What are the best practices for assessing and improving your advising syllabus over time?

I think the choice of words, here, is inaccurate. I'm not aware of anyone in the advising field who refers to an 'advising syllabus.' A document that encompasses the features of this 'advising syllabus' would be a good idea; however, calling it a 'syllabus' might be confusing. A 'syllabus'--at least in most academic institutions that I'm familiar with--is generally a document for a course or class.

This is in line with NACADA’s expectations and literature around advising syllabi. This is exactly the purpose. Yes, it can be used differently than you might think of a traditional in-class syllabus, but it had the same purpose.

'Support - Solace- Success' :: Academic advising is a collaborative mechanism involving a student and an advisor with the goal of assisting the student reach their academic potential and remain successful. Advising is a crucial component of a comprehensive student support system, as it assists students in navigating the intricate frameworks and challenges of college by linking them to a diverse array of resources and possibilities. Advisors must establish educationally meaningful connections with students to actively involve, stimulate, and assist them in designing their academic path and to facilitate their access to academic and extracurricular opportunities in college.

Advising guidelines are like the secret recipe for academic advisors – they help keep things fair and personalized for every student. Think of them as a cheat sheet that makes sure advisors don't miss anything important, like the nitty-gritty of college rules or what classes you need to graduate. They're there to help advisors give the best advice possible, without playing favorites or getting lost in all the details. Plus, they make the whole chat with an advisor quicker and more helpful, so students can get on with chasing those diploma dreams.

An academic advising syllabus provides clear guidelines on advising goals, policies, procedures, and resources, enhancing advisor-student communication, promoting accountability, ensuring consistency in advising quality, and ultimately supporting student success and retention.

An advising syllabus should include advisor contact information, office hours, advising goals, policies (e.g., confidentiality, scheduling), academic resources, degree requirements, progress tracking methods, and campus support services. It should also outline expectations for both advisors and students, and provide a timeline for major academic milestones.

The “advising syllabus” can take form of expectations between the student and advisor regarding outcomes and goals. Ultimately, the entire process should improve student awareness, connect to university resources, and assist with reducing anxiety about degree completion.

Start by ensuring there's a shared vision and commitment from your administration since they'll need to back the project with resources and support for it to succeed. The handbook should reflect the needs of its audience, whether that's faculty, peer advisors, staff, or a combination. Its purposes can range from improving advising quality to defining good advising practices. The content is king: it should be relevant and cater to the objectives, from defining roles to outlining policies, and even providing resources for challenging advising scenarios. A good handbook is not just informative but also engaging and easy to navigate. Keep it jargon-free and user-friendly, and ensure it reflects the ethos of your academic environment.

Start with advisor contact details and availability. Outline advising goals and objectives. Include policies on confidentiality, scheduling, and communication. Detail academic resources and support services. List degree requirements and progress tracking tools. Define expectations for both advisors and students. Provide a timeline for key academic milestones. Incorporate feedback mechanisms for continuous improvement.

Student service units like advising must rethink their entire process to better focus on student experience and real-world preparation. A framework with desired outcomes for student learning is a great idea, but it must be implemented with the student's needs in mind. Advising, for example, can be a great place for goal setting. Let's prioritize student success and ensure they're prepared for the real world.

I think, instead of using an advising syllabus as a document for the student to go by, it should be more of a conversation starter between the student and advisor about what the advising expectations are and what the relationship should be between the student and advisor. It can combine higher education term explanations, timelines for the semester and expectations from the student as well as advisor.

This concept is very outdated. Instead of a syllabus, advising units should develop outcomes and assess student learning. Who is in charge of developing this content?

I think it's AI generated, stolen mostly from NACADA'S site--from about 10 years ago, when there was a push to legitimize advising by aligning it more closely with faculty work. Hence, the employment of the pretty well-established faculty produced document--the syllabus.

To improve an advising guideline handbook, it is vital to collect feedback from stakeholders, (like faculty, families and advisors), to understand its effectiveness. You’ll need to utilize a metric to gather this information but NACADA.ksu.edu has measure you can use. Regular reviews and updates are essential, ensuring the handbook remains relevant and accurate as campus policies and procedures evolve is a must. Engaging with other (indirect) stakeholders for their perspectives can also enrich the handbook's quality and usability. Implementing a cycle of continuous feedback, evaluation, and revision (ie. Triple loop learning) will keep the handbook up-to-date and effective.