Speaker 1: Academic Advising Approaches Academic advising has evolved over time, and there is a range of different approaches to advising. Most interactions with students require the use of multiple approaches and methods. Advisors have the ability to adapt their style, technique, and strategies to meet individual needs and situations by applying the appropriate approach, at the right time, and by blending and synthesizing methods as needed. Wilcox 2016 Understanding the various advising approaches will help you adapt to each situation you encounter and meet the students where they are. In this video, we'll explore several different approaches to academic advising, including the learning-centered approach that we encourage today. The advising approaches described in this video can be defined along a continuum of passive to active forms. The learning-centered approach combines passive and active forms of approaches, and advisors' use of these approaches will change depending on the situation. It is the base and anchor of this continuum. Passive forms of advising approaches are characterized by show-and-tell. In passive forms of advising approaches, the advisor describes, instructs, informs, and establishes priorities. They push information in the form of a service. The student listens, remembers, and understands the information, and implements the advice. Two passive forms of approaches are prescriptive and transactional advising and intrusive, proactive advising. In prescriptive and transactional advising, the student contacts the advisor with a question. The advisor answers the question and provides information. The process is linear. The advisor acts as the authority, and the student listens. In intrusive, proactive advising, the advisor proactively connects with the student before a situation occurs that cannot be fixed, and they have regular contact with the student. This might look like an advisor reaching out to students who have not submitted any assignments in their classes. Active forms of academic advising are characterized by call and response. The advisor is a facilitator and pulls information in their role as an educator. The student makes meaning, sets priorities and goals, etc. The student discusses, analyzes, evaluates, puts into practice, and creates. Three active approaches are appreciative advising, developmental advising, and coaching and mentoring. In appreciative advising, the student participates in the creation of their academic plan. The advisor asks open-ended questions and collaborates with the student to determine the student's goals, co-create a plan to achieve the goals, and support the student in achieving them. In developmental advising, the advisor considers the interrelated educational, career, and personal dimensions of the student to help them determine their goals and the path to achieving them, as well as the obstacles and resources that affect their ability to achieve these goals. The advisor stays in regular contact with the student to create trust. In coaching and mentoring, the advisor helps support the student and provides guidance to help them develop skills, perspective, and experience. It involves conversations about the student's growth and development. The learning-centered approach draws from passive forms of approaches and the active forms of approaches. Rather than being viewed strictly as a service offered to students, advising is a locus of learning for helping students understand the logic of their curricula. Lowenstein suggests that an excellent advisor does the same for a student's entire curriculum that the excellent teacher does for one course. According to Lowenstein, from a learning-centered approach, an advisor Helps students put each part of their curriculum into perspective Compares and contrasts modes of thinking found among the various disciplines Helps students sequence their learning experiences to optimize their effectiveness Brings out interrelations among the disciplines and modes of thought, helping the student discover how they complement each other Helps the student pay attention to the transferable skills being developed and to focus on how various courses enhance these in distinctive ways Helps the student focus on modes of learning that are being mastered Helps the student synthesize an overview of their education and gain an understanding of its structure or logic So what do advisors teach? Lowenstein sees advisors as teaching How to find-slash-create logic of one's education How to view the seemingly disconnected pieces of curriculum as part of a whole that makes sense to the learner so that they can learn more from them How to base educational choices on a developing sense of self And how to continually enhance learning experiences by relating them to knowledge that has been previously learned The ultimate goal of all academic advising is to facilitate the learning process and to help guide students through important transition points and milestones Advisors help students progress and persist in their academic program Advisors also facilitate connections with fellow students, services, and opportunities at Algonquin College Algonquin College