How can a student reach this point in the program without meeting the basic admission requirements? If we permit students to begin taking education classes, where is the line drawn beyond which the student cannot enroll in additional courses without meeting admission requirements? Do we, as advisors and educators, have a responsibility to help students meet the admission requirements? What approaches have been utilized and how effective are these strategies?

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major choice, stress, teacher education, advising approaches, Lee Kem, advising strategy, career counseling

Intrusive Advising involves proactive interactions with students, with the intention of connecting with them before a situation occurs that cannot be fixed. Intrusive Advising is not “hand-holding” or parenting, but rather active concern for students’ academic preparation; it is a willingness to assist students in exploring services and programs to improve skills and increase academic motivation (Upcraft & Kramer, 1995).

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intrusive advising, proactive advising, communication, collaboration, build relationships, role of advisor, at-risk students, Jennifer Varney, advising theory, advising approaches, encouraging students, advising philosophy, advising strategy, rapport

As contemporary higher education continues to strive to become a place where historically underserved students are affirmed as a part of the institutional priorities, it is important to think about how social justice ideology can be applied at the ground level in individual advising sessions and group outreach

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advisor competencies, cultural differences, advising strategy, Robin Arnsperger Selzer, Janelle Ellis Rouse

Conversational advising is an advising pedagogy in which the advisor foregoes an authoritative position, and, by doing so, actively creates a learning space where knowledge about each student and his or her unique academic and career plan can be discovered through conversation.

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rapport, role of advisor, advising strategy, rapport, Trevor Francis, advising approaches, build relationships, reflection

Just because we have become expects at what we do, we shouldn’t lose the energy and excitement we felt when we began!

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Kristina Allemand, advising strategy

This article describes a model that merges faculty and advisor talent to support student success in a large, upper-division lecture setting.  Through this blending of expertise, advising and student development content and objectives are embedded in the academic curriculum, resulting in an improved and dynamic classroom environment and stronger working relationships across disciplinary lines.

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collaboration, advising strategy, Olga Salinas, Jamie Jensen, Uwe Reischl

Advisors use dozens of tools to aid students, including advising styles, recommendations, curricula, academic coaching, and more.  Any one of these may be appropriate with different students, or with the same students at different times.  But when advisors’ roles can include teaching, reviewing a checklist, making referrals, and more, how does the advisor know when to use which tool, when to offer a checklist, and when to engage in behavior counseling?

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NACADA, Academic Advising Today, academic advising, advising strategy, advising approaches, build relationships, active listening, Ann Lieberman Colgan

Each year the question of whether or not to implement mandatory advising seems to surface across a variety of venues and mailing lists.  In addressing this question, campuses must be able to answer other questions about how they meet student needs.  When campuses pose an essential outcomes-based question, they strengthen their ability to conceive the most integrative and holistic solutions for ensuring that students can achieve desired advising outcomes.  

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academic support, advising strategy, persistence, communication, encouraging students, advising theory, role of advisor, advising approaches, build relationships, student motivation, advising environment, graduation rates, preparedness, teaching strategy

Often times, campus trainings tend to focus primarily on informational components; reviewing policies, procedures, and resources.  Although informational aspects of advising carry a lot of importance, to ignore any one component places the effectiveness of an advising program in jeopardy. Therefore, any academic advising training must give proper credence to each of three key components in order to be effective: informational, conceptual, and relational.  The importance of each should be reflected in on-going training and development programs.

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Kyle Bures, professionalism, professional development, advising strategy, technology, research, institutional climate, advising training