Advisers Teach Students to Become Mobile

Introduction

Today, the profession of academic advising has been formally recognized at universities and colleges. Many universities and colleges now have academic advisers, counselors, etc. Even though there is professional recognition of the academic adviser, faculty members are still “mentoring” students across all disciplines. In recent years, the role of the academic adviser has been viewed as nothing more than a nonsignificant and easy-to-do administrative/bookkeeping task, referred to as “prescriptive advising” (Lowenstein, 2005; Crookston, 1972). However, nothing can be further from the truth because academic advisers are more than mere information warehouses. The adviser teaches students, often first-year students or transfer students from another university, to take responsibility/control and manage their academic career, focus on their career goals, and become independent learners (Schreiner & Anderson, 2005). Thus, academic advisers teach their advisees to become mobile.

It is important to mention here that before we can teach advisees, we must first learn from our advisees. Learning takes the form of constructing a friendship with an advisee so that there is a trusting and open relationship (Rawlins & Rawlins, 2005; Rawlins, 2000; Rawlins, 1992). During individual advising sessions, the academic adviser learn the strengths and weaknesses of the advisee so the adviser can teach effectively what is truly important to the advisee. That is not to say that everything else the adviser teaches is not important, but to be an effective adviser, one must truly know the advisee's strengths, weaknesses, and academic and career goals, as well as personal information (family obligations, work schedule, etc.) in order to help him or her to succeed.

Rawlins and Rawlins (2005) suggest that negotiating difficult topics is just as important in the realm of advising because bad news is very much a part of the teaching and learning process (p. 18). An effective adviser will use what he or she has learned about the advisee to help the student overcome adversity while maintaining the professional and personal value of the friendship (pp. 18–19). In respect to balancing adversity and friendship, the adviser teaches the advisee to seek out options that will fit his or her needs so that the advisee may adapt to new circumstances (change of major, change of location, course drop/repeat, etc.). McClellan (2005) suggests that it is not always the “bad news” that adds to tension in an adviser-advisee relationship but rather it is the adviser's approach in conveying the adverse information (p. 57).

In addition, with university/college budget cuts, advisers are asked to do more than advising with fewer resources (funding, materials, time, etc.). This can be seen in the trend toward using more online resources (e.g., scheduling courses online versus using paper scheduling forms; making advising appointments online rather than in person). Paper copies cost money, while online resources are virtually free. Also, when advisers are able to help their advisees prepare to schedule courses online, it reduces the time needed for advising meetings, thus allowing for more time to meet with additional advisees. With this in mind, the adviser must know an advisee professionally (academic abilities) and personally (friendship) to help manage the advising load. Advisers who know their advisees (through personal interviews) gain valuable information that pertains to their advisees' academic capabilities, such as handling a fifteen-credit course load versus a twelve-credit course load. Simply stated, the adviser saves time by knowing the strengths and weaknesses of a given advisee. When advisees are able to make decisions on their own and have them checked by their academic adviser, then advisees can be considered managers of their academic careers. Teaching advisees to become mobile is the key in managing advising loads and completing “extra” tasks, not to mention working toward professional development.

Theoretical and Historical Overview

In the United States, academic advising started around the eighteenth century when the first universities were created (Rudolph, 1990; Gordon, 2004). Although there are no official records pertaining to academic advising, there are references to the service dating back to colonial colleges (Gordon, 2004). Faculty members would share their knowledge and experiences with students in order to help them become disciplined and well-rounded (Gillispie, 2003), which includes being morally conscious (Gallagher & Demos, 1983). In the 1930s, the first advising centers were constructed in the wake of individual colleges forming within universities (Gillispie, 2003). Academic advising was needed throughout the history of academia and was called upon and recognized during the 1960s and 1970s due to the outcry for additional professionals to handle student issues (Gordon, 1992).

A variety of academic advising approaches/models/theories were developed, including prescriptive advising (Crookston, 1972; Lowenstein, 2005), strengths-based advising (Schreiner & Anderson, 2005), and developmental advising (Gardiner, 1994) to help advisers understand what their role should entail. However, over the years there has been a repeated voice for recognizing the adviser's role in teaching.

Because there are many approaches to advising, advisers are beginning to be recognized as teachers. If advisers are teachers, then what do they teach? Advisers started as teachers in the early eighteenth century, and when there was a call for professional advisers, some teaching was transferred to them. Advisers have always taught more than course scheduling techniques; they have been teaching students to manage all aspects of their lives.

“Crawling”

Every academic adviser can recall his/her own experience with an academic adviser in the first semester at college. Whether you were fresh out of high school or you were a non-traditional student, you probably remember being very cautious: you crawled into your adviser's office to receive guidance so that you could make sense of it all. You may have been nervous because it was the first time you were away from home and you were in an unfamiliar setting. Then your adviser greeted you and started to explain the requirements of your degree program. You may still have been unsure when you left your adviser's office, but you knew that you had someone you could turn to for help.

The First-Year Experience

What do advisers teach advisees? It is not merely course selection techniques; advisers teach advisees how to plan for and succeed in their academic and professional careers and personal life. Academic advisers not only explain university/college policies and degree requirements, but also act as a liaison to student services (admissions, registrar, medical/mental health, student aid, student bookstore, etc.) and teach students how to make good decisions about critical issues such as academic and career goals.

In addition, advisers teach their advisees to become independent learners by providing students with academic tools and resources. Advisers teach their advisees that they can depend on other people, outside their family, for support and information gathering.

Lack of academic advisers can only mean trouble for a college because advisers are instrumental in retaining any given number of students. Retaining students has become an issue for many universities and colleges due to budget crises. In this respect, the academic adviser acts as a retention agent because he or she must try to persuade students to stay and finish their degree programs. It is in this area of advising that we begin to move away from prescriptive advising and towards developmental advising: the academic adviser must teach students to get involved in campus activities/community and take ownership in their degree programs. As you are aware of now, advisees are taught a variety of things to help them to be able to walk on their own two feet.

“Walking”

It can be said that an academic adviser can pick students up from the floor and put them on the right path to academic success. Through the relentless handing out of various sources of information (brochures, pamphlets, etc.), the adviser performs a valuable but often tedious service. To make advising meetings better, the adviser teaches students some essential technological advantages (how they can request a degree audit, a transcript, or a copy of their semester schedule, how to locate faculty offices, etc.); thus, the student becomes less dependent and more independent, walking on their own two feet. During the initial advising meetings, the adviser quickly assesses the student's disposition and adjusts his or her approach (talks slower, asks questions to elicit responses to personal issues, uses some form of icebreaker, etc.) to help the student.

The Sophomore Year and Junior Year Experience

The second-year advising meeting usually involves the student asking questions such as “When can I graduate?,” “How many science courses do I still have to complete?,” or “How do I get a tutor?” In some instances, the student may say that he or she wants to transfer to another campus or college closer to home because he or she is homesick or “friendsick.” It is here that a transformation begins to happen. The adviser begins to bond with students by teaching them that if they stick it out and get involved with on-campus activities, they will make new friends and start to take ownership in their campus experience.

This transformation can be seen as the student, who takes the advice, starts to stand on his/her own two feet. For example, the student may get involved with campus organizations and activities and/or reach out for friendship in his/her courses. Perhaps the student decides to join a conversation in which other students are discussing having met with their advisers and being told to hold off on getting involved with student organizations until the semester is over. Soon, the student requests another advising meeting and reports what he/she has observed. The adviser quickly teaches the student that everyone is different and perhaps those students were in an unsatisfactory academic status. The student might begin to realize that not everyone is the same. The student is now on his/her feet and walking towards academic success, although perhaps walking with some skepticism.

By the third or fourth advising meeting, the student is more comfortable with the assigned adviser and the bond has grown. The student has built up trust with the adviser and is ready to ask questions that pertain to issues outside of academics, such as “How do I get a job with the FBI?” or “Do you recommend any graduate schools?” Although these questions may be a bit premature, it is a significant development from the first advising meeting. A student who is well-advised can walk with confidence to his or her selected classes with the knowledge that the selected courses will count towards graduation and degree requirements, will be of interest, and will possibly be stimulating.

The student becomes familiar with his or her academic surroundings and may even start recommending the university/college to family and friends back home. However, there is a danger hidden within good academic advising: the danger consists of teaching students too well on how to find resources for academic and career goals because they may become “self-advisers.” It is realistic to think that a student can make it through college without ever meeting with an adviser, or at least after meeting with the adviser only one time, because technology has made many of resources available at any time (Gordon, 2004).

“Running”

Through the teachings of academic advisers, students become managers not only of their academic career but also of their personal life and professional career(s). Overall, advisers teach how to make intelligent and moral decisions (Gallagher & Demos, 1983). Students can run toward their professional career goals with confidence that they are prepared. Students are aware of their capabilities, and they become more confident that they will make good decisions.

The Senior Year Experience

Advisers teach students that certain courses are valuable to strengthen skills and knowledge base and to build an overall personal and professional identity upon graduation (Schreiner & Anderson, 2005; O'Banion, 1972). Seniors learn that valuable resources are available and that they are responsible for their future success. In addition, seniors are ready to run toward the light at the end of the tunnel and feel confident that they will obtain success.

Conclusion

In conclusion, advisees have become mobile. They come crawling into advisers' offices and leave running towards success. They may stumble and fall, but they will have the resources to get back up and start running again. Advisers can be proud that they have helped advisees grow up, academically and intellectually. Teaching? Yes, I believe that academic advisers teach their advisees more than what is acknowledged.