The History and Organization of Academic Advising

The History and Organization of Academic Advising Dr. Nancy King Kennesaw State University The Global Community for Academic Advising

The History and Organization of Advising 1. What are they? 2. Why are they important? 3. What must we do to get the most out of them?

Perspective on Advising “Good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience.” Richard Light, Making the Most of College, 2001

Potential of Advising “Academic advising is the only structured activity on the campus in which all students have the opportunity for an on-going, one-on-one interaction with a concerned representative of the institution.” Wes Habley

Let’s Take a Trip Down Memory Lane

We begin in medieval times when a preceptor imparted his knowledge to students

The Year Was 1636 An early brochure of Harvard College justified its existence: "To advance Learning and perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches.“ Although many of its early graduates became ministers in Puritan congregations throughout New England, the College was never formally affiliated with a specific religious denomination.

It is now the1880sand the first formal advising program is established at Johns Hopkins

The Year Was 1953 “Advising is a process with a long and dignified history in colleges and universities . . . involving, as often does, tedious clerical work combined with hit and run conferences with students on curricula. It is a most cordially hated activity by the majority of college teachers.” M S. Maclean, Personnel and Guidance Journal

And in 1960 . . .Prescriptive advising “The task of advising is concentrated in the opening days of registration and enrollment and consists of aiding students in the selection of courses.” Asa Knowles, Handbook of College and University Administrators

The 1970s and Developmental Advising Advising is “concerned with not only the specific personal or vocational decision but with facilitating the student’s rational processes, environmental and interpersonal interactions, behavioral awareness, and problem-solving, decision-making and evaluation skills.” Burns Crookston

Or try this 1984 definition “A systematic process based on a close student-advisor relationship intended to aid students in achieving educational, career, and personal goals through the use of the full range of institutional and community resources.” Winston, Miller, Ender, and Grites

In the 1970s and 80s, Developmental Advising: • Became a dominant advising paradigm • Extended advising beyond mere scheduling • Drew on student development theory • Emphasized individual student growth • Emphasized shared responsibility

A new approach ~A new focus “An excellent advisor does the same for the student’s entire curriculum that the excellent teacher does for one course.” Marc Lowenstein, 2005

NACADA Definition of Advising http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/definitions.htm • Multi-dimensional and intentional • Grounded in teaching and learning • Has its own purpose and content • Has specified outcomes for student learning

Focus on the advisee as learner What is it we want our students to demonstrate they • Know • Are able to do • Value and appreciate As a result of academic advising?

Advising as Teaching and Learning We want students. . . • To value the learning process • To apply decision-making strategies • To put the college experience into perspective • To set priorities and evaluate events • To develop thinking and learning skills • To make choices NACADA Core Values

Academic Advising (as with the academic curriculum) should promote student learning and development by encouraging experiences that lead to: • Intellectual growth • The ability to communicate effectively • Leadership development • The ability to work independently and collaboratively • Appropriate career choices Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education

It’s WAY beyond rocket science

“College is more than a collection of courses or a ticket to a trade.” • Exploration of educational and career goals • Exploration of life goals • Selection of an academic direction • Selection of classes • Scheduling of classes

Students are NOT customers! Students, unlike customers, are not always right. The role of the teacher/advisor is to produce “benign disruption” or “cognitive dissonance.” I told you I needed an “A” on my history exam.

At the heart of advising isthe art of conversation Definition: “The art of conversation is the ability to create a dialogue that others will willingly join.”

Knowing the language is essential to conversation “You cannot enter any world for which you do not have the language.” Wittgenstein

Three Basic Types of Conversations Advisors Have with Students • Conversations that are informational: • University policies and procedures • Requirements • Important dates and deadlines • Programs of study All too often advising conversations stop here and do not progress to the next two types.

Conversations about the individual student • Core values • Aptitudes/interests • Strengths • Areas for improvement (study skills, time managements, e.g.) • Level of involvement in the life of the institution

Conversations about the future • Goal setting and helping them answer questions: • What do I want my future to be? (career and personal life) • What steps do I need to make this future a reality? • How am I changing as a result of my education?

When you ask around. . . . What does good advising involve? The power of relationships with the advisor and with the faculty (get to know a faculty member reasonably well)

It also means. . . . Making connections between advising and students’ personal lives “At key points in their college years, an academic advisor asked questions, or posed a challenge that forced students to think about the relationship of their academic work and to their personal lives.” Richard Light, 2001

It’s More than Scheduling Advising conversations that extend beyond course selection, scheduling, and registration into “Bigger Ideas” are those that students find most helpful and that contribute to student persistence.

“Advising is viewed as a way to connect students to the campus and help them feel that someone is looking out for them.” George Kuh Student Success in College

Ask the What, Why and How Questions • Why are you at this college/university? • What exactly do you mean by “a great education”? • Why do you want to major in English, in Accounting, in Political Science? • How could joining a campus organization help you meet your personal and career goals? • What kinds of electives would be a good supplement to your education?

Why Students Leave • Academic boredom • Personal reasons • Academic under- preparedness • Uncertainty about major/career • Transition/adjustment difficulties • Failure to connect with the institution

Advising and Retention “Effective retention programs have come to understand that academic advising is at the very core of successful institutional efforts to educate and retain students.” Vincent Tinto Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition

Retention Is Related to • Excellent classroom instruction and student interaction with faculty • Caring attitude of faculty and staff Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

And. . . . • The level and quality of student interaction with their peers through, e.g., learning communities, extracurricular activities, collaborations between academic affairs and student affairs • Early intervention • Assistance with external pressures both personal and financial

Students bonding with an institution • Faculty and professional advisors having an understanding of the principles of human learning and development • Advisors assisting students in developing realistic expectations.

Wes Habley once famously said “Academic advising provides assistance in mediating the dissonance between student expectations and the realities of the educational experience.”

Advising that contributes to student success and retention. . . • Is a student-centered process focused on teaching and learning • Facilitates behavioral awareness and problem-solving, decision-making and evaluation skills • Encourages both short- and long-term goal setting • Makes students feel they matter • Stresses a shared responsibility with students making decisions for themselves

Graduation Rate Outcomes Study • No one “magic bullet” guarantees success in retention, persistence, and graduation rates. • Success, instead, means carefully reading the campus culture, aligning people and programs and making a collective commitment to be in it for the long haul. AASCU, Student Success in State Colleges and Universities

The Premises Academic Advising is central to the delivery of services to students “Advising should be at the core of the institution’s educational mission rather than layered on as a service.” Robert Berdahl, New Directions for Teaching and Learning

The Models Congruence between the mission and the organization of advising is key to the successful delivery of advising services. There is no one best model. All are potentially effective for the delivery of advising services, depending on the organizational context. C. F. Pardee

Organizational Models for Academic Advising • Decentralized • Centralized • Shared

Decentralized—Faculty Only Model Student Faculty

Decentralized—Satellite Model Student A Academic Sub-unit Advising Office Student B Academic Sub-unit Advising office

Centralized—Self-Contained Model Student A Advising Student B Office

Shared—Supplementary Model Advising Office Student Faculty

Shared—Split Model Student A Advising Academic Office Sub-unit Student BAcademic Sub-unit

Shared—Dual Model Faculty Advising Office

Shared—Total Intake Model Student Advising Office Academic Sub-Unit

The History and Organization of Academic Advising