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e-mail: nacada@ksu.edu

© 2013 National Academic Advising Association

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Academic Advising Association are service marks of the National Academic Advising

Association.

The Global Community for Academic Advising

Embracing the Role of Academic Advising in Supporting Student

Success

Dr. Jennifer JoslinDirector, Office of Academic Advising

University of Oregon

Retention by the Numbers

NCES 2002 Cohort

Berkner et. al., 2002

Students who completed their degrees at the same institution within 5 years

NCES 1995-96 Cohort

51%

52.3%

Retention by the Numbers

NCES 2002 Cohort

Berkner et. al., 2002

Students who completed their degrees at the same institution within 5 years

NCES 1995-96 Cohort

Topics

1. Political and Economic Pressure

2. Academic Advising and Retention

3. Engagement and the College Experience

4. Promising Philosophical Perspectives & Practices

5. Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

1. Political and Economic Pressure

Today’s Headlines

Student Retention and Persistence is a hot topic for Higher Education institutions because of:

• Public Perception• Changing Workplace• Government Interests• Resource/Revenue Generation• Global Financial Crisis

Headlines

January 3, 2013

College Education Is Expected to Remain a High Priority for StatesBy Eric Kelderman

December 21, 2012

We need to produce learners, not just studentsBy Robert Talbert

October 14, 2012

Community Colleges for the Students They Actually HaveBy Josh Wyner

November 29, 2012

Admissions Report Reflects a Decade of ‘Unparalleled Uncertainty’By Eric Hoover

May 30, 2008

Colleges Mine Data to Predict DropoutsBy Catherine Rampell

October 12, 2012

College Persistence Linked to Rigorous Courses and Academic AdvisingBy Caralee Adams 

Martha Cooper, photographer Library of Congress

Textile Winding Setter

40% reduction in

jobs between 2008-2018

Carnevale, et. al., 2010

IT & health professionals,

2008-2018:

Computer software engineers:

34% growth

Home health aides:50% growth

Network analysts: 53% growth

Nimataradji, photographerCarnevale, et. al., 2010

66% of jobs in the United States will require a postsecondary education & training by 2020

51% of all jobs in Arkansas will require a

postsecondary education & training by 2020

Carnevale & Smith, 2012

Unemployment based on education, 2011

Bureau of Labor Statistics

What Does this Mean for Academic Advising and Advising Administrators?

Not because I can email a Rihanna song from my phone. RT @ftrain @suzisteffen

2. Academic Advising and Retention

Our Shared Goal: Student Success

“Retention is a byproduct of a good educational experience.”

Vincent Tinto

Leaving College: Rethinking the Causesand Cures of Student Attrition, 1993

Academic Advising is Essential

“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 TintoLeaving College: Rethinking the Causes

and Cures of Student Attrition, 1993

High Expectations Support Academic Advising Involvement Student-Learning Focused

Vincent Tinto, 2007 Taking Student Retention Seriously

Key Institutional Conditions

Klepfer & Hull longitudinal study of over 9,000 high school sophomores through 2nd yr in college discovered 3 factors related to student success: High-level MathematicsAP/IB CoursesAcademic Advising

Center for Public Education at the National School Boards Association

Kasey Klepfer & Jim Hull, 2012, as reported by Adamshttp://bit.ly/RxoqxX

Key Institutional Conditions

Advising Serves as a Bridge

“Personal tutoring [academic advising] can provide information about higher education processes, procedures and expectations….Personal tutoring can

provide guidance and structure, especially in those early days.”

Liz Thomas, Widening Participation and the Increased Need for Personal Tutoring, Personal Tutoring in Higher

Education, 2006.

Advisors Aid Students in Understanding:

The amount of time needed to study vs. their expectations

What a particular program of study or course involves vs. their perception

The college culture vs. their high school experience

Nancy King, Vice-President for Student Success, Kennesaw State University

Advisors Aid Students in Understanding:

The amount of time needed to study vs. their expectations

What a particular program of study or course involves vs. their perception

The college culture vs. their high school experience

Nancy King, Vice-President for Student Success, Kennesaw State University

Evolution of Advising

• From Prescriptive to Developmental • Advising recognized as a teaching function• Problem: Perception of advising as service;

perception of advising as a task, not a relationship– Tasks are delegated – Advising tasks are less important than other

faculty responsibilities– Advising is unrewarded & lacks meaning

Evolution of Advising

Topics

Political and Economic Pressure

Academic Advising and Retention

3. Engagement and the College Experience

4. Promising Philosophical Perspectives & Practices

5. Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

3. Engagement and The College Experience

Engagement

“The intersection of student behaviors and institutional conditions over which colleges and universities

have at least marginal control.”

Kuh, et al, 2007.

Educationally effective institutions channel student energy toward the

right activities, typically called “High Impact Practices”.

Institutional Conditions

High-Impact Educational Practices—What Are They?

First-Year Seminars and Experiences Common Intellectual Experiences Learning Communities Writing-Intensive Courses Collaborative Assignments and Projects Undergraduate Research Diversity/Global Learning Service Learning, Community-Based Learning Internships Capstone Courses and Projects

Kuh, George D. 2008. High-Impact Educational Practices, AAC&U

Why They Matter(from Kuh, G.D., High Impact Educational Practices, 2008)

They demand that students devote considerable time and effort to purposeful tasks.

They put students in circumstances that demand they interact with faculty and peers about substantive matters.

They increase the likelihood that students will experience diversity through contact with people who are different from themselves.

Students typically get frequent feedback about their performance in every one of this activities.

They provide opportunities for students to see how what they are learning works in different settings, on and off campus.

Finally, it can be life changing to study abroad, participate in service learning, conduct research with a faculty member, or complete an internship.

What matters most is what students do and the effort they

expend, not who they are.

Student Behaviors

BUT…

Who they are affects what students do and the effort they expend.

Understanding this is important to designing academic advising programs.

NACADA Concept Statement on Academic Advising

“Academic advising engages students beyond their own aspirations, while acknowledging their characteristics,

values, and motivations as they enter, move through, and exit the institution.”

“Academic advising is a multi-dimensional and intentional process, grounded in teaching and learning, with its own purpose, content, and

specified outcomes.”

NACADA Concept Statement on Academic Advising

Multidimensional• Educational• Curricular• Career• Personal

Intentional• Not serendipitous• Intentional in design and desired outcomes

The Psychology of Leaving (or Staying): Intentions and

Attitudes

Back to Student Behaviors…

The Psychology of Leaving (or Staying): Intentions and Attitudes

The intention to leave (or stay) is the best predictor of actual student departure

Intentions are the byproduct of the interaction of the student and the institution

Faculty Other Students Administrators and Staff Members

Bean, 2005

**REDALERT**REDALERT**REDALERT**

Attitudes affect Intentions

Institutional Fit & Commitment

Attitudes about Being a Student Satisfaction, Confidence, Competence Perceived value of one’s education to

career/job Relationship between what one is studying to

one’s future Stress level associated with attending a

given school

Bean, 2005

Influencing Attitudes and Intentions

Good advising should link a student’s academic capabilities with his or her choice of courses and major, access to learning resources, and a belief that the academic pathway a student is traveling will lead to employment after college.

Advising should be done well so students recognize their abilities and make informed choices.

Bean, 2005

Influencing Attitudes and Intentions

Good advising contributes to academic and social integration. This results from positive experiences that increase:

satisfaction with being a student at a given institution

confidence in one’s ability academic competence, and one’s understanding his/her educational,

career and life goals

Bean, 2005

4. Promising Philosophical Perspectives& Practices

Promising Philosophical Perspectives and Practices

Advising as Teaching and Learning Collaborative Reflection and Decision-

Making—aka Assessment The Advising Syllabus Student Self-Authorship Advising to Optimize the Student

Experience

Advising as Teaching & Learning

Guides and Defines Our Roles as Educators and Facilitators of Learning

Learning is Individual and Developmental Indicates a Knowledge Base that

Extends Beyond Information toward Conceptual Understanding Student Learning and Development Career Development Others

Collaborative Reflection and Decision-making for Improvement

(Also Known as “Assessment”)

What Do We Need to Know to Improve Student Learning? Advising Practice?

How Can We Build a Collegial, Collaborative Approach to Reflection for Improvement?

The Advising Syllabus

The Advising Syllabus Sets the Stage

Creates Conversation Prompts Questions Outlines the Relationship States Outcomes Defines Academic Advising

Among the Components

Mission Definition/Philosophy Contact Information OUTCOMES RULES, RIGHTS,

RESPONSIBILITIES Policies & Procedures Resources

Promoting Student Self-Authorship

Becoming self-authored requires transformational learning that helps

students “learn to negotiate and act on [their] own purposes, values, feelings, and meanings rather than those [they]

have uncritically assimilated from others”.

Mezirow, 2000

Magolda on Self-Authorship

“The shift to self-authorship occurs when students encounter challenges that bring their assumptions into question, have opportunities to reflect on their assumptions, and are supported in reframing their

assumptions into more complex frames of reference.

The role of the educator is to initiate conversation, listen, and help students learn from their

experiences.”Magolda, 2007

Advising to Optimize the Student Experience

1. Adopt a “Talent Development” Approach to Advising

Know your students, meet students where they are

2. Make Advising a Tag Team Activity

Share responsibility, draw on many sources

3. Help Students Map Out a Path to Success

Teach campus culture, emphasize initiative, point to programs that work

Advising to Optimize the Student Experience

4. Make Every Interaction Meaningful

Connect early, imbed advising into FYP, offer peer-mentoring programs

5. Focus on Culture Sooner Than Later

Emphasize culture & diversity in advisor hiring & programming, identify cultural barriers in advising, understand & promote cultural engagement for students

Topics

Political and Economic Pressure

Academic Advising and Retention

Engagement and the College Experience

Promising Philosophical Perspectives & Practices

5. Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

5. Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

Questions How do you define student success? How do you

define retention? How does your campus define each of these terms?

The literature continues to support an important role for academic advising in student success and retention. In what ways is academic advising considered important to your campus plan for student success and/or retention? As an administrator, how might you add support to or make the case for academic advising as a strategic initiative for enhancing student success and/or retention?

Questions Consider the students and the student experience(s) on

your campus. How would you describe the nature of that/those experience(s) on your campus and how might academic advising be utilized to strengthen that/those experience(s)? What are your ideas for action?

Topics

Political and Economic Pressure

Academic Advising and Retention

Engagement and the College Experience

Promising Philosophical Perspectives & Practices

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion

ReferencesAdams, C. 2012. College persistence linked to rigorous courses and academic advising.

Education Week (blog). Retrieved December 28, 2012 from http://bit.ly/RxoqxX. Astin, A. 1993. What matters in college? : Four critical years revisited. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass, publishers.Bean, J.P. 2005. Nine themes of College Student Retention, in Alan Seidman (ed.),

College student retention. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers.Bean, J. and Eaton, S.B. 2002. A Psychological Model of College Student Retention in

John M. Braxton, Reworking the student departure puzzle. Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press.

Berdahl, R. O. 1995. Educating the Whole Person in New Directions for Teaching & Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, publishers.

Berkner, L., He., S., & Cataldi, E. F. 2002 December. Descriptive summary of 1995-96 beginning postsecondary students: Six years later. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 31, 2012 from nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003151.pdf.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor. Employment Projections. Retrieved December 28, 2012 from http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm.

Carnevale, A. P. & Smith, N. July 31, 2012. A decade behind: Breaking out of the low-skill trap in the southern economy. Georgetown Center on Education and the Workplace. Retrieved December 28, 2012 from http://cew.georgetown.edu/south/.

Carnevale, A. P., Smith, N., & Strohl, J. June 15, 2010. Help wanted: Projections of jobs and education requirements through 2018. Georgetown Center on Education and the Workplace. Retrieved December 28, 2012 from http://cew.georgetown.edu/jobs2018/.

Council for the Advancement of Standards. CAS Standards for Academic Advising Programs. Retrieved December 28, 2012 from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/CAS-Standards-for-program-assessment.aspx

Crookston, B. B. 1972). A Developmental View of Academic Advising as Teaching in Journal of College Student Personnel, volume 13, pp. 12-17. 

Klepner, K. & Hull, J. October 2012. High school rigor and good advice: Setting up students to succeed. The Center for Public Education. Retrieved December 28, 2012 from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Staffingstudents/High-school-rigor-and-good-advice-Setting-up-students-to-succeed/High-school-rigor-and-good-advice-Setting-up-students-to-succeed-Full-Report.pdf

Kuh, G.D. 2008. High-impact educational practices. Washington, D.C.: AAC&U.Kuh, G.D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J.H., Whitt, E.J. and Associates . 2005. Student success

in college: Creating conditions that matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, publishers.

Lewin, K 1997. Resolving social conflicts & field theory in social science. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Lowenstein, M. Fall, 2005. If teaching is advising, what do advisors teach? www.nacada.ksu.edu/AAT/NW30_2.htm

Macfarlane, B. 2007. The academic citizen: The virtue of service in university life. New York: Routledge Publishing.

References

Magolda, M.B. and King, P.M. Winter 2008. Toward Reflective Conversations: An Advising Approach that Promotes Self-Authorship in Peer Review, Vol. 10, No. 1. Washington, D.C.: AAC&U.

Mezirow, J. Ed. 2000. Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

National Academic Advising Association. 2006. NACADA concept of academic advising. Retrieved December 28, 2012 from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Concept-of-Academic-Advising.aspx

National Center for Education Statistics, 2002 December. December summary of 1995-96 beginning postsecondary students: Six years later. Retrieved December 31, 2012 from nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003151.pdf.

Thomas, L and Hixenbaugh, P., Eds. 2006. Personal tutoring in higher education. Stoke on Trent, UK: Trentham Books

Tinto, V. 1993. Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, publishers.

Tinto, V. 2007. Taking Student Retention Seriously. Retrieved December 28, 2012 from http://www.umesgolf.com/assets/0/232/3812/4104/4110/bd28b4ae-e1cc-4575-9b37-535d2d2be5f1.pdf

References