"The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education
(CAS) identified thirteen standards (components) that should be
included in an institution's academic advising program."
Tomorrow's Professor Msg.#560 COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE ADVISING
PROGRAM
Folks:
The posting below looks at what are the essential components of
an academic advising program. It is from Chapter Twenty-Three: Assessing
the Effectiveness of the Advising Program by Michael L. Lynch in
Academic Advising A Comprehensive Handbook by Virginia N. Gordon,
Wesley R. Habley, and Associates. Published by Jossey-Bass. A Wiley
Company. Copyright © 2000 Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, 350
Sansome Street, San Francisco, California 94104 and the National
Academic Advising Association, Kansas State University, 2323 Anderson
Avenue, Suite 225, Manhattan, KS 66502. Jossey-Bass is a registered
trademark of Jossey-Bass, Inc., a Wiley Company. Reprinted with
permission.
Regards,
Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Discussion-Based Online Teaching to Enhance Student
Tomorrow's Academy
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COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE ADVISING PROGRAM
By Michael L. Lynch
This chapter focuses on how to evaluate an institution's academic
advising program-specifically, how to evaluate the advising process
and the outcomes produced. While most scholars view the advising
process and its outcomes as the primary indicators of a program's
success or failure, this success or failure is influenced by other,
often ignored components of the advising program. What are these
other components and how might an institution assess or evaluate
them? The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education
(CAS) identified thirteen standards (components) that should be
included in an institution's academic advising program (Council
for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 1998). For
each of the thirteen components, CAS provides a performance standard
and guidelines that suggest actions that may be taken to meet the
standard. The thirteen standards or components of an academic advising
program are as follows:
1. Mission (statement): A clear delineation of the program's philosophy,
goals, and objectives, with statements of expectations for advisors
and advisees
2. Program: A delineation of program components along with a description
of how they operate individually and collectively, and the expected
outcomes
3. Leadership: An identifiable individual or individuals with designated
responsibility, authority, and accountability for leading and managing
the advising program
4. Organization and management: An organizational structure and
management system that positions the advising program and its leadership
in a manner that allows for the effective delivery of advising services
5. Human resources: Staffing sufficient to deliver advising services
and accomplish program goals
6. Financial resources: A funding level sufficient to allow goal
accomplishment
7. Facilities, technology, and equipment: The location of program
components in facilities conducive to service delivery, and the
provision of the technology and equipment necessary for service
delivery
8. Legal responsibilities: Advising leadership and academic advisors
who are knowledgeable of relevant laws, policies, and procedures
and who provide advising services in accordance with these.
9. Equal opportunity, access, and affirmative action: Procedures,
policies, and practices that ensure that program staffing and academic
advising are conducted without discrimination on the basis of age,
color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual
orientation, or veteran status
10. Campus and community relations: Creation and maintenance of
effective working relationships with relevant campus and community
offices and services
11. Diversity: Recognition of the value of diversity and the promotion
of opportunities that foster awareness of and appreciation and respect
for the cultures of other people
12. Ethics: Policies, procedures, and practices that ensure that
advisors and the advising program adhere to high standards of personal
and professional ethics
13. Assessment and evaluation: Routine quantitative and qualitative
assessment and evaluation of the academic advising program for purposes
of program and personnel accountability and improvement
Some of the CAS standards (program, organization and management,
human resources, fiscal resources, and facilities, technology, and
equipment) are more directly related than others to the delivery
of advising services and the outcomes achieved. However, serious
deficiencies in any one of the thirteen standards can impair the
advising process and the program's ability to achieve its desired
outcomes.
Before an institution develops an assessment and evaluation plan
for academic advising, it may wish first to undertake a comprehensive
self-assessment such as that outlined by CAS. Doing so will
facilitate the planning and implementation of assessment and evaluation
of the actual advising process and outcomes. The self-assessment
process underscored the complexity of the advising program and helps
delineate those areas that should be included in any program assessment.
Further, the self-assessment will help identify problem areas and
suggest improvement strategies in the
event that the program evaluation discovers problems or deficiencies.
For example, if the self-assessment reveals that the institution
has failed to conceptualize a clear mission statement and definition
of academic advising, this failure is likely to have an impact on
the results of a process or outcomes evaluation. For institutions
wishing to undertake such a self-assessment of their advising program,
CAS provides a detailed self-assessment guide (CAS, 1998).
(Note: Although phrased differently, many of the program components
and practices included in the CAS standards are assessed in ACT's
fifth national survey. Viewed together, the ACT results provide
a national benchmark for some of the CAS standards.
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