Editor's note: This is the second in a series of seven articles written by students who were enrolled in Dr. Jennifer Bloom's course, Developmental Academic Advising in Higher Education, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign during the 1999 summer semester. For an overview of the course, along with a description of all seven articles, please refer to Dr. Bloom's article, “Developmental Academic Advising in Higher Education: The Class.”

During my undergraduate experience at a small liberal arts institution, I served as a member of the Peer Dean Association for three consecutive years. The organization consisted of sophomores, juniors, and seniors who volunteered one week of their summer vacation to help the incoming freshman class. We were group leaders, and our job was to facilitate orientation week. Our primary objective was to assist the students in making the transition from high school to college. “Every transition means coping with new roles, new routines, new relationships, and new assumptions – assumptions about self, about others, and about the culture being entered” (Chickering, 1994, p.50). Our goal was to make sure that the transition process was both smooth and successful for the incoming students.

Peer advising was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wanted to be a peer dean because I wanted to help people, just as someone had taken the time to help me. Ironically, my first graduate class, Developmental Academic Advising in Higher Education, dealt with the topic of peer advising. The class challenged my way of thinking. During my past peer advising experience, I thought that I had all the answers, but since taking this advising class, I am overwhelmed with questions. The reading assignments forced me to reflect upon my experience and helped me to realize how important and serious the process of advising can be. The class opened my eyes and enabled me to look at peer advising in a new light, thus giving me a totally new perspective.

Barman and Benson (1981, p. 33) found that, “Interest has increased in the use of academic advising as institutions grow more complex, enrollments threaten to decline, and student populations become more diverse.” Colleges and universities soon developed peer advising programs. Barman and Benson (1981) suggested the following advantages of having such programs:

  1. Peer advising provides a meaningful relationship with at least one person on campus for most freshmen.
  2. Peer advisers can meet with students in many different settings (e.g., snack bar, athletic events, campus housing, etc.), providing for a variety of opportunities and perhaps a more natural adviser/advisee relationship.
  3. By using peer advisers, the adviser/advisee ratio can be reduced, thus providing a more personal and individual academic advising program.

Habley (1979) used the term paraprofessional to describe students who serve as academic advisers. He defined paraprofessional as, “A person without extended professional training who is specifically selected, trained, and given on-going supervision to perform some designated portion of the tasks usually performed by professionals” (p. 49). Habley cited the following possible disadvantages of peer advising:

  1. By the time the paraprofessional's advising skills are the most developed, they complete their degrees and abandon the advising program.
  2. Paraprofessionals do not receive the proper training, supervision, and evaluation by professional (faculty) advisers.
  3. Due to the constant interaction with the students, paraprofessionals find it difficult to balance the roles of both adviser and friend.
  4. Paraprofessionals must be trained as specialists, yet they are unable to master all the necessary information to function as such.

Research studies have shown that the retention of the student often depends on the relationship that he/she has developed with one person associated with the advising system (Barman & Benson, 1981). Thinking back on my experience, I realized that through my involvement in the peer dean program, I could have been that one person for a number of students. It scares me to think that I could have had such a powerful influence on an individual's life. According to O'Banion (1994, p. 10), “The purpose of academic advising is to help the student choose a program of study which will serve him in the development of his total potential.” He further recommended that academic advising include the following dimensions: (a) exploration of life goals, (b) exploration of vocational goals, (c) program choice, (d) course choice, and (e) course scheduling. After reading O'Banion's approach, I questioned my role as a peer adviser. During orientation week, freshmen came to me for advice. Of course I had the best of intentions, yet after taking the class on advising, I learned that I may have overstepped my bounds.

In my opinion, the task of peer advising becomes complex if it is relied upon to handle all aspects of developmental academic advising. As I reviewed O'Banion's advising model, I noticed that through the five dimensions, he established the boundaries that peer advisers should not cross. He clearly made the distinction between the duties of a peer adviser versus those of a professional adviser. I believe that, according to O'Banion's model, peer advisers should be restricted to helping students with the selection and scheduling of courses. Peer advisers are knowledgeable in this area because of their experience. “This aspect of advising consists of procedural information unique to each institution: how to register, how to drop and add courses, and when to declare a major” (Goldberg, 1981, p. 42). If they have learned the rules and regulations, peer advisers are then qualified to help the students in that capacity.

On the other hand, exploration of life goals, exploration of vocational goals, and program choice should be left in the hands of professional advisers. I strongly believe that this is the point where many peer advisers without proper supervision may overstep their bounds. Often, peer advisers want to help so much that they fail to recognize their own limitations. Looking back, I realized that on certain occasions I may have gone beyond my boundaries.Questions that affect the lifelong development of an individual should be left in the hands of a professional who has the proper training and experience to help the student.

Although peer advising has its faults, “Research has indicated that peer helping relationships enjoy a great deal of success, and that when students have conflicts and problems, they often turn to other students even before teachers, family, or professionals” (Jackson, 1982, p.143). Because of this, peer advising programs are desperately needed. Speaking from personal experience, peer advising can be effective; however, problems can arise if the peer advisers are not fully aware of their responsibilities. For a peer advising program to be effectively implemented, three crucial things are necessary: (1) thorough training, (2) setting limitations, and (3) supervision.

Peer advisers must receive in-depth training from “professional” advisers. Due to the overwhelming amount of information to be learned, the training process could be scheduled asan academic course during the school year. The University of Illinois Summer Orientation Program spends an entire semester on preparing students to be peer advisers. The peer advising program in the Department of Psychology at James Madison University required students to attend seven one-hour class sessions for training (Nelson & Fonzi, 1995). Peer advisers should acquire skills in time management, listening, problem solving, confidentiality, and conflict resolution.

Peer advisers should be made aware of their own limitations. Often, students have very serious problems that they are dealing with including sexual assault and suicidal thoughts. Peer advisers should recognize that although they want to help, they may not be qualified to do so. In this case, peer advisers must refer students to professionals who are properly educated and trained to serve them. The process of how to make a successful referral should be strongly emphasized in peer advising programs. Peer advisers must be first made aware of the resources available on campus, and then they must learn how to successfully refer students to these resources. Students may feel more comfortable talking to a peer adviser than to an authority figure, but the peer adviser must encourage the student to discuss problems with the appropriate campus professionals. Peer advisers can help this referral process. They can make it easier for the student by volunteering to go with him/her to the professional or by suggesting appropriate questions for the student to ask.

In order for peer advising to work, thorough training and professional supervision are needed. The supervisor should be accessible at all times and ensure that the peer advisers stay within their boundaries. The professional must also make sure that the students' needs are being met. The relationship between the peer adviser and the professional is the key to the survival and success of peer advising programs. When peer advisers are used properly, they can free up time for the faculty or professional adviser to focus on the career and life goals of students. A coordinated peer advising program with competent supervision can help to provide students with the necessary tools for academic survival.