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Student advising models vary widely depending on the institution, but each college and university is seeking the same outcome: Healthy, happy students who have done the hard work of reflecting on and clarifying their life goals, have crafted the education plans necessary to achieve those goals, are well informed about their degree requirements — and, ultimately, students who graduate and begin successful careers.
Helping students solidify their educational and career path requires face time — whether in-person or virtual — and relationship-building. This statement from “Increasing Student Retention” written by Lee Noel, Randi Levitz, Diana Saluri is often quoted and still rings true today: “It is the people who come face-to-face with students on a regular basis who provide the positive growth experiences for students that enable them to identify their goals and talents and learn how to put them to use. The caring attitude of college personnel is viewed as the most potent retention force on a campus. Academic advising is the only structured activity on the campus in which all students have the opportunity for one-to-one interaction with a concerned representative of the institution.”
There’s never been more pressure on academic advising. Student outcomes and retention — a critical part of strategic enrollment management as higher education faces the enrollment cliff — are at stake. Let’s also not forget that students are increasingly approaching academic advisors with concerns about mental health and basic needs. It is an enormous charge for academic advisors, especially those with a large caseload and/or those simultaneously balancing teaching responsibilities and committee work. So, how can advisors maximize their time for personal connections with the students who need it most? I recently sat down with Melinda J. Anderson, executive director of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, who shared the most effective strategies she’s seen and how to build a case for more buy-in from leadership in order to implement these tools.
Broad Information-Sharing
There are inevitably common questions from the students you’re advising, particularly about degree requirements, but also about resources available to them. If you’re not already using Canvas, Blackboard, or another Learning Management System (LMS) and making that information accessible to students on their own time, that’s a great place to start, Anderson says.
“[Students] should be going through a process as they prepare to come to their advising session,” she says, “so that, for example, they have an understanding of what their degree requirements are, what the general education requirements are, what policies and procedures are going to govern their time here. Then, when in an advising meeting, the advisor will be able to focus on the individual needs of the student and not necessarily repeat that information to each student.”
Review your advising sessions, then build an FAQ that addresses routine concerns that could easily be posted online. This will allow you to protect and maximize the precious time you have with each student and will be one of the most beneficial actions you can take. The more general information you can share ahead of time, the more time you’ll have for the individualized attention your students need.
Another strategy Anderson recommends is adopting a group advising model. Like sharing information via an LMS, group advising is a great strategy for institutions with limited staff and resources. It allows you to meet with a large group of students to disseminate information relevant to the whole group, thus freeing up time for more personalized meetings for students who need it.
Academic Coaching Model
The academic coaching model is a valuable option for students facing academic challenges and relieves some pressure off of advisors. In this model, the students receive additional attention, and the coach works in tandem with the advisor.
“The advisor maintains and builds their relationship with the student and addresses curriculum policy, but then the coaching model allows another professional to come in and do the follow-up, the weekly touch-ins, and things like that, that the advisor may not be able to do if their caseload is too large,” Anderson explains.
Students can still get the extra support they need — it’s coming from a different person, but efforts are coordinated.
Peer Advising
Peer advising — while not a replacement for advising from college faculty or staff — is another method for freeing up advisors’ time while building confidence and knowledge among freshman and transfer students.
“When I was at one institution, we created a peer advisor program that supported students through their orientation process,” Anderson says.
Upperclassmen were able to answer a lot of the questions about resources and opportunities on campus that advisors were getting over and over again.
“They had perspectives on what it was to be a student here and what they found themselves needing to do in order to be successful,” she explains.
A peer advisor can be particularly helpful with building students’ sense of belonging and adjusting to a new academic environment, Anderson says.
Take Advantage of Student Success Management Platforms
Is your campus utilizing a case management system, such as Navigate, Slate, or Starfish? Tracking student information in a central place allows staff to work effectively together to serve the whole student.
When you’re working with a student and referring them to different places or resources across campus, you can record your notes in one place. “When somebody is working with your student and you’re not there, there’s a continuity of care that exists,” Anderson says. “A lot of people try to take advantage of platforms where you’re recording information that [others may need to see].”
These systems also provide robust analytics to help you spot trends and inform your strategy. Are there particular challenges that are occurring frequently for students? Where are the pain points? Having that data can help you make a case for change.
Getting Buy-In from Senior Leaders
What if your school doesn’t have these programs in place? What if they aren’t in your budget?
Anderson recommends launching “an advising council where you can pull partners across the university to help examine trends, issues, and policy decisions that impact a student’s ability to be successful.”
“When you make it a broader effort, student affairs will want to get on board to see how they can help students’ sense of belonging, enrollment management will want to come in, and other directors of advising across the institution will want to become involved,” she says.
The bottom line? You’re going to need data to support your case and to have a space at the table where you can influence decision-making.
“That all starts with you coming together to collect information to be able to demonstrate some of the challenges you’re experiencing,” Anderson explains. “When you put solutions to these challenges, everyone understands the justification for taking that direction.”
Don’t Despair
Strategies for advising and managing caseloads are going to vary widely across the board, in part because of different philosophies of thought behind who provides the best support, but also because of what resources are available. If you’ve read this far, and work for an institution that isn’t resource-rich, you might be feeling a little disheartened. However, Anderson reminds us that it’s not always about the fancy tools.
“I never want people to feel like all hope is lost because they can’t afford this Mercedes-Benz,” she says. “[The key is] having systems in place that provide a structure for you to evaluate what students are experiencing and then allow you to identify the gaps. You then can build capacity based on what your resources can allow, which will then allow you to advocate and manage up to senior-level administrators for support. Ultimately every institution’s goal is to increase retention and persistence and completion.”
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