why bother with academic advising? dr. wes habley graduation rates conference university of texas...

Why BotherWhy Botherwithwith

Academic Advising?Academic Advising?

Dr. Wes Habley

Graduation Rates Conference

University of Texas SystemSeptember 30, 2005

Academic Advising...Academic Advising...

…has a powerful influence on student success

…is critical to institutionaleffectiveness and student

persistence

TOPICSTOPICS

Scope of the problem What Works in Student

Retention? Why is there a link between

advising and persistence? Conditions necessary for

advising to have an impact

Types of AttritionTypes of Attrition

Expected and Justified realized a goal other than a

degree/certificate Stopping Out

not on our timeframe Unnecessary and subject to

institutional intervention

Advising and PersistenceAdvising and Persistence

RETENTION: RETENTION: the process of holding or the process of holding or keeping in one’s possessionkeeping in one’s possession

ATTRITION: ATTRITION: the process or state of being the process or state of being gradually warn downgradually warn down

PERSISTENCE: PERSISTENCE: to continue to exist or to continue to exist or prevailprevail

51.3 (’04) 53.1 ('83) 51.6

66.4 (‘05) 70.0 (‘04) 66.4

68.1 ('89) 70.1 (‘05) 70.1

73.3 (‘86) 78.1 ('04) 77.5

Two-year public

BA/BS public

MA public

Ph.D. public

Retention TrendsRetention Trends Freshman-SophomoreFreshman-Sophomore

Lowest Highest Current % % % .

*completion of bachelor’s degree in five years or less

BA/BS public

MA/MS public

Ph.D. public

Completion RatesCompletion Rates** Four-year Public CollegesFour-year Public Colleges

Highest Lowest Current % % % .

52.8 (’86) 39.5 (’05) 39.5

46.7 (’86) 37.0 (’00) 38.0

50.5 (’90) 45.0 (’01) 46.8

Degree Attainment and persistenceDegree Attainment and persistence (after 6 years)(after 6 years)

Descriptive Summary of 1995-96 Beginning Postsecondary Students:Six Years LaterNational Center for Educational Statistics, December, 2002

Degree attainment and persistenceDegree attainment and persistence (after 6 years)(after 6 years)

Descriptive Summary of 1995-96 Beginning Postsecondary Students:Six Years LaterNational Center for Educational Statistics, December, 2002

TOPICSTOPICS Scope of the problem

What Works in Student Retention?

Why is there a link between advising and persistence?

Conditions necessary for advising to have an impact

What Works in Student Retention What Works in Student Retention (WWISR)(WWISR)

Survey sent to 2,995 colleges Survey Sections

Institutional Characteristics (24 items) Student Characteristics (20 items) Campus Practices (84 items)

Returned by 1,061 colleges (35.4%) 228 (42.5%%) four-year public colleges

http://www.act.org/path/policy/reports/retain.html

Retention/Degree Completion Retention/Degree Completion GoalsGoals

59.6% have established a goal for improved first to second year retention

45.6% have established a goal for improved degree completion

Coordination of Retention ProgramsCoordination of Retention Programs

48.7% have designated a person to coordinate retention activities

18.9% of those designated to coordinate are dean-level or higher

8.1% include retention in the coordinator’s title

Student CharacteristicsStudent Characteristics

Of 20 Student Characteristics

1616Cited as making a moderate

or higher contribution to attrition

Student CharacteristicsStudent Characteristics Greatest contribution to attrition

Inadequate financial resourcesLack of motivation to succeed Inadequate preparation for college level

workPoor study skillsToo many job demandsLack of educational aspirations and

goalsPoor academic integration

Institutional CharacteristicsInstitutional Characteristics Of 24 institutional characteristics Only 5 are cited as making a

moderate contribution or higher to student attrition amount of financial aid available academic advising student-institution fit student involvement in campus life social environment

John Gardner comments….John Gardner comments….

It is disturbing to note that in spite of all we know about student retention that institutions are still inclined to hold students responsible for their retention/attrition while dramatically minimizing the institutional role in student retention.

Greatest Contribution to RetentionGreatest Contribution to Retention

Clusters of Programs/Services making the greatest contribution to retention fall into 3 categories

Academic AdvisingAcademic Advising

First Year TransitionFirst Year Transition

Learning SupportLearning Support

Greatest Contribution to RetentionGreatest Contribution to Retention Advising interventions with selected student

populations (4.0) Increased advising staff (4.0) Academic advising center (3.9) Supplemental instruction (3.9) Comprehensive learning assistance center/lab

(3.9) Reading center/lab (3.9) Honors student program (3.9) Eight interventions tied at 3.8 including

Integration of Advising with First-Year Transition Programs Centers that combine academic advising with career/life planning

High Impact Programs/ServicesHigh Impact Programs/Services Identify the three programs on your campus that

you believe have the highest impact on student retention. Freshman Seminar/University 101 for credit (20.2%) Learning Communities (18.4%) Advising Interventions for selected student populations

(12.3%) All remaining practices cited at fewer than 10% of the

colleges (61 practices not cited by any respondents)

Institutional Data Questionnaire Institutional Data Questionnaire (IDQ)(IDQ)

ACT’s Annual collection of data from all two-year and four-year degree-granting institutions

Includes information about admissions, academic programs, co-curricular activities, and other campus characteristics

Includes first-second year dropout and degree completion rates

Data set includes 2,523 colleges (2003)

Top25%

Middle50%

Bottom25%

Top25%

Middle50%

Bottom25%

HIGHPerforming

ModeratePerforming

LOWPerforming

D e g r e e C o m p l e t i o nR

e t

e n

t i o

n

Four-year Public CollegesFour-year Public Colleges

Of the 228 four-year public colleges that returned the retention survey

34 were High Performers: Top 25% in both retention and

degree completion

26 were Low Performers: Bottom 25% in both retention and

degree completion

High performing four-year public High performing four-year public colleges were more likely to implementcolleges were more likely to implement

Advising Interventions with Selected Student Populations

Increased Advising Staff Academic Advising Center Supplemental Instruction Comprehensive Learning Assistance

Center Summer Bridge Program Freshman Seminar

WWISR ConclusionWWISR Conclusion

Institutions that are most successful in retaining their students make significant use of advising interventions to enhance retention and degree completion.

TOPICSTOPICS Scope of the problem What Works in Student Retention?

Why is there a link between advising and persistence?


Themes of AttritionThemes of AttritionAcademic Boredom

Academic Underpreparedness

Lack of Certainty inmajor/career choice

Transition/adjustment Difficulty

Dissonance/Incompatibility

Irrelevancy

Advising: Retention DefinitionAdvising: Retention Definition

“Providing assistance in the mediation of dissonance between student expectations and the actualities of the educational experience.”

Habley, 1983

Students Who Expect & Experience Students Who Expect & Experience Specific Outcomes in CollegeSpecific Outcomes in College

Be undecided 7%Change majors 12Fail a course 1Take extra time to complete a degree 8Drop out 1Transfer colleges 12Work in college 36Seek personal counseling 6Need tutoring 15Seek career guidance 5

To: Expect Experience

20 %65-851660402860272025

TOPICSTOPICS Scope of the problem What Works in Student Retention? Why is there a link between

advising and persistence?


The conditions...The conditions...

ACADEMIC ADVISING must be broadly defined

The task of advising is concentrated in the opening days of registration and enrollment and consists of aiding students in the selection of courses.

Handbook of College and University Administration

Asa Knowles, Editor

1960’s Definition of Advising1960’s Definition of Advising

Academic advising assists students to realize the maximum educational benefits available to them by helping them to better understand themselves and to learn to use the resources of the institutions to meet their special educational needs.

David Crockett

Advising Defined . . .Advising Defined . . .

Academic advising is a decision-making process during which students reach their maximum educational potential through communication and information exchange with an academic advisor.

Thomas J. Grites


Advising is concerned not only with a specific personal or vocational decision, but also with facilitating the student’s rational processes, environmental and interpersonal interactions, behavioral awareness and problem-solving, decision-making and evaluation skills.

Burns Crookston



ACADEMIC ADVISING must be broadly defined

is a form of teaching

Advising: a form of teachingAdvising: a form of teaching

Teaching is an instinctual art, mindful of potential, craving of realizations, a pausing, seamless process, where one rehearses constantly while acting, sits as a spectator at a play one directs, engages every part in order to keep the choices open and the shape alive for the student, so that the student may enter in, and begin to do what the teacher has done --- make choices. A. Bartlett Giamatti, A free and ordered space: the real world of the university

Advisors teach studentsAdvisors teach students

to value the learning process to apply decision-making strategies to put the college experience into

perspective to set priorities and evaluate events to develop thinking and learning

skills to make choicesto make choices

Core Values, NACADA

The role of advising…The role of advising…

Advising, rather than an extension of the educator’s role is integral to it. It is teaching which stretches beyond instruction.

Robert Berdahl(past President, University of Texas

Chancellor Emeritus, UC-Berkeley)

New Directions for Teaching and Learning


ACADEMIC ADVISING must be broadly defined is a form of teaching

is closely related to career/life planning

Traditional advising for course sequencing and selection is based on the assumption that a student has made a reasoned decision and is committed to a specific academic program.

Underlying assumption...Underlying assumption...

The role of the advisor is to ensure that a student

...efficiently processes through

...a predetermined sequence of courses

...to earn a particular academic credential

...in a specified period of time.


IS FALSE! students who are willing to admit they

are undecided students who change their minds from

application to orientation students who will change their minds

(maybe more than once)


O’Banion paradigmO’Banion paradigm

1. Exploration of Life Goals

2. Exploration of Career/Educational Goals

3. Selection of an Educational Combination

4. Selection of Classes

5. Scheduling of Classes


ACADEMIC ADVISING must be broadly defined is a form of teaching is closely related to career/life

planning

is the hub of services for students

OrientationFinancial

Aid

Etc., etc., etc.

Counseling

Admissions

Housing

Registration

Health

StudentStudentSupportSupportServicesServices

Advising

AcademicAdvising

The role of advising…The role of advising…

Advising should be at the core of the institution’s educational mission rather than layered on as a service.

Robert Berdahl

New Directions for Teaching and Learning

Admissions

Career/LifePlanning

Learning Assistance

SupplementalInstruction

LearningCommunities

SpecialPopulations

Academic Departments

Orientation

RegistrationRecords

Undergrad.Colleges

First YearSeminar

Testing

AcademicAdvising

Collaborative Collaborative EffortsEfforts

CoordinatedCoordinatedProcessesProcesses

CoordinatedCoordinatedDeliveryDelivery

Academic advising...Academic advising...

CANNOT BE DONE IN ISOLATION

Advising requires coordinationcoordination and collaborationcollaboration among units across the campus that provide and/or support

advising services

The conditions...The conditions...ACADEMIC ADVISING must be broadly defined is a form of teaching is closely related to career/life planning is the hub of services for students is a collaborative, coordinated process.

requires active outreach to students

Active outreach to studentsActive outreach to students

Advisors should be available Advisors should be available

at times when,at times when,

and in places where, and in places where,

students make students make educational educational

decisionsdecisions

Why reach out?Why reach out?

An academic advisor is unlike any role model the new student has encountered

Students receive advice from all sorts of people and much of that advice is inaccurate, incomplete, or inappropriately value laden

Why reach out?Why reach out?

The use of technology may supplant rather than support the advising process

The first six weeks of transition are critical to the institution’s retention efforts

It is easier to anticipate a problem than it is to solve one


ACADEMIC ADVISING must be broadly defined is a form of teaching is closely related to career/life planning is the hub of services for students is a collaborative, coordinated process. requires active outreach to students

Academic advising is the only structured activity on the campus in which all students have the opportunity for on-going, one-to-one interaction with a concerned representative of the institution.

Why bother with academic advising?Why bother with academic advising?

why bother with academic advising? dr. wes habley graduation rates conference university of texas...

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