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Entries for 'assessment'

01

Say “assessment” to most people and they think it’s like taking cough syrup—you don’t particularly like the taste, but you know it’s good for you. As the Assessment of Advising Interest Group (AAIG) co-chairs, we’d like to change this somewhat negative view of assessment. (Those of you already on the assessment bandwagon can stop reading now.)

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research, collaboration, assessment, Michael Kirk-Kuwaye, Lynn Higa
01

In tough economic times, higher education administrators are obliged to seek cost-saving measures and/or to conduct cost-benefit analyses of programs. Academic advising programs have often been the targets for such reviews. Academic advising administrators, therefore, must be prepared to respond to these challenges before they occur.

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decision-making, research, retention, reflection, role of advisor, critical thinking, assessment, advising environment, Tom Grites
01

An advising portfolio provides a rich and diverse way to document advising expertise. Portfolio use is increasingly prevalent in higher education. Student portfolios are used to demonstrate that students have met the desired outcomes of a given major or program. Faculty use teaching portfolios to illustrate their mastery when they apply for promotion or tenure. Universities create portfolios for a number of purposes and audiences—such as accreditation or student recruitment. Portfolios provide flexibility; advisors can use both quantitative and qualitative measures and can customize their portfolio to fit their particular advising situation. So using a portfolio to document advising performance puts advisors in the mainstream of assessment activities which are becoming more demanding as well as more sophisticated in their call for accountability.

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professional development, assessment, learning outcomes, advising philosophy, advising competencies, Taye Vowell, Janet Wallett-Ortiz
01

Good assessment/evaluation can be expanded into good research. Good research should lead to even better assessment procedures. Good assessment makes use of the best conceptual and theoretical models and the best research measures or methods. With valid and reliable measures, campus-specific questions may have national implications. A phenomenon identified on your own campus may be the cutting edge for an issue of significant importance.

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assessment, Victoria McGillin, research
01

It is well known that retention of every student is simply not possible. As academic advisors we understand that, for some students, transferring or stopping-out is a legitimate strategy for attaining long term personal or professional success. Yet, on many campuses, talk of retention focuses on retaining “all” students. As a result, some colleges have developed overly-broad retention strategies that disjoint campus units and ignore the role of identity in the retention of at-risk ethnic and cultural minorities. A more effective alternative is the development of a focused retention framework that utilizes assessment to identify those most at risk for early institutional departure and then seeks to develop culturally relevant programmatic interventions for their success.

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retention, academic support, at-risk students, assessment, Brian Stanley
01

One of the most innovative and beneficial programs NACADA sponsors is the Assessment and Administrators’ Institutes, held mid-winter for the purpose of congregating administrators to share ideas and programs for the enhancement of our profession. Working in small groups, administrators from all types of educational institutions discuss the nitty-gritty of advising in order to establish positive programs that will be of use in their own unique environments.

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assessment, William Fleming
01

Many institutions struggle to integrate accreditation criteria for assessment with their efforts to improve and enhance programs for their students. In this climate, the interest in and need for assessment of our students’ academic advising experiences has become a major issue on our campuses.

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Charlie Nutt, assessment, mission statement, learning outcomes
01

The Assessment of Advising Interest Group became a commission in part as a consequence of the growing interest in, and awareness of, the importance in assessment of advising. This change coincided with the Commission’s national survey on the status of the assessment of advising. Although the results of this survey are currently being prepared for submission to the NACADA Journal, it might be useful to look at some of the responses to the survey question, “What could the Assessment of Advising Commission/NACADA sponsor to assist your assessment efforts?”

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research, assessment, Victor Macaruso
01

Many advising programs strive to connect faculty, student advising, and learning in an effort to move from “advising as class scheduling” to “advising as teaching.” Likewise, many instructional development programs assist faculty with learner-centered instructional methods that better serve our under-prepared or under-served student populations. It would seem likely that the advising and teaching strategies that better serve these students would have significant overlap (Hemwall and Trachte, 2003).

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collaboration, advisor training, advising theory, assessment, faculty advisors, Todd Carter
01

Ultimately, assessment is about understanding and improving. In this regard, the assessment process provides a systematic way through which information about student learning and program effectiveness can be obtained. Done in the collective and continuous way intended, the assessment process provides a systemic way to use that information to support improvements in student learning and the advising process. In the end, assessment is systematic, systemic, and relational; there are steps to the process; the process is intentional in the gathering of evidence to support improvement in learning and process; and all of the steps within the process are inextricably intertwined.

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assessment, learning outcomes, Susan Campbell
01

As America ’s ethnic and racial demographics continue to shift, not only on college campuses but throughout the nation, it is essential that administrators and practitioners prepare to effectively deliver cross-cultural services. Professionals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds need to gain multicultural awareness and multicultural competency.... The preparation we receive should require a highly collaborative and interactive self-awareness and include a racial consciousness component that allows us to gain an awareness of our their beliefs and attitudes as they pertain to multiculturalism. This exploration provides an opportunity to to check biases and stereotypes that can affect our delivery of adequate cross-cultural service. Becoming aware of our values and biases is a move toward positive orientation of multiculturalism (Sue, et. al, p. 633)..

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collaboration, cultural capital, cultural differences, assessment, advising approaches, Cornelius Gilbert
01

This fall the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) adopted updated academic advising standards that require the assessment of academic advising on our campuses and specifically the development of student learning outcomes. As discussed previously, assessment is a systematic, systemic, relational process. It that begins with the identification of reasons for doing assessment and ends with reporting and acting upon the assessment results. ‘Ending’ is really a misnomer since the ‘end’ of the assessment process really represents the beginning of the next cycle of assessment!

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assessment, Susan Campbell
01

Mentor Connection is a program in which students on academic probation work closely with a graduate assistant mentor who helps the students strategize for class success and monitors their progress throughout the semester. The program is housed in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ undergraduate advising center at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

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mentoring, probation, assessment, Clark Johnson, Dana Deming-Hodapp, Lynae Johnsen
01
Light (2001) notes that “good advising may be one of the single most underestimated characteristics of a successful college experience.” Yet, academic advising is as diversified as our varied institutional missions and purposes. Therefore, it is important that we keep in mind that advising programs are designed and implemented to meet the unique and changing needs of today’s students, their enrollment patterns, population groups, budgets, and diversity within the institution.

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proactive advising, collaboration, assessment, advising approaches, advising environment, Kathy Stockwell, Dana Zahorik, faculty advising
01

Gambling on academic advising success? Using the balanced scorecard approach could lead to advising windfalls.... Development of a BSC begins with a clearly stated mission or purpose, measurable objectives and strategies to meet those objectives. Then under each perspective, specific outcomes are identified for each strategy. For example, if one of our strategies is to utilize faculty advisors, then a desired outcome might be the development of faculty’s advising skills.

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assessment, Ilene Gilborn
01
...Assessing dispositions is an area that is necessary but difficult and is still in the process of development. Academic advisors have a plethora of valuable information about student dispositions and this resource is underutilized. More information needs to be gathered about the who, what, when, and how of disposition evaluation. Increased formal involvement of advisors needs to be explored and implemented.

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role of advisor, teacher education, assessment, Lee Kem
01
I have long heard a saying that I would chuckle over, “Those who can’t teach, consult.” Mind you, I am neither formally a teacher nor a consultant (as of this writing), so I beg the pardon of the author of this quote because I think the truth is quite the opposite, “Those who consult, teach.

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collaboration, reflection, advising strategy, assessment, Linda Chalmers, training
Posted in: 2006 June 29:2
01
I'm a bicyclist. I love the road. I tried off-road cycling, but I didn't like the uncertainty of the trail. There were too many turns, obstacles, and variables for my liking. I like a well paved, proven, and clearly marked path with unambiguous edges and boundaries. It is my comfort zone.When I approached advising, I wanted the same thing - a well-defined, clear path without obstacles. I sought a clean edge. But, as I have discovered, I would never experience new possibilities until I was willing to move out past the edges. The terrain out past the edges is filled with a rich fauna of color and texture. It is here that I have found the fullness of advising.

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research, collaboration, reflection, assessment, summer institute, Jerry Harrell
01
As we move into the 21st century, we find ourselves in a time when our educational system is plagued with a high number of dropouts and many students who complete college lack important skill sets. We also know that the U.S. is falling behind other countries in developing the workforce needed to sustain our communities. As higher education professionals, we must commit to implementing programs that focus on student learning outcomes.

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theory to practice, communication, collaboration, role of advisor, academic support, advising strategy, assessment, advising approaches, learning outcomes, advising philosophy, Jennifer Wimbish
01
The highly decentralized advising system at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) makes it difficult to gain a reliable view of the effectiveness of advising on campus. In response to the developing emphasis on campus toward assessment, a team of advisors was asked to lead an initiative to address this need. As representatives of the UAB advising community, we were asked by the administrators of our institution to attend the 2005 NACADA Assessment of Academic Advising Institute to begin the assessment process. Although we were from three different units, we were able to utilize our campus wide Committee on Academic Advising (CAA) to provide the structure for this project. The result of our two-year effort is a comprehensive approach to assessment that will be implemented university wide.

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research, professional development, collaboration, assessment, advising workshops, learning outcomes, Louise Cecil, Sharon Jacobson, Deborah Littleton
01

One acronym strikes fear into many in the south-QEP. The QEP or Quality Enhancement Plan is a requirement for reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). This is how one college, with NACADA 's help, survived and thrived during its QEP journey.

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proactive advising, research, collaboration, academic support, advising strategy, NACADA, assessment, learning outcomes, Amy Tilly
01

As greater numbers of students enter our institutions, retention and ethical service to these students become even larger issues. Bradburn (2002) indicates that approximately one-third of entering students leave our institutions without a credential; these numbers are even higher for minority (Hodge & Pickron, 2004) and community college students (ACT, 2005). Although current scholarship (Lotkowski, et al. 2005) on academic retention shows that a relationship with an academic advisor helps to increase retention, many students do not take advantage of this resource.

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research, retention, cultural differences, advising strategy, assessment, advising approaches, Liberal Arts, diversity, Glenn Miller, Holly Messitt
Posted in: 2007 March 30:1
01
Academic advising at Oregon State University has undergone remarkable changes in the last few years. Certain stars have aligned to give rise to these changes-shifts in administration and a focus on the student experience combined with the collaborative energy of advisors and administrators. George Kuh (2005) uses the term 'positive restlessness' to describe the climate of campuses truly working to be engaged in a culture of deep learning. At OSU there was a positive restlessness among academic advisors; they were struggling to find their collective voice. This is a story of their adventure and a narrative of change.

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professional development, collaboration, advisor training, assessment, advising workshops, summer institute, advising approaches, Susie Leslie
Posted in: 2007 March 30:1
01
It was the hottest summer Wisconsin had seen in ten years and I loved every minute of it. As a Summer Institute Scholarship winner, I was participating in the NACADA Summer Institute for the first time. In the air-conditioned comfort of the Concourse Hotel, I was surrounded by advising friends, both new and old, from around the country. In the evenings I strolled through the student quarter of Madison, a very lively place even in the beginning of August. At first I walked alone, but by the second day I strolled with new friends from colleges and universities across the country. I found this an ideal atmosphere to consult with the best advising experts in the nation.

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professional development, collaboration, build relationships, advisor training, assessment, advising workshops, summer institute, John Nilsson
Posted in: 2007 March 30:1
01

In the fall of 2006, I boldly went where no other “non-faculty” academic advisor at Seward County Community College had gone before; I joined the teaching scholar learning community. Why? One word: CURIOSITY. I wanted to test the catchy academic advising slogan, Advising is Teaching. I kept asking myself, if advising is teaching, then what links the two domains? What tools can we use to showcase these similarities? And how do we obtain buy-in from all stakeholders, especially students? As an academic advisor and a teaching scholar participant, I made it my charge to find this essential element.

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professional development, communication, collaboration, preparedness, advising strategy, assessment, advising approaches, advising skills, Chrissy Davis
Posted in: 2007 June 30:2
01

Is it time for a ‘program review’ of your academic advising unit? Would an evaluation by external reviewers be just what is needed to jump-start significant changes in an advising program? A fresh perspective on the situations we see day-in and day-out can help us assess practical matters such as routine processes, forms, procedures, staffing, and physical arrangements. An external review can help us more closely align our efforts with institutional strategic plans and provide the evidence needed for additional resource allocation.

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collaboration, reflection, assessment, advising environment, Cindy Iten, advising competencies, Adrienne McMahan
01

Weaver (2002) noted that “almost a third of America's teachers leave the profession sometime during their first three years of teaching, and almost half leave after five years.” A plethora of information is available regarding what can be done to promote retention after the new teacher is employed. To increase the probability of remaining in the teaching field, can this teacher dropout problem be addressed at the college level? What issues are involved? What can advisors of education majors do to help address this problem?

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teacher education, assessment, advising approaches, Lee Kem
Posted in: 2008 March 31:1
01
Assessing academic advising is critical for any institution that wishes to improve advising services for students and create a culture that values academic advising

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collaboration, assessment, David von Miller, learning outcomes
19
As advisor roles are clarified and defined on campus, a professional development team can move forward with programming and training to help strengthen skills and abilities as they pertain to advisor expectations...topics must fit the group’s mission and objectives, as determined through the assessment process...

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professional development, collaboration, advisor training, assessment, Tamara Workman, Teri Farr, Jennifer Frobish, Anjie Almeda, mission statement, programming
Posted in: 2013 March 36:1
26
The NACADA 2013 Assessment Institute equipped me with tools to develop an advising curriculum that I can test and continually improve for a more significant impact on my students.

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assessment, Kay Adkins
07
During the opening plenary session we were introduced to the outstanding institute faculty, who broke the ice with their clever introductions—and the group cheer “assessment rocks!”  The faculty assured us that we were going to work hard, but this was going to be an exciting few days...

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assessment, Paula Dollarhide, Institute
22

For academic advising programs to be an effective asset to support student development, persistence, and retention initiatives,  institutions must create comprehensive assessment plans that are strategically focused in assessment.  The NACADA Assessment Institute provides many opportunities that can help align strategies for developing, implementing, maintaining, and coining best practices in assessment in academic advising.

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assessment, Kim Paige
23

Implementing a successful outcomes assessment plan, particularly one that assesses learning and performance across campus units, is a big undertaking.  The authors consider ten essential, intangible elements of any successful outcomes assessment endeavor.

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decision-making, research, professional development, communication, collaboration, build relationships, advisor competencies, community relationships, assessment, common reading, mission statement, research group, advising research, Jaimie Haider, Ashley Moir
23

The author contends that gathering data for outcomes assessment or research does not have to be complicated, mysterious, or difficult.

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decision-making, communication, advisor competencies, academic support, advising strategy, assessment, advising approaches, active listening, Joshua Larson, advising research, encouraging
23

The author finds that the use of collaborative note writing changes the one directional aspect of advising notes while staying true to the original purpose.

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rapport, communication, collaboration, career advising, reflection, academic support, advising theory, student motivation, advising strategy, assessment, advising approaches, encouraging students, active listening, learning outcomes, Bret Hirsch
23
29

The HLC Academy for Student Persistence and Completion at Marshall University created the MU EDGE mentoring program to pair experienced faculty mentors with incoming “murky middle” freshmen to find out what Marshall can do to better retain this under-served population through more intrusive advising. 

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communication, build relationships, advising theory, assessment, advising approaches, encouraging students, active listening, advising research, first generation students, academic support, Sabrina Jones, Isaac Larison, Anna Rollins, Paulus Wahjudi, first year stud
29
29

The author discusses how she benefited from the Assessment Institute: learning the curriculum, being guided by faculty members, and networking with like-minded colleagues from across the country and abroad.

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theory, research, professional development, advisor training, role of advisor, advising theory, preparedness, advising strategy, assessment, advising workshops, professionalism, mission statement, advising approaches, Fang Du
27

Over time, academic advisors may begin to experience emotional, physical, and spiritual exhaustion from constantly witnessing and absorbing the difficulties of students. Developing self-care strategies within advising training and development can help advisors pay attention to their emotional state and allow time for reflection and healing.

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empathy, communication, advisor competencies, role of advisor, stress, academic support, advising strategy, assessment, active listening, Shantalea Johns, Mevash Ali
27

Application of a strengths model to academic advising can focus on students applying their talents and strengths to academic courses, study techniques, and major exploration.

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proactive advising, retention, first year students, advising theory, assessment, advising approaches, encouraging students, advising environment, Jennifer Hart
27

The author is “better equipped with effective tools and resources to enhance the academic advising experience” following her attendance at the 2018 NACADA Assessment Institute.

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professional development, advisor competencies, advisor training, advising strategy, assessment, advising workshops, advising approaches, learning outcomes, Seeta Rees
28

Assessment fosters a shared consensus and culture within the campus community about the purpose of advising. By attending the Assessment Institute, advisors better understand ways to demonstrate direct connections to the priorities and mission of the academy.

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professional development, collaboration, role of advisor, advising strategy, assessment, Billie Streufert
18

As a scholarship recipient for the 2019 NACADA Assessment Institute, the author gained new, applicable knowledge, and her team made great progress in identifying next steps for their assessment work during their time at the Institute.

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professional development, personal philosophy, advising theory, advising strategy, assessment, advising workshops, professionalism, learning outcomes, DelMar
24

Academic advisors frequently receive and analyze the important statistics of retention and graduation rates, but do not always have the time, space, or familiarity with a pathway for investigating their own practice to understand how they, in their advising practice, contribute to the story of how and why those numbers have come to be. Practitioner inquiry can produce deep knowledge of on-the-ground daily work as advisors that can help better serve students.

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theory, theory to practice, research, assessment, advising research, Mark Chimel, Heather Hurst
Posted in: 2020 March 43:1
26

The Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) at the University of West Florida adopted a centralized advising model, restructuring how academic advising services were provided to students. This article extends the story by highlighting key considerations resulting from the inception of the advising center.

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theory to practice, professional development, advisor training, role of advisor, advising theory, advising strategy, assessment, advising approaches, professionalism, advising environment, Eric A. Kollar
Posted in: 2020 June 43:2
18

Assessment provides an opportunity to take a critical look at advising programs through the lens of continuous improvement and driven by data.

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assessment, Karen Hauschild
24

The author always been drawn to conversations related to continuous improvement, outcomes, and focusing on how data can help inform decisions and drive the story advisors tell about their work. The NACADA Assessment Institute proved to be a perfect fit for learning more about academic advising assessment.

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professional development, assessment, Amy Calapa
18

Learning how to create a good assessment plan makes sense when you consider the potential for assessment to improve academic advising practices.

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assessment, Susan Corner, Shu-Min Huang, Janine Mayers
28

Quality faculty advising is often noted as vital and critical to student success. However, most institutions are not assessing the quality of faculty advising. In fact, when faculty advising is assessed it is often limited, including only quantitative surveys of student satisfaction. Moreover, when assessment occurs it is not typically intended to improve faculty advising and it is not typically used in formal reviews of faculty performance (e.g., tenure). Meaningful and comprehensive assessment is key to quality advising that supports student success. This brief review of the research literature on assessment of faculty advising, identified areas for improvement in practice and policy. Institutions of higher education, professional associations, unions, and accrediting bodies all play a role in improving and/or maintaining quality faculty advising through setting expectations for advising and outlining best practice for assessment.

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assessment, Advising, Faculty
Posted in: 2024 March 47:1
Academic Advising Today, a NACADA member benefit, is published four times annually by NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. NACADA holds exclusive copyright for all Academic Advising Today articles and features. For complete copyright and fair use information, including terms for reproducing material and permissions requests, see Publication Guidelines.