Faculty & Student Perspectives on Academic Advising: Implications for Practice Student Success and Retention Confe

1. Faculty & Student Perspectives on Academic Advising: Implications for PracticeStudent Success and Retention ConferenceFebruary 5, 2009 Janine M. Allen, Ph.D. Cathleen L. Smith,Ph.D. Professor of Education Professor Emerita of Psychology Portland State University Portland State University allenj@pdx.edusmithc@pdx.edu

2. Why Study Faculty & Student Perspectives on Academic Advising? • Advising often linked to retention • Student dissatisfaction is a pervasive problem • Faculty provide the bulk of academic advising to students

3. Why Study Faculty & Student Perspectives on Academic Advising? • Faculty are stereotyped as “uninterested, unskilled, and unconcerned” advisors • And the solution to student dissatisfaction is for faculty to just do more and better advising • But is this the whole story?

4. Why Study Faculty & Student Perspectives on Academic Advising? • To examine if faculty and students hold different expectations of and attitudes about advising

5. Research Questions • Do faculty and students agree on what is important in advising? • Do faculty assume responsibility for the kinds of advising they and students deem most important? • If not, are there implications for student satisfaction?

6. Method • On-line survey of instructional faculty and students • Administered during on-line registration for spring term 2006 • 171 instructional faculty responded (23.3% of population) • 733 students responded (5.4% of population)

7. Survey Instruments • Inventory of Academic Advising Functions-Student Version • Inventory of Academic Advising Functions-Faculty Version

8. Measures • How important is it for undergraduate students (you) to get this kind of advising? 1 = Not Important / 6 = Very Important • Faculty only: It is part of my responsibility to provide students with this kind of advising. 1 = Strong Disagree / 6 = Strong Agree • Students only: How satisfied are you with the advising you receive on this function? 1 = Not Satisfied / 6 = Very Satisfied

9. Advising FunctionsAcademic advising that helps students: Integration (Holistic Advising) • Connect their academic, career, and life goals (overall connect) • Choose among courses in the major that connect their academic, career, and life goals (major connect) • Choose among various general education options that connect their academic, career, and life goals (gen ed connect)

10. Advising FunctionsAcademic advising that helps students: Integration (Holistic Advising) (contd.) • Decide what kind of degree to pursue in order to connect their academic, career, and life goals (degree connect) • Choose out-of-class activities that connect their academic, career, and life go(out-of-class connect)

11. Integration: Importance1=not important 6=very important

12. Integration: Importance1=not important 6=very important

13. Integration: Importance1=not important 6=very important ***p<.001 **p<.01

14. Advising FunctionsAdvising that refers students, when they need it: Referral • To campus resources that address academic problems (referral academic) • To campus resources that address non-academic problems (referral non-academic)

15. Referral: Importance1=not important 6=very important ***p<.001 **p<.01

16. Advising FunctionsAcademic advising that: Information • Assists students with understanding how things work at this university (how things work) • Gives students accurate information about degree requirements (accurate information)

17. Information: Importance1=not important 6=very important

18. Advising FunctionsAcademic advising that: Individuation • Takes into account students' skills, abilities, and interests in helping them choose courses (skills, abilities, interests) • Includes knowing the student as an individual (know as individual)

19. Individuation: Importance1=not important 6=very important

20. Advising FunctionsAcademic advising that: Shared Responsibility • Encourages students to assume responsibility for their education by helping them develop planning, problem-solving, and decision-making skills (shared responsibility)

21. Shared Responsibility: Importance1=not important 6=very important

22. Relative Importance Ratings of Facultya=most important e=least important

23. Add the Relative Importance Ratings of Studentsa=most important f=least important

24. Relative Importance Ratings of Faculty & Studentsa=most important e,f=least important

25. Convergence on What is Most Important in Advisinga=most important e,f=least important

26. Convergence on What is Least Important In Advisinga=most important e,f=least important

27. Divergence on What is ImportantIn Advisinga=most important e,f=least important

28. Add Faculty Responsibility Ratingsa=most responsible f=least responsible

29. Convergence of Student Importance &Faculty Responsibility Ratingsa=most e,f=least

30. Convergence of Student Importance &Faculty Responsibility Ratings a=most e,f=least

31. Divergence of Student Importance & Faculty Responsibility Ratingsa=most e,f=least

32. Add Student Satisfaction Ratings a=most satisfied f=least satisfied

33. Divergence of Student Importance & Faculty Responsibility Ratings: Implications for Student Satisfaction a=most e,f=least

34. Summary of Findings • Although faculty rated 7 of the 12 advising functions higher in importance than did students, • Students and faculty were like minded on the kinds of advising that are relatively most and least important • With the exception of the two referral functions, which faculty rated as relatively more important than did students.

35. Summary of Findings • Faculty responsibility ratings were commensurate with their own importance ratings and those of students, with the exception of: • Referral Academic, which was among the functions with which students were most satisfied • How Things Work, which was among the functions with which students were least satisfied

36. Implications for Practice • Colleges and universities should provide a comprehensive set of advising functions • Faculty are not “uninterested, unskilled, and unconcerned” advisors, • But there are more demands placed upon them than they can meet

37. Implications for Practice • Faculty spend less time advising than they did in the past • Reward structure is changing faculty work life • Unintended consequences for providing good advising

38. Implications for Practice • Change reward structure? • Change how we provide academic advising to students?

39. Implications for Practice: Alternative Model for Advising • Findings support the Dual Model of academic advising • Collaboration between faculty and student affairs professionals • Uses the best each group has to offer

40. Implications for Practice: Alternative Model for Advising Faculty provide advising that • Addresses “Big Picture” concerns • Assists with curricular choices in major • Connects students to resources that address academic problems

41. Implications for Practice: Alternative Model for Advising Student Affairs professionals provide advising that: • Assists with co-curricular and other curricular choices • Connects students to resources that address non academic problems • And most importantly, helps with navigating institutional policies and procedures

42. Avoiding Pitfalls • Delineate and communicate roles and responsibilities of each advisor • Maintain open lines of communication • Collaborative training • Orient students on how to access and effectively use advising services • Accommodate undecided and transitional students

43. Implications for Practice: Universals of Advising • Regardless of who provides what kind of advising, all advising relationships should be built upon a foundation of: • Trust that the advisor will provide accurate information • Respect for student’s individuality • Shared responsibility

44. Thank you! Comments? Questions?