Today I received my newest copy of the NACADA Journal. In it, an article releasing the results of a national survey on technology in academic advising caught my attention. I read a few of the statistics and skipped to the open-ended statements, where I often find the most valuable information.
One respondent stated, “I want to see my students, not interface through e-mail. I despise my voicemail light. This is a good way of getting more responsibility with less compensation” (Leonard, 2004, p. 26). I was shocked at the response, and, yet, after thinking about it realistically, not so stunned. For advisers who have seen their students face to face for registration and other activities, technology is perhaps seen as a glooming grey cloud on the horizon. However, for those of us at large institutions, who never see all of our students anyway, technology is a breath of fresh air.
Just this year in my college we have implemented Instant Advising. Not campus-wide, mind you, but in our little corner of the world. Where an advising caseload soars past 800, it is impossible to see every student anyway, so the addition of technology somewhat eases the burden of finding the time to give students what they need. In the end, students benefit from the introduction of Instant Advising as they receive the correct information in a timely manner. Advisers' tools must be those that will help individual situations.
As the respondent in the survey stated, technology may be viewed as many see the current state of higher education: do more with less. In some way, perhaps, the way we perceive technology may be the issue. As technology emerged in academic advising, the paved road became clear, allowing advisers to take a more developmental approach to advising (McCauley, 2000). Most certainly, electronic communication takes away much from a developmental advising relationship. However, where budgets have already been cut and we are doing more with as little as humanly possible, the end goal is matriculation. In order for students to matriculate in a timely manner, the accessibility of an adviser is invaluable—be that online, via instant message, through e-mail, or in person. Nonetheless, we never stop hoping or trying to put the developmental aspect of advising into the mix.
Technology in advising can be looked at as either a benefit or a detriment, depending on the school and the situation. I would encourage each person reading this article to look at technology with an open mind. We often talk about meeting students on their ground. Technology is their ground. It is the way of the future and the way of the students. As new technological resources evolve, we must continue to learn, adjust, and find new ways to deliver our services (Gordon & Habley, 257). If we want to keep up with the times, advising is going to have to mesh with technology in some form or another.