A Preliminary Report of Advisor Perceptions of Advising and of a Profession

Abstract

Practicing advisors may not agree, know, or understand that advising does not meet the scholarly definition of a profession. Through a phenomenological study, members of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising were invited to describe the position of academic advisor. The data gathered were used to address two research questions: “How do advisors describe the occupation of advising?” and “How do advisors describe a profession?” Answers to these questions provided a foundation to understand advisors' views of advising as an occupation, definition of their own career, and understanding of a profession as it relates to advising.

The Professionalization of Academic Advising: A Structured Literature Review

“…Without defined functions that all academic advisors understand and practice-which could be conveyed to the various stakeholders-those in the field will continue struggling to become unified in a profession. Despite the availability of the Concept of Academic Advising (NACADA, 2006), the CAS Standards (CAS, 2018), and the Core Values of Academic Advising (NACADA, 2017a), the lack of clarity regarding role boundaries and responsibilities remains troubling and limits the field and the practitioners' and scholars' quest for a status consistent with professionalization (Aiken-Wisniewski et al, 2015). This constraint has been partially addressed with the newly published advisor competencies (NACADA, 2017b), but future work might include outlining both appropriate responsibilities and inappropriate duties for an academic advisor in a way similar to that of the American School Counselor Association (2018).…”

“…Two related obstacles make up the third obstacle to professionals: acquisition of training and the requisite education to perform the advising role. The delivery of professional development is further complicated by one of the blessings of the academic advising field: Practitioners come from a variety of fields and professional backgrounds and thus with inconsistent advising backgrounds and bases for practice (Aiken-Wisniewski et al, 2015). Although I did not specifically examine the training and development literature for this review, anyone can easily find many calls for graduate training (Kerr, 2000) as a criterion for entry into the field (Danis & Wall, 1987Padak & Kuhn, 2009), and therefore, more graduate programs in academic advising are needed (Habley, 2009;Shaffer et al, 2010).…”

Leaders' Perceptions of the Professionalization of Academic Advising: A Phenomenography

“…However, with many scholars continuing to pursue a consensus about the professionalization of the field, the topic begs for further investigation. In addition, although many conceptual articles on various aspects of the professionalization of the field have been published, only one research team has undertaken the few empirical studies published on the professionalization of academic advising (Aiken-Wisniewski et al, 2015;Johnson et al, 2015).…”

The #acadv Community: Networked Practices, Professional Development, and Ongoing Knowledge Sharing in Advising

“…To support continuous learning of advising, the AACC model offers proficiencies for student support regardless of the institutional mission, model, or application of academic advising practice. Peer conversations create a standardized process for and common understanding of advising practice by certifying, accounting, and measuring the functions of an academic advisor in a more uniform way across higher education institutions (Aiken-Wisniewski, Johnson, Larson, & Barkemeyer, 2015). With diverse expectations and expertise, advisors can develop these competencies and the resulting insights regardless of professional role, title, or position at their institutions.…”

“…With diverse expectations and expertise, advisors can develop these competencies and the resulting insights regardless of professional role, title, or position at their institutions. In addition, specific advising components encourage intentionality when conducting academic advising such that professional preparation is supported and a moredirect career path is established for future scholars and practitioners within the field (Aiken- Wisniewski et al, 2015). This architecture undergirds a knowledge base used to offer improved student support, standardization of components of the advising professional role, and preservation of ''the reputation of academic advising as a legitimate profession'' (Shaffer, Zalewski, & Leveille, 2010, p. 75).…”