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What is Academic AdvisingAccording to National Academic Advising Association*: Academic advising is carried out by a vast array of individuals, including faculty and staff members. These guiding principles are intended for use by all who advise. These documents support all categories of institutions with every type of advising delivery system. Intentionally, they do not address every detail and nuance of academic advising. Rather they should be used as starting points and references for a discussion of academic advising, providing the framework for a coherent approach to implementing a well-functioning academic advising program that would meet any specified institutional goals. PREAMBLE Academic advising is integral to fulfilling the teaching and learning mission of higher education. Through academic advising, students learn to become members of their higher education community, to think critically about their roles and responsibilities as students, and to prepare to be educated citizens of a democratic society and a global community. Academic advising engages students beyond their own world views, while acknowledging their individual characteristics, values, and motivations as they enter, move through, and exit the institution. Regardless of the diversity of our institutions, our students, our advisors, and our organizational structures, academic advising has three components: curriculum (what advising deals with), pedagogy (how advising does what it does), and student learning outcomes (the result of academic advising). THE CURRICULUM OF ACADEMIC ADVISING Academic advising draws primarily from theories in the social sciences, humanities, and education. The curriculum of academic advising ranges from the ideals of higher education to the pragmatics of enrollment. This curriculum includes, but is not limited to, the institution’s mission, culture and expectations; the meaning, value, and interrelationship of the institution’s curriculum and co-curriculum; modes of thinking , learning, and decision-making; the selection of academic programs and courses; the development of life and career goals; campus/community resources, policies, and procedures; and the transferability of skills and knowledge. THE PEDAGOGY OF ACADEMIC ADVISING Academic advising, as a teaching and learning process, requires a pedagogy that incorporates the preparation, facilitation, documentation, and assessment of advising interactions. Although the specific methods, strategies, and techniques may vary, the relationship between advisors and students is fundamental and is characterized by mutual respect, trust, and ethical behavior. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES OF ACADEMIC ADVISING The student learning outcomes of academic advising are guided by an institution’s mission, goals, curriculum and co-curriculum. These outcomes, defined in an advising curriculum, articulate what students will demonstrate, know, value, and do as a result of participating in academic advising. Each institution must develop its own set of student learning outcomes and the methods to assess them. The following is a representative sample. Students will: •craft a coherent educational plan based on assessment of abilities, aspirations, interests, and values SUMMARY Academic advising, based in the teaching and learning mission of higher education, is a series of intentional interactions with a curriculum, a pedagogy, and a set of student learning outcomes. Academic advising synthesizes and contextualizes students’ educational experiences within the frameworks of their aspirations, abilities and lives to extend learning beyond campus boundaries and timeframes. According to UNESCO, academic advising fulfills the following purposes**: 1.To assist students in developing educational plans that are consistent with their life goals. Further, the organization has identified the following activities as typical of those found in academic advising processes: 1.Assisting students with decision-making and career direction. *National Academic Advising Association. (2006). NACADA concept of academic advising. Retrieved May 24,2010 from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Concept-Advising.htm |
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