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Over the past four years, over one million veterans and their dependents have enrolled in colleges and universities across the country, and there are many more to come… This unique group faces many challenges that are different from those of a more typical college student… Advisors can help with the transition into college life by addressing key aspects of the relationship of advisor to student.
Ethics in academic advising has been widely addressed in the higher education field, with authors arguing that all advisors should behave in an ethical manner. However, most literature does not explicitly address issues of integrity as related to the academic advisor.
How can academic advisors and learning strategists contribute to and have an impact on academic integrity (AI) discussions? The purpose of this article is to examine ways in which advisors can integrate this value in their interaction with students and play an important role in promoting academic honesty.
The steps detailed in this article have led to great improvement in the overall functioning of The Neighborhood Academy’s advising program, as well as commensurate improvement in student performance and the culture of the school. It is hoped that our journey may, in some way, assist others in their efforts.
Adult students need to be considered in the big picture of campus culture, and I think my initial hesitancy in working with them parallels common misconceptions about adult students and their place in higher education. This outdated view is quickly being established as antiquated as universities are institutionalizing policies and creating spaces to support all students… Here are five critical lessons I have learned about this ever-important, rising student population.
Undeclared, undecided, exploratory: whatever we call it, students often feel pressured to “be” a major, make a decision, clear a clean and direct path to a career, and become what they were “meant to be”… As advisors guide their advisees throughout the process of declaring a major, it can be helpful to ask the right questions, as well as be a source of support.
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We must put a student experience in place at every institution that demonstrates the value of higher education. Institutions around the globe are researching best practices for student success, retention, and completion… How will advisors lead effective change to enhance the role of advising, meet student enrollment goals, and help students realize their educational and career goals?
Could we not, if we really wanted to, "reinvent" college? Could we create a completely new model that more efficiently deployed the resources presently allocated to what students really need and want?
This article is meant to inform readers about national education equity, laws, and proposed legislation pertaining to undocumented students, as well as provide insight into some of the experiences of this population.
A college administrator discusses the skills that are essential to success in higher education.
Just because we have become expects at what we do, we shouldn’t lose the energy and excitement we felt when we began!
Advising has influenced how I teach. After three years of ongoing advising sessions with approximately 500 advisees, I can no longer write a syllabus, assign a reading or writing assignment, or even step into a classroom without thinking of comments students have shared…
I came to realize, as I had not before, that advising is a form of teaching, that I could draw on my decades in the classroom. In all teaching, we need to find out where learning should begin; now I was learning about the students in a different context….
Each fall semester for the last six years, our centralized Academic Advising and Planning Center has organized ART MATTERS: A Student Art Exhibition. Our interest in this exhibition developed from an appreciation of the creativity of our students, many of whom come from diverse majors and have wide-ranging career aspirations. Our show is open and inclusive: we accept art from any student, any major, any medium. Our open exhibition acceptance policy demonstrates our non-judgmental philosophy and our commitment to celebrating diversity.
Texting has proven to be a successful correspondence tool in building trust, reliability and confidence in the advisor-student relationship. The advantages plus the simple, adaptable solutions to its short list of cons makes it a favorite form of communication among advisors and students. Texting is one of many proactive advising resources TAMUK Center for Student Success advisors offer that continue to aid in creating a student success-oriented environment with booming graduation and retention rates.
Advising records need to be updated constantly. They also need to be shared, not only between students and advisors but also with the program directors and the department chair for graduation clearance. Students need autonomy to update their own advising sheets according to their academic progress, while the accuracy and integrity of the records should be maintained. This presents a big challenge for updating and sharing.
Professional associations like NACADA provide a forum for doctoral students to seek out mentors who will not only support but further their careers. Doctoral students within NACADA have connected in a variety of ways to share their journeys through coursework, research, and dissertation completion.
A key tool in facilitating dialogue among faculty, students, and advisors is an effective early alert process, which provides a communication channel among the three parties.
A high-touch, multi-faceted approach coordinated by the Counseling & Career Center at Grand Rapids Community College provides opportunity for students to connect with faculty and staff. Resources are emphasized by a variety of college personnel, and students begin to feel empowered to make positive changes in their academic standing rather than viewing probation as a punitive measure. This difference in perception is the beginning of the path to academic success.
Academic advisors at access institutions whose missions, in part, are to break the cycle of poverty, often encounter root causes of social problems in their student populations. One challenge that affects retention and graduation rates is unplanned pregnancy in college students. The key to breaking the cycle and providing better chances of positive outcomes is to design institution-appropriate interventions that effect change.
Presenting at a NACADA event is a very rewarding experience, but it can also be a little stressful. The author shares tips for a presenting a successful conference session.
Assessment is an integral part of the puzzle that connects what we do in our role as academic advisors. When we assess our departments, our students, and ourselves at our institutions, we are getting at the crux of the matter and opening ourselves up to a new conversation.
