counselor is
talking about.

speak with or
what department
they need to
work with.

During training,
Admissions
Counselors will
be reminded that
it is important to
have a quality
conversation
with students.
You are human
and the student is
human, building
a rapport with a
student is one of
the most
rewarding parts
of this job. In
order to help
Admissions
Counselors to
become
comfortable with
the requirements
and remembering
to have a quality
conversation they
will participate in
role-plays with
current
Admissions
Counselors.

Final Project

Images:
A visual
representation of
an idea or
information.

to relate to that
student. This can
also be used to
show the student
the many doors
that a higher
education can
open for them.
One example of
the use of images
in an Admissions
Office is mental
imaging. When
speaking to a
student an
Admissions
Counselor aims to
find out the
students needs
and career goals.
In order to find
out this
information,
Admissions
Counselors will
ask questions such
as: Where do you
see yourself in
five years? Picture
yourself in school;
what features of a
school are most
important to you?
These questions
helps the student
to realize how
important their
goals really are as
well as exactly
what type of
program would
best fit them as a
student.
Another example
of the use of

The Perkins
principle that
can be applied
to this mental
representation is
learning from
the team.

The
admissions
department
consists of
around one
hundred
counselors. As
a team, we
learn from
each others
experiences
and mistakes.
When we are
faced with a
new situation,
comparing it to
others
experiences
can often solve
it. If a team is
doing well,
they might
take notice of
what other,
more
successful
teams are
doing to help
better their
numbers. As a
department,
Admissions
continues to be
successful by
working
together and
learning from
each other.

During training
and roles plays,
Admissions
Counselors will
be taught many
helpful questions
that help to get to
better know a
student. These
questions help
the student to
open up during
the conversation
and show where
their motivation
stems from.
Helpful emails
and graphic
resources will be
provided to
counselors for
use in their
everyday
communication
with students.

Final Project

images in an
Admissions Office
is as another
representation of
material.
Admissions is
partly a sales
position.
Counselors need
to come up with
ways to draw the
attention of
thousands of
potential students
who have shown
interest in many
different
universities.
Images are also
used to display
important
information in a
more organized
way.
Connections and Reflections
Prior to this course I had not put much thought into the way in which we reason. As an
Admissions Counselor at a university I speak with students everyday and determine whether they
would be a good fit for our program. Throughout my day I make many decisions using logic. As
you can see by reading the above information Admissions Counselors go through extensive
training before actually working with students. However, there is a lot that is not learned in this
training. For example, each student has a different situation and story, based off of the
information that this student provides you can then decide what the best action is. After working
in the admissions field for a few years now it is automatic for me to have a solution to each
students problem. This is where logic comes in. Logic is simply cause and effect, if you use

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scenario one then your result will be scenario two. This can also be applied during the interview
process. If a student is looking into school because they cannot find employment then an
Admissions Counselor may talk to the student about the many benefits of a degree, which helps
the student to decide that higher education is a good choice. Often, in my position I am forced to
make decisions regarding my students. If a student is missing appointments and not meeting
deadlines than I feel that I should not enroll that student. If this student is enrolled it is probable
that they would not make it past the first few weeks in their classes. Logic helps me to determine
this decision. In order to properly navigate in the role of an Admissions Counselor, one needs to
learn the hidden game first from training, but also from their new peers. The hidden game within
an admissions office is simply the admissions processes behind enrollment. For every school,
there are requirements to be admitted. The hidden game is making sure that each student meets
these requirements. Almost everything that people learn in school and out of school has its
hidden aspects, dimensions and layers and perspectives not apparent on the surface of the
activity. (Perkins, 2009, pg.# 134)
When having a conversation with a student, the use of images helps to effectively
communicate the many details surrounding the university. An Admissions Counselor paints a
picture of the program to the students. This is not something that an Admissions Counselor can
do right off the bat. In fact, ACs are constantly learning new ways to better communicate with
students and paint that picture. Not only do they learn from training, they also learn from each
other. Each Admissions Counselor has dealt with many different types of students. In order to
meet the needs of these students, the picture needs to be adapted to fit the information they are
looking for. Imagery can aid learning, and some metaphorical aspects of language many have
their roots in imagery. Imagery is not just visual but can also operate with other sensory

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experiences such as hearing, touch, smell, taste, pain, balance, nausea, fullness, and emotion.
(Thagard, 2014, para #4.5) I like to delve deep into their goals and motivation behind going to
school. Learning more about a student is essential in building rapport. After learning more about
the student I like to have them picture where they want to be in five years. I also have them
imagine what an ideal degree program is and explain it to me. This helps to ensure that the
student has all of the information needed in making a decision as big as enrolling in school.
Perkins principle, learning from the team has a direct hand in the use of images. On a daily basis
as an Admissions Counselor you are always learning something new. You learn from your peers,
you learn from management, and you learn from your competition (the other teams in the
department, the other schools students are considering). This process helps to improve the
admissions process and the school as a whole. Its not just those close to one that can help. In
many ways its the other team: strangers one can watch, sometimes competitors against whom
to pit a personal-best effort, sometimes even people who are not handling the matter at hand very
well. Not only might they learn from their mistakes, others can learn from their mistakes.
(Perkins, 2009, pg.# 170)
Rules aid in the many decisions and problems that I encounter on a daily basis. A set of
guidelines is provided to me but there are also unwritten rules that are used every day. One of the
most common unwritten rules is to be relaxed and simply have a conversation with our students.
While there are set guidelines for the interview and admissions process, they do not need to be
followed word for word or in a certain order. If the interview was done this way we would not be
able to make a connection with our students, we would simply sound like robots. This is just one
of many unspoken rules in my organization. This rule and the many other rules help admissions
counselors to hone in on the process and have a full understanding of it. It is important that ACs

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play the whole game. There are no short cuts in this role and as an AC it is your responsibility to
be thorough when working with your students. This ensures that we are setting our students up
for success and not enrolling students who are not qualified for the program. If an AC does not
understand the entire admissions process and the rules that revolve around that process then they
are not doing their due diligence while working with students.
Through the use of analogies I am able to build a relationship with my students and make
sure that they are fully understanding of our program and the enrollment processes. Analogies
are helpful during my conversations with students. Analogies reconcile contradictions and make
distinctions between the new image and the existing information. (Pavel, 2009, pg #9) Often,
students are nervous and intimidated by the thought of going back to school. My goal is to calm
their nerves and make them feel comfortable with this idea. It is also to get them excited for the
future. One of my favorite things to do is to talk about my experiences as a student. Comparing
myself to my student helps them to see that I am just another person and I am not intimidating.
The use of these analogies or comparisons also simplifies the information for my students. This
strategy allows me to play out of town. This Perkins principle focuses on applying outside
knowledge to the situation or learning experience. I play out of town by comparing my
experience as a student to the set up of the university I work for. This makes the idea of the
program more relatable to the student.
In my educational environment I work with primarily adults, the youngest student that I
may encounter is eighteen years old. When learning about these mental representations it was
helpful to learn about a childs use and an adults use. This information has helped me in my role
as an Admissions Counselor. Since adults have already had a lot of life experience it is a bit more
difficult for them to learn new concepts without pushing aside the knowledge that they already

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have. Children on the other hand are able to implicitly problem solve and learn due to their lack
of experience. Implicit learning is a natural and unconscious acquisition of knowledge about the
structure of the environment. (Pavel, 2009, pg# 11) Now, knowing this information I can further
help my students who are struggling with the idea of going back to school. Perkins idea of
working on the hard parts is directly related to the use of concepts. While it is harder for adults to
learn, it is not impossible. This takes motivation, dedication, and hard work. Working on the hard
parts is just that, focusing on the ideas that you have trouble with or do not understand. Not only
is this principle applied when working with students, it is also applied to the everyday procedure
that surrounds an admissions office. The department is constantly working to improve relations
between ACs and their students, and also the admissions process as a whole. This requires
taking into consideration feedback from students, supporting departments, and the ACs
themselves. As a university, each department is continuously working on the hard parts.
In any organization or business there is always room for improvement. This directly
relates to Perkins principle of working on the hard parts. In the field of education, universities
have to grow and adapt to meet the needs of the changing economy and students. Often, strategic
plans are implemented to make these changes. These strategies are based off of current data
trends. The literature on strategic planning, however, positions this activity as vital for
clarifying future directions, important for developing a coherent basis for decision-making,
necessary for establishing priorities and helpful at improving organizational performance.
(Shah, 2013) When it comes to strategic planning, in order to play the whole game, you need to
fully understand the changes that are need, the process to which you will achieve these changes,
etc. Success of strategic planning is mostly process-related: done poorly, strategic planning is
ineffective, done well, it can be a powerful tool to help universities thrive. (Dooris, 2002) While

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Perkins wrote his book based off of the principles of teaching, his ideas can be applied to many
things other than teaching. His principles have helped to better understand the set up and
processes of the university that I work at. Not only that, Perkins has given me ways to better
myself as an Admissions Counselors to help better serve my students.

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References
Houde, J. (2006) Andragogy and motivation: An examination of the principles of andragogy through two
motivation theories. North Carolina State University.
Pavel, G. (2009). Concept learning invests the possibilities of human-machine dialog: Technical report.
Knowledge Media Institute.
Perkins, D. N. (2009). Making learning whole: How the seven principles of teaching can transform
education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Shah, M. (2013). Renewing strategic planning in universities at a time of uncertainty. Perspectives:
Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 17(1), 24-29.
Thagard, Paul, "Cognitive Science", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2014
Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), retrieved from
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2014/entries/cognitive-science/>.