The “cafeteria model” of course selection and academic planning has long been a tradition in higher education and can complicate the advising experience. The cafeteria model is meant to offer students choice, but it can also lead to excess credit accumulation, longer time to completion, and negative outcomes for students. Harrisburg Area Community College has demonstrated positive outcomes by deconstructing the cafeteria model in favor of a more focused and intentional model of educational planning that builds relationships - student-to-advisor as well as colleague-to-colleague.
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This article describes Sacred Heart University's Hispanic Adult Achievers Program, a program established to address the unique educational needs of Latinos who have immigrated to the United States as adults. The article includes student achievement and retention data, as well as a brief discussion of the advising and retention strategies used.
The purpose of this article is to inform academic advisors about study away options, share the benefits of participating in study away programs, and give advisors tips on how best to promote study away programs to students.
Why are some students and advisors energized by the challenges of the constantly changing world of higher education and life—swimmers—while others, when faced with similar situations, become frustrated and discouraged—sinkers?
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?
Successful engagement in strong communication, problem-solving, and rapport-building skills – those critical to the relational component of advising – requires emotional intelligence. Without it, advising is little more than authoritative information dissemination.
As the field of advising continues to grow, many students may look to peer advisor programs to explore potential pathways or to even start their career; support, guidance, and training are needed for these students as they transition into professional advising roles.
Growing up in a small town environment can result in a steep learning curve when stepping out into the wider world…
Multi-campus institutions have the complex task of providing advising services to meet the needs of their varying student populations. Creating a campus-wide framework for advising services across all campuses can be challenging, especially when resources are limited, campus cultures are different, and there is a considerable amount of distance between campuses.
There is much debate in the academic advising community regarding the efficacy (or even possibility) of a unifying theory of academic advising.
If one of the primary goals of academic advising is to get beyond learner engagement and into the realm of empowerment, then that also must be a focus of our assessment.
Barriers for new advisors seeking to engage in professional development include time, justification, venue, and cost. Reducing these barriers supports robust professional development of new academic advisors, enlivening staff and creating learning and mentoring connections across campus, between institutions, and within the profession.
Helping high-achieving students develop the skills required to set a steady, productive pace while maintaining a sustainable workload is the most valuable lesson advisors can impart on this population.
Thinking creatively about how to help students can be energizing.
Complete editions of AAT are provided to facilitate one-touch capability, but readers are encouraged to view the individual articles and provide feedback to authors.
Amidst the chaos of an epochal tragedy, the author gained clarity about the purpose of their work. Advising is a contribution to the common good, and advisors prepare students to contribute to the common good in numerous ways.
The use of vector to explain a structure that carries, delivers, or directs us to information (of any type) is especially suitable to advising during a time of uncertainty that requires adaptability and the ability to both anticipate and manage change.
In times of great uncertainty, one could argue that advising has never been more important as a platform to help students clarify educational choices, navigate the academic quagmire of academic policies, and to keep students engaged with their programs and university.
Policies help students, parents, faculty, and staff understand the institution’s values and how those principles are employed in everyday operations. The author discusses a model that can be used when developing policies in academic advising and student success.
Onboarding is an opportunity for employers to teach skills, share information, and outline behaviors that will set the new hire on a path toward job success.
Inequities in education were exacerbated through the year 2020 and this trend continues in 2021. Global disparities in internet access and availability of electronic equipment needed for virtual education are escalating the existing racial disparities in education that are compounded by economic and regional pressures and family obligations. It is imperative that institutions and communities look for solutions to reduce these emergent disparities created over the last year and a half to find solutions and provide targeted support for diverse students.
Effective student support at undergraduate institutions requires multidisciplinary personnel, expansive resources, an accurate understanding of students’ academic needs, and a holistic approach to student wellness. Grounded in the near-peer model, Academic Coaching at Brown provides individual guidance to undergraduate students through peer leaders—referred to as coaches—through a comprehensive, student-centered approach.
Universities and advisors cannot eliminate all barriers for all students who desire to study abroad, but they can help students overcome their individual concerns. How can advisors support students’ study abroad decisions?
Despite many challenges, the pandemic has bulldozed a path for innovative practices that has shaped the future of advising and has changed the way we work for the foreseeable future. Life after the pandemic will undoubtedly take new forms and involve the continued use of educational technology. The advising community should prepare for continued shifts to accommodate busy students accustomed to virtual platforms.
While some academic advisors remain at one institution, many professionals inevitably move to another institution throughout their careers. Whether it be for monetary, family, or other reasons, it is often necessary to make the leap. Many advising roles have some similarities regarding registration, graduation, and orientation. However, there are many subtle but significant differences that can be taken into consideration when looking for a new academic advising position. In this article, authors who have advised at multiple institutions explore the differences that can be seen from one institution to another and examine what to consider while searching for a new advising position. This includes advising structures, office dynamics, salary and benefits, and campus culture.
Academic Core Advising is a hub-and-spoke model of academic advising that incorporates professional academic advising, faculty mentoring, and staff support to reduce student barriers and improve student success. This article details the need for advising shifts at a mid-size, public, flagship institution. Discussion includes the process for change, success of the model thus far, and hopes for continued success in the future.
