Insider Information: Advisors' Perspectives on the Effectiveness of Enhanced Advising Programs for Community College Students

Donaldson, Paul; McKinney, Lyle; Lee, Mimi Miyoung; Horn, Catherine; Burridge, Andrea; Pino, Diana

doi:10.12930/nacada-18-26

Cited by 7 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The number of faculty advisors has also increased to fifteen with some advising posts still being funded by the University Capacity Development Programme of the Department of Higher Education. Donaldson et al (2020) thus acknowledge that advising is characterised by a high student-advisor ratio. Over an eight-year period, capacity has increased but a high student-advisor ratio remains.…”

Section: Organisational Structures and Delivery Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advisors’ Perceptions of the Value of Advising Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study at a South African University

Moosa

2021

Journal for Students Affairs in Africa

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Traditional advising responsibilities are shifting to include a holistic, learning-based and developmental approach that favours advising of the entire university experience. A dearth of systematic empirical evidence exists on advisors’ perceptions of the value of advising students during the COVID-19 pandemic in the South African context. The purpose of this study is to elucidate advisors’ perceptions of the complexity and challenges inherent in their responsibilities during the pandemic. This case study draws on a qualitative research design; it is based on semi-structured in-depth interviews undertaken with nine advisors in 2020. The central research questions posed in this study are: how do advisors describe their perceptions of their responsibilities within the COVID-19 pandemic, and how might these contribute to future practices? The findings indicate that advising during the pandemic has transcended the typical transactional dissemination of information to include addressing contextual environmental and resource challenges, social justice imperatives, emergency remote learning, asynchronous advising challenges and data-informed advising. These responsibilities have encompassed a holistic approach to advising and to getting to know students as ‘whole people’. Adjustments and transitions to emergency remote learning have highlighted social inequalities in access to data, to internet and electricity connectivity, which have served as impediments to students’ learning, and to educational experiences. Some home environments were not conducive to studying but necessitated doing household chores and herding cattle. The findings also indicate that an institution’s advising delivery model should enhance advisors’ abilities to perform their responsibilities. A network of cascaded responsibilities that incorporates greater involvement of lecturers in advising could contribute to a shared responsibility between lecturers and central, faculty and peer advisors. Insights gained may lead to a more nuanced understanding of advisors’ responsibilities as they relate to student learning and to the overall educational experience to promote retention and student success in a post-pandemic era.

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Section: Organisational Structures and Delivery Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advisors’ Perceptions of the Value of Advising Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study at a South African University

Moosa

2021

Journal for Students Affairs in Africa

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“…The researchers underlined that shareholders needed to go beyond comprehending the features of new technologies and that they must understand how the new technologies operate so that they can apply them strategically. Donaldson et al [25] examined academic advisors' perspectives on enhanced advising programs, wherein they found that for an improved advising experience, students needed to participate and engage in constructing a proactive educational plan.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-Making Strategy for Digital Transformation: A Two-Year Analytical Study and Follow-Up Concerning Innovative Improvements in University e-Services

Brdesee

Alsaggaf

2022

JTAER

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Universities worldwide strive to provide the best student services possible, particularly those that support student achievements and career goals. Therefore, academic advising continues to be a significant part of the student experience, one which universities need to fully understand in terms of its objectives, application processes, and required skill. As a result of significant technological improvements since the turn of the millennium, including expanding internet applications and digital transformations, universities have established computer information systems that support academic advising and course registration services. This study examined the effects of modifications to the electronic academic advising and course registration systems at King Abdulaziz University in 2018, and then again in 2020, following a university-wide system failure in 2018 resulting from a demand overload. In 2018, a preliminary statistical analysis and student feedback survey were conducted by the authors to measure student satisfaction with the online portal On-Demand University Services (ODUS Plus). In addition to recommendations suggested by the 2018 analysis such as balancing the load distribution of the university’s network, organizational (i.e., non-technical) solutions, rules, and regulations were adjusted such as progressive course registration that prioritized those expected to graduate first. The survey and analysis were repeated by the authors in 2020 to assess improvements in student satisfaction. As a result of the changes, the investigation revealed improved student satisfaction with the performance of ODUS Plus and network access. Overall, students were significantly more satisfied in 2020 than in 2018. This research shows that some technical challenges can be resolved using re-engineered processes and organizational solutions.

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“…In addition to a wide variety of advising structures, a diverse array of advising approaches exists (Alvarado & Olson, 2020;Donaldson et al, 2020;Grites, 2013;Harris, 2018;Varney, 2013). Some advisors see their roles as prescriptive in which the function of their position is to relay information to students (Alvarado & Olson, 2020;Harris, 2018;.…”

Section: Advising Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, role allocation and organizational structuring are found to be contributors to inequity within organizations (Amis et al, 2020). As the work of the advisor grows increasingly relational (Alvarado & Olson, 2020;Donaldson et al,2020;Grites, 2013;Harris, 2018;Varney, 2013) and women are often sorted into relational roles (Qian & Fan, 2018), the relationship building performed by women is frequently seen as kindness, as opposed to the value-added work of a professional (Bernhagen & Gravett, 2017;Larson, 2008). Academic advising is female dominated NACADA Membership Demographic Information, 2019) and, as the work of women is historically undervalued in the university system (Bernhagen & Gravett, 2017;, it is reasonable to explore gender in relation to professionalization challenges.…”

Section: Gender Representationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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And yet, they remain: a phenomenological study of career, female, primary-role advisors at four-year institutions in the Midwestern region of the United States

Solon¹

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Numerous women spend their entire careers in academic advising though it is not clear whether women stay in these roles because they experience high levels of personal wellbeing and meaningfulness or because they experience limitations in their career management. Though the field of academic advising is heavily populated by women negligible literature has been published about the experience of the female primary-role advisor. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine the perceptions of the female primary-role advisors in relation to their individual career management and the professionalization of the advising occupation. The research questions are informed by the social cognitive theory of Career self-management, or CSM, recent advising literature examining the professionalization of the primary advising role. This study will allow the voices of female primary-role advisors to enter advising scholarship. This study may also provide opportunities for universities and the Global Advising Community (NACADA) to establish additional pathways for growth and advocacy of primary role advising practitioners.

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Insider Information: Advisors' Perspectives on the Effectiveness of Enhanced Advising Programs for Community College Students

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Advisors’ Perceptions of the Value of Advising Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study at a South African University

Advisors’ Perceptions of the Value of Advising Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study at a South African University

Decision-Making Strategy for Digital Transformation: A Two-Year Analytical Study and Follow-Up Concerning Innovative Improvements in University e-Services

And yet, they remain: a phenomenological study of career, female, primary-role advisors at four-year institutions in the Midwestern region of the United States

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