1. www.tbrownassociates.com tom@tbrownassociates.com
Intrusive Academic Advising: An Effective Strategy To Increase Student Success
Tom Brown 1

2. Intrusive Academic Advising 1. What is it. 2. Why consider using it. 3
Intrusive Academic Advising 1. What is it? 2. Why consider using it? 3. What does it involve? 4. Is it effective? 5. Can it work for your students, your work, and your campus?

3. The context for today’s workshop: A continued focus on student learning, engagement and success.

4. Increasing student persistence is a continuing concern in higher education…

5. U.S. Graduation* Rates
Highest Lowest Current
Two-year public (’89) 25.4 (’12) 25.4
Four–year public BA/BS 46.7 (’86) 39.6 (’12) 39.6
Four-year private BA/BS 57.5 (’06) 53.3 (’01) 54.7
Four-year public MA (’86) 37.0 (’00) 38.3
Four-year private MA 58.4 (’88) 53.1 (’01) 55.7
Four-year public PhD 50.6 (’89, ’90) 45.0 (’01) 48.0
Four-year private PhD 68.8 (’86) 62.9 (’12) 62.9
Completion in 3 years for Associates; 5 years for BA/BS
*Source: ACT Institutional Data File,

6. Retention Matters College student retention has been the most intensely studied issue in academic over the past several decades. Ward, Siegel, & Davenport, 2012

7. RULE OF THE UNIVERSE The center of community college work is student learning, persistence and success Kay McClenney, 2011

8. Retention practices with greatest impact

9. What matters to students?
Next to the quality of instruction, academic advising is consistently the next most important area of the college experience to students Five Year Trend Study- National Student Satisfaction Report Noel Levitz

10. National Student Satisfaction Report 2012 Four-year Private Institutions
Instructional effectiveness (6.36)
Academic advising (6.33)
Student centeredness (6.21)
Recruitment and financial aid (6.21)
Registration effectiveness (6.20)
Safety and security (6.19)
Concern for the individual (6.18)
Campus climate (6.18)
Campus support services (6.06)

11. National Student Satisfaction Report 2012 Four-year Public Institutions
Academic advising (6.38)
Instructional effectiveness (6.37)
Safety and security (6.32)
Registration effectiveness (6.25)
Recruitment and financial aid (6.21)
Concern for the individual (6.17)
Campus climate (6.16)
Student centeredness (6.14)
Campus support services (6.10)

12. Community & Technical Colleges Student Priorities 2012
Instructional effectiveness 6.22
Registration effectiveness 6.20
Academic Advising/Counseling 6.18
Concern for the individual
Academic services
Admissions and financial aid 6.09
Safety and security
Student centeredness 6.02
Campus climate
Service excellence
Campus Support Services 5.51

13. National Adult Student Priorities Report Noel-Levitz, 2012
Instructional Effectiveness
Academic Advising/Counseling
Campus Climate
Registration Effectiveness
Service Excellence

14. TRIAD FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
Comprehensive Support Programs
High Quality Teaching
Developmental Academic Advising

15. A key question: Does academic advising matter to student success?

16. Research has shown that advising improves student retention rates through the establishment of relationships with faculty or staff members who help students to clarify their academic and career goals. Noel Levitz 2006

17. There is a relationship between advising and retention
There is a relationship between advising and retention. Agree/strongly agree 86% Disagree % Brown Faculty Survey,

18. Academic advising is the only structured activity on campus in which all students have the opportunity for on-going one-to-one interaction with a concerned representative of the institution Wes Habley, ACT

19. Redefining academic advising:

20. Academic Advising is… a systematic process based on a close advisor student relationship intended to aid students in achieving their personal, educational, and career goals…. focuses on helping students to acquire skills and attitudes that promote their intellectual and personal development. assists students to make full use of campus and community resources in the process Developmental Academic Advising Winston, Miller, Ender, Grites & Associates. 1984

21. HIERARCHY OF ADVISING
Life goals, values, abilities, interests, limitations.
Career/vocational opportunities
Academic Programs/Field of Study
Course selection
Class scheduling Terry O'Banion, 1972, 1994

22. Academic Advising assists students to make full use of campus and community resources…

23. Multicultural Affairs
Academic
Advising
Counseling
Registration
Financial
Aid
Orientation
Career
Center
TRIO/SSS
Multicultural Affairs
Faculty
Assessment
Learning
Center

24. Attributes of an environment that supports student success:

25. What happens to students after they enroll frequently has a more powerful impact on whether they stay and achieve their goals or leave Tinto 1987, 1993

26. Why do students leave college?

27. Transforming Students Through Validation
Success appears to be contingent on whether faculty and staff can validate students in an academic or interpersonal way.
Rendon, 1994, 2002

28. Some Institutions seem to be more effective than others in helping students from a wide range of abilities and backgrounds succeed… How College Affects Students Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005

29. What is intrusive academic advising??

30. Origins of Intrusive Advising
“Reduction of Attrition Through Intrusive Advising”
Robert Glennen & Dan Baxley
NASPA Journal, v22 n3 p10-14 Win 1985

31. The intrusive model of advising is action-oriented in involving and motivating students to seek help when needed. Utilizing the good qualities of prescriptive advising (expertise, awareness of student needs, structured programs) and of developmental advising (relationship to a student's total needs), intrusive advising is a direct response to an identified academic crisis with a specific program of action… Earl, 1987

32. Intrusive Advising?

33. Active Outreach Advising
Does not mean “hand holding” or parenting. Rather, it does mean active concern and a willingness to assist students to explore programs and services to improve their skills and motivate them to persist toward their goals.

34. Active Outreach Advising
Taking a personal interest in students and approaching them with an open caring attitude. A personal relationship with a concerned member of the campus community can reduce the psychological distance that hinders academic integration.

35. Proactive Advising Involves
deliberate interventions to enhance student motivation,
using strategies to show interest and involvement with students,
intensive advising designed to increase the probability of student success,
working to educate students on all options,
approaching students before situations develop.
Jennifer Varney, 2012

36. The theoretical framework of intrusive advising is based on these postulates:

37. The theoretical framework of intrusive advising is based on these postulates:

38. Guiding Principles of Intrusive Advising:

39. Some advantages of an intrusive model of advising

40. Advantages of intrusive advising

41. Does Intrusive Advising work?
Intrusive advising has been shown to improve the effectiveness of advising, enhance student academic skills and increase retention.
Earl, 1987

42. Why Intrusive Advising Works:

43. Promising Practices
The application of principles and theories leads to effective individual and institutional practices that produce increased persistence and success.

44. Active Outreach Advising: People AND Programs

45. Colleges being more proactive… “College Move to Organize Retention Efforts”
More students participating in orientation
70% collect midyear grades for first-year students
Even more flag courses with high rates of Ds, Fs, and withdrawals
Half offer some form of Supplemental Instruction
80% require first-year students to meet with an advisor at least once a term
Chronicle of Higher Education 10/25/2009

46. Intrusive Advising Strategies
Mandated assessment and placement
Required orientation programs
Required advising meetings
Early alert systems
Mentors including peer mentors
Midterm grade reports
Supplemental Instruction

47. Intrusive Advising Strategies
Clear statements of responsibility
Interventions for specific student cohorts
Advising contracts

48. Academic Advising: A Shared Responsibility

49. In loco parentis has been replaced by the philosophy that students are responsible for their own survival and relate to their experiences in the same way that other adults relate to their environments…

50. While functioning relatively well for [many] services, it is not functioning well in the campus environment for the delivery of academic assistance services. Earl, 1987

51. While students must accept responsibility for their own success or failure, institutional actors, particularly faculty members, also bear individual and collective responsibility for student outcomes. Achieving Equitable Outcome for All Students AAC&U, 2005

52. A Shared Responsibility: A Model

53. Three Approaches to Advising
Prescriptive: authoritarian with students assuming little responsibility for decision making; mainly focuses on choosing courses.
Developmental: close student/advisor relationship focuses on assisting students to achieve goals.
Integrated: Incorporates techniques from both, with an intrusive approach for at-risk students. Emphasizes frequent early contact and a shared responsibility for goal setting, decision making and planning

54. Need for Information Need for Consultation I I/S I/S S/I S
Changing Environment & Changing Students 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year 4th, 5th, 6th Year
Need for Information
Changing Needs for Advising
Need for Consultation
Moving In Moving Through Moving On
I I/S I/S S/I S
I = Faculty, advisors, etc.
S = Student
PRESCRIPTIVE DEVELOPMENTAL
Lynch, 1989; Brown& Rivas, 1994; Creamer, 2000; Brown, 2006

55. What are some student responsibilities in academic advising?

56. Student Expectation of Advisors

57. Using Active Outreach Advising with Specific Student Cohorts

58. Adult students often “recycle” through developmental issues faced by younger students Chickering and Reisser, 1993

59. Active Outreach Strategies

60. First Generation Students
40% of first-generation students leave college without a degree; they are more likely to come from low income families. US Department of Education, 2005

61. Active Outreach Strategies

62. Students with disabilities are far less likely to finish high school or college, far more likely to be unemployed, and, when they find work, to be paid less than minimum wage… Johnson, 2006

63. Active Outreach Strategies

64. Undecided Students Undecidedness has been linked to low achievement, lack of involvement and attrition Peterson & McDonough

65. Active Outreach Strategies

66. LGBT Students Students, staff, professors, or administrators who identify as LGBT report significant harassment at their colleges and discomfort with the overall campus climate… Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/14/2010

67. Active Outreach Strategies

68. Multicultural Students Students of color base their decisions on whether or not to persist on the quality of their interactions with faculty…. Cabrera, Terenzini, et. al. Journal of Higher Education, 1999

69. Active Outreach Strategies

70. First-year Students One-third to one-half of first-year students do not return for the second year. ACT Data file, 2010

71. Moving through college Moving on from college
Students need the support of advising programs and academic advisors as they make three critical transitions:
Moving into college
Moving through college
Moving on from college

72. FYE Peer Mentors Attend FYE classes Monitor student progress
Provide study skills assistance
Organize study groups
Connects to campus resources
Support faculty to motivate students toward academic goals

73. Students on Probation

74. Studies have shown that probationary students have higher GPAs when intrusive advising is used Heisserer & Parette, 2002

75. Active Outreach Strategies

76. Why reach out? Realizing the Potential of Academic Advising
Peer grapevine…….carries bad information…….I slept at a Holiday Inn last night.
Dr. Wes Habley 76

77. Advisors should…
Realizing the Potential of Academic Advising
truly know the school and its resources and know the staff of school programs.
be available to be reached by students whenever or wherever is reasonably possible.
be trained in all relevant areas (academic and non-academic) that have a direct impact on students’ well-being and success.
monitor advisee progress with or without student presence.
Jennifer Varney, Hesser College
Peer grapevine…….carries bad information…….I slept at a Holiday Inn last night.
Dr. Wes Habley 77 77

78. Advisors should…
Realizing the Potential of Academic Advising
maintain clear boundaries with students: show genuine care, including a positive attitude, openness and honestly, but maintain professionalism at all times
do not be afraid to contact students before they contact you e.g., , IM, telephone, and personalized mail.
College students today have many distractions from academics:compete with those distractions!
Peer grapevine…….carries bad information…….I slept at a Holiday Inn last night.
Dr. Wes Habley 78 78

79. Professional Development is Essential
We should not assume that effective advisors will simply emerge without structured pre-service and in-service professional development programs.

80. Many key competencies are developed after educators arrive on campus
Many key competencies are developed after educators arrive on campus. Therefore, colleges must assume the responsibility for teaching and developing their own educators to enhance student learning inside and outside the classroom by providing professional development programs “Preparing Providers to Foster Student Success” Brown & Ward, 2007

81. Comments? Questions? Challenges? Successes?