How can you help leadership understand the importance of academic advising in student success?

Yes, Leadership plays an important role in bringing the students in building up their successful career goal. It can be described as per the following points: Retention and Graduation Rates Personalized Support Clarification of Goals and Pathways Resource Utilization Early Intervention Major and Career Exploration Connection and Engagement Adaptation to Changing Circumstances Crisis Management Data-Informed Decision Making Effective academic advising is essential for supporting student success by providing personalized guidance, and addressing academic and personal challenges by recognizing the impact of advising on retention, graduation rates, and overall student satisfaction, making it a priority in their educational strategies.

Identifying your audience is the first step, a leader can take before sharing any advice. Academia is such a diverse world with people having different roles and it becomes essential for a leader to tailor the advice depending on the target group. I customize the message depending on the audience. For. Eg. As an education mentor, I get the opportunity to address teachers from different levels in schools, sometimes college, and even students. While addressing each group I focus on their issues and design the solutions accordingly. Another example is targeting a specific audience on social media. For eg. I focus my posts on educators and share the relevant posts that can help them in the teaching-learning process.

As an early-career engineering professional and my experience with the educational system, I believe that current education systems and its leaderships should adopt a human-centric design thinking methodology to evolve and shape current and future academic landscapes. Imagine schools and academia as a product, and being managed with the same strategy and commitment that a Product Manager or a leader of a Public company would employ.

Leaders are diverse. There is the political face of the University; then there are those who ensure accreditation and strategic planning within institutions. It is best to know leadership's position so as to strategically align reporting concerns with an effective approach. The goal and desire is for every office and every student to be successful. A leader concerned with accreditation at the University must view advising issues from an accreditation standpoint, whereas a political leader or face of the university may find it plausible to gain perspective on advising issues from a politically motivated stance. Moreover, successful strategists in education seek to prioritize student advisement. Student success is institutional success.

The first step is to identify the audience. By this I mean, to understand the capacity of the audience. To what extent they are ready to consume what is delivered to them? Without this understanding, the speaker and the audience will be on different pages, which will not bring any results. Present data regarding the impact of academic advising on student retention and reducing dropout rate. Gathering Testimonials from students can be a part of this data. Gathering feedback from the students who have benefitted from exceptional advising. Emphasize the benefits of the institution related to academic advising that affect the institutional goals and benefits in the long run. Organize workshop and invite prominent speakers of the field.

In my experience as both an Advising Manager and a Director of Advising, leadership does not lack in their belief in the importance of academic advising. The concern is the investment in both human and financial resources. High turnover is a result of the treatment of advising staff, the lack of equity in pay compared to other areas that are perceived as more important than advisors, and the lack of support for professional development for advising team members are all factors that I experienced while serving in my previous roles. Academic Advisors need training, certifications, development and leadership that recognizes them as valuable to the institution not only in words but in action.

It's not surprising that in a field that values data and evidence that presenting this to administration and leadership is paramount. Student surveys and anything quantifiable carries great weight; qualitative feedback sourced from class reps (the more detailed the better) is particularly useful to uncover new insights. That said, the data should be parsed prior to presenting. It can't be overwhelming or unstructured; the audience in academia is simply too smart and doesn't have the time for that. Relate it what matters across stakeholders and it will be well-received.

88 % des jeunes dipl?mé.es Bac +5 et plus de la promotion 2021, interrogés début 2023, sont en emploi 12 mois après l’obtention de leur dipl?me. C’est un niveau supérieur à celui observé avant la crise sanitaire (85 % par exemple pour la promotion 2018 interrogée début 2020), en lien avec la dynamique du marché de l’emploi en 2022. Ces données tendent à alimenter l’hypothèse suivante: résumer les problèmes d’employabilité à un phénomène générationnel semble réducteur. En matière d’employabilité, les faits établissent surtout un lien fort entre emploi, formation et conjoncture économique.

Showcase statistics and research that demonstrate a positive correlation between quality advising and higher retention and graduation rates. Effective advising helps students overcome obstacles, make informed decisions, and stay engaged in their studies.

Talking about leadership in academic environment, is not easy, especially if the leaders do not have specific experience in academic institution. Instead of convincing them with our heartily argumentation about the success of the students, no matter how passionate we are to education & students' success, I think the leaders will appreciate and understand more if we explain them by the data & evidence. Then when they ask more regarding the data, we can add the explanation with other method. Give them data, let them ask and leave them to think of it thoroughly.

Benchmarking that goes beyond metrics is a great way to drive change. Consider your key 'competitors' and aspirational schools and see what models they are using. The credibility of using what leading institutions as evidence in putting forward innovation immediately overcomes a common barrier to consideration. Speaking to colleagues in said institutions can also provide insights and offer a mean to extend your network, as well. After all, a lot of the back-end isn't obvious in student-facing materials.

Afin d'alimenter l'adéquation emploi formation, il apparait pertinent d'intégrer de manière spécifique des représentants des acteurs économiques au sein des formations professionnalisantes tout en respectant l'équilibre avec les acteurs académiques en place. Par exemple: intégration de représentants d'entreprises dans les jurys de recrutements, de certifications.. En fin de compte, le défi consiste à équilibrer l'accessibilité à l'enseignement supérieur, la qualité de l'orientation, et l'adaptabilité aux besoins changeants de la société. La recherche d'une égalité réelle des chances et d'une adhésion éclairée des candidats aux établissements demeure au c?ur des réflexions pour les acteurs de l'enseignement supérieur en France.

Enabling the authentic voice of evaluation from the diversity of the student, staff and communities is critical to ensure that programmes and practices are servicing the needs. The focus of our programme are driven from community solutions.

This is specially important for newcomers as it gives them a perspective as what are the challenges and how to deal with them.also it's important to have a discussion on with young children as to what are their expectations and experience with different methodology and how they enjoy these experiences. Always there is a great opportunity for young teachers to adapt to the new environment where children always are open minded with them.

One thing I have found helpful in advancing academic advising is the integration of innovative technologies. Implementing cutting-edge advising platforms and leveraging data analytics has proven instrumental in streamlining communication and enhancing the effectiveness of advising services. This approach not only increases efficiency but also enables advisors to make data-informed decisions, contributing to a more personalized advising experience.

A key challenge across departments are matching metrics of career placement (key to university rankings) with academic objectives (key to professor evaluations). Ironically, both matter deeply to students but are often at odds in the admin-academic divide. Whereever course selection, placements, and extracurriculars can drive post-program success will best serve students, and rankings, and long-term result in more appreciative alumni and improve the quality of applicants. With tenured professors 'in it for the long-haul,' knowing the pipeline of great students will only improve should not be a difficult selling point.

Aligning academic advising with strategic priorities can have the positive impact on students and improve retention and graduation rates which are often strategic priorities. It also uses data and requires an understanding of the leadership and the unique aspects of your student body. All while raising the importance of this essential campus resource. Academic advising is also uniquely aligned to bridge academic and student success priorities which can multiply the positive effect of this work

In a demographic that is vastly changing, HEIs need to support the real students they have currently. Those students who do not live in the ivory towers and who need the support to understand the conventions and structures of academia... Without this support, we become gatekeepers to knowledge and hinder diversity in research, descending into not gatekeepers any longer but resource-guarders who now have a dwindling set of data. Academic advising is important for widening access, student retention and to fulfil the purposes of the university itself.

Another key strategy is to leverage data and analytics in showcasing the impact of academic advising. Providing quantifiable evidence, such as improved graduation rates, student satisfaction, or achievement of learning outcomes, reinforces the effectiveness of advising. This data-driven approach helps leadership recognize the tangible contributions of academic advising to the institution's overall success.

A department advisor must be aware of the students' environment (home, work, family) in an attempt to understand their culture, habits, & goals aligning a better schedule for a student keeping in mind Retention (getting overwhelmed). Then take into mind, the student population: FT vs PT, adjusting the time frame to complete a degree. Then adjust for what seem to be the student's biggest obstacles (based on Fac surveys). If Retention is at the forefront of the strategy, the institution's reputation will be well demonstrated.

Mentoring generally starts with academic advisement . This helps a student identify their own personal concepts on what makes them feel and be successful. Academic advisement plays to the strength of the student and helps direct their individual goals in a manner that is specific to the student, helping set up an environment for success in a chosen area and setting.

I believe leadership can also be defined as our faculty colleagues who are engaged in curriculum development. Faculty can give an update about any curriculum changes or introduce their classes to new advisor in order to the advisor to understand and provide a "sales" pitch to the student on why the class is relevant to their professional goals (even if it is a required course). In exchange, faculty may be able to get valuable data that advisors naturally collect from their students that might not be collected through traditional mediums -- e.g., sentiments of professors, desired internship/careers paths, interest in Summer or Online offerings, etc.

O trabalho com aconselhamento acadêmico deve ser de forma colaborativa e cooperativa levando se em conta o papel de cada um qual.

One of the most important aspects of being a successful leader is the ability to provide constructive feedback and engage in collaborative work. These skills are essential for building strong relationships with team members and promoting a positive work culture. By offering feedback thoughtfully and constructively, leaders can help team members grow and develop their skills while also promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Similarly, by working collaboratively with team members, leaders can foster a sense of community and shared purpose that can help drive success for the entire organization.

It really comes down to how you value student success, and define it. Rankings, career placements, course and professor evaluations, staff evaluations, surveys... are these genuinely acted upon? Genuinely valued? Setting a culture that puts the student's success in a holistic sense (academic, professional, and personal) matters more than whatever tactics are used to act on it.

From being a former Assistant Director of Academic Advising myself, it’s important to let leadership know how much of the foundational work of student success starts with those first initial advising meetings. The support from leadership is truly needed. Whether it comes from the environment on campus where advisors work, to the LMS that the advisors use to serve students, to the work options like hybrid, WFH, open to serve students only certain hours opportunities, which helps with staff care and nurturing. In conclusion, leadership plays a huge role in the success of academic advising. When leadership assist with their success, it makes for a culture of care, supportive environment, & inclusive campus that all enjoy learning & serving at.

To emphasize the importance of academic advising to leadership, you could highlight the positive impact on student success, retention rates, and overall institutional reputation. Providing data on improved graduation rates and career outcomes for well-advised students may help demonstrate the value of investing in academic advising programs. I believe that highlighting those data points is essential.

Advising is key to retention and ultimately graduation. Investing in proper academic advising is an effective way to ensure institutions can improve their bottom line(s) by maintaining more students and doing so while being true to their core missions of educating and graduating their populations

One major way to show leadership how vital academic advising is by thoroughly analyzing your retention rate. If you look at Tinto retention framework, he explains how academic integration is a key component that impacts the success of a student . Because the freshman and sophomore is critical, great advising determines whether or not a student persists or drop out. Students must be able to understand their academic map, establish rapport with their academics advisor, but most importantly the enrollment management and advising units must be in sync with one another. Lastly, academic advisors must have the tools and resources needed to ensure academic success and persistence towards graduation.