academic advising: understanding student and faculty/staff perceptions

Academic Advising:Understanding Student and

Faculty/Staff Perceptions

Darlena Jones, Ph.D.Director of Education and Program Development, EBI

Who is EBI?Founded in 1994 by Joseph Pica, Ed.D and Glenn Detrick (retired in 2002)Over 1500 Colleges and Universities (U.S.A. and 15 other countries like Australia, Mexico, Spain, and Egypt) have participated in EBI’s studies

Surveyed over 12 million people

Nearly 100 Assessments in 10 areas of higher education

Over 500 custom assessments for schools like MIT, Ohio State, UCLA, University of Georgia, and University of Florida

Produced over 17,000 customized reports

Creation of an online system that collects, analyzes, reports, disseminates, and manages assessment data

MAP-Works

Student Affairs

College of Nursing

College of Engineerin

gCollege of Business

College of Education

Family of EBI Assessments

FoE/EBI Assessments – 4-Year Inst

Student• FoE First-Year Student Assessment (4 yr)

• 5 institutions submitted nearly 3800 responses; of those, 3071 were first-year students and 506 were transfer students

Faculty/Staff• FoE Faculty/Staff Assessment (4 yr)

• 1 institution submitted 688 responses; 340 work with first-year students and 383 work with transfer students

• FoE First-Year Faculty/Staff Survey (4 yr)• 4 institutions submitted 1098 responses; Of

those, 710 work with first-year students

FoE/EBI Assessments – 2-Year InstStudent • FoE First-Year Student Assessment (2 yr)

• 29 institutions submitted nearly 23,000 responses; of those, 10,274 were first-year students and 11,409 were transfer-bound students

Faculty/Staff• FoE Faculty/Staff Assessment (2 yr)

• 18 institutions submitted 4,267 responses; 2,834 work with first-year students and 2,448 work with transfer-bound students

• FoE Transfer-Focus Faculty/Staff Assessment (2yr)• 2 institutions submitted 830 responses; of those, 385

work with transfer-bound students• FoE First-Year Faculty/Staff Survey (2 yr)

• 9 institutions submitted 4,640 responses; Of those, 3,452 work with first-year students

• Matched data set– Only collect responses from students and faculty/staff if

institutions provided both sets– Four Year Institutions: Focus on First-Year only

(insufficient data on transfer students)• 4 institutions, 2907 first-year students and 710 faculty/staff

– Two-Year Institutions: Focus on institutions submitting both 1st Year and Transfer-Bound responses• 18 institutions• First-Year: 5103 first-year students and 2834 faculty/staff• Transfer-Bound: 5867 transfer-bound students and 2448

faculty/staff

Data Set Criteria

Comparing PerceptionsFirst-Year Students at

4-Yr InstitutionsFirst-Year Students at 2-Yr

Institutions

Faculty/Staff at 4-Yr Institutions working

with First-Year Students

Faculty/Staff at 2-Yr Institutions working with

First-Year Students

Faculty/Staff at 2-Yr Institutions working with Transfer-Bound Students

Transfer-Bound Students at 2-Yr Institutions

Firs

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Academic Advising and Retention

Retention of students is greatly affected by the level and quality of their interactions with peers as well as faculty and staff• Astin, A.W. (1993). What matters most in college: Four critical years revisited. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass.The factors in students leaving school include academic difficulty, adjustment problems, lack of clear academic and career goals, uncertainty, lack of commitment, poor integration with the college community, incongruence, and isolation• Tinto, V (1987). Increasing student retention. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Two critical factors in students' decisions to persist are their successfully making the transition to college aided by orientation and advisement programs and making positive connections with college personnel during their first term of enrollment• Rendon, L. (1995, May). Facilitating retention and transfer for the first generation students in

community colleges. Paper presented at the New Mexico Institute, Rural Community College Initiative, Espanolo, NM. Academic Advising is the only structured activity on the campus in which

all students have the opportunity for one-to-one interaction with a concerned representative of the institution.• Habley, W.R. (1994). Key Concepts in Academic Advising. In Summer Institute on Academic

Advising Session Guide (p.10). Available from the National Academic Advising Association, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.

What are the perceptions of advising among first-

year students?

First-Year Students at 4-Yr Institutions

First-Year Students at 2-Yr Institutions

Student Questions: Academic Advising

Making Connectio

ns

• As a new student, to what degree has this institution connected you with academic support outside the classroom (e.g., tutoring, advising)?

Academic Advising

• To what degree have faculty/staff advisors:• Explained the requirements for specific academic majors?• Helped you select courses?• Discussed how college can help you achieve your life goals?• Discussed what it takes for you to be academically successful?• Discussed your future enrollment plans (e.g., stay, drop-out, transfer)?

Overall• To what degree are you satisfied with academic advising at this institution?

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

24%

21%

26%

33%

50%

47%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Making Connections: As a new student, to what degree has this institution connected you with academic support outside the classroom (e.g., tutoring, advising)?

Statistically Equal

Nearly 1in 4 students are not being

connected with out-of-class academic

support

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advising: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors explained the requirements for specific academic majors?

4 Yr > 2 Yr

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

19%

9%

25%

25%

57%

66%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5 Nearly 1in 5 students report little/no information on

academic majorsNOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advising: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors helped you select courses?

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

19%

12%

21%

26%

60%

61%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

4 Yr > 2 Yr

Nearly 1in 5 students report little/no

guidance in selecting courses

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advising: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors discussed how college can help you achieve your life goals?

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

23%

18%

22%

31%

55%

52%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Statistically Equal

1 in 4-5 students report little/no

discussion of college helping life goals

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advising: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors discussed what it takes for you to be academically successful?

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

20%

13%

22%

29%

58%

58%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Statistically Equal

4 out of 10 students report little guidance

in successful behaviors

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

25%

25%

21%

29%

53%

45%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Academic Advising: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors discussed your future enrollment plans (e.g., stay, drop-out, transfer)?

2 Yr > 4 Yr

1in 4 students report little/no discussion of

future enrollment plans!

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

17%

10%

27%

28%

57%

62%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Overall, to what degree are you satisfied with academic advising at this institution?

4 Yr > 2 Yr

4 in 10 students are not highly satisfied with their academic

advising

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Quick Summary: Students 4Yr vs 2Yr

40-50% of students are moderately to very dissatisfied with academic advising

4-Year Institution Strengths: Requirements for academic major, selecting courses, overall satisfaction

2-Year Institution Strengths: Discussing future enrollment plans

Faculty/Staff at 4-Yr Institutions working

with First-Year Students

Faculty/Staff at 2-Yr Institutions working with

First-Year Students

What are the perceptions of advising among

faculty/staff and academic advisors?

Fac/Staff Q: Academic Advising

All Populations

• Please rate the overall effectiveness of academic advising for first-year students at this institution

Academic Advisors

Only

• In advising first-year students, to what degree do you:

• Help them select courses• Discuss what it takes for them to be academically

successful• Discuss their future enrollment plans (stay, drop-out,

transfer)• Have adequate training to effectively address their

needs

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

11%

12%

31%

39%

58%

50%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

(All Faculty/Staff): Please rate the overall effectiveness of academic advising for first-year students at this institution

2 Yr > 4 Yr

~ 50% of faculty/staff perceive academic advising to be excellent; 50% do

not…NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

1%

4%

6%

13%

92%

83%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

(Academic Advisors Only): In advising first-year students, to what degree do you help them select courses

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

2 Yr > 4 Yr

Large majority of academic advisors report very high

degree

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

2%

5%

11%

23%

87%

72%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

(Academic Advisors Only): In advising first-year students, to what degree do you discuss what it takes for them to be academically successful

Large majority of academic advisors report very high

degreeNOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

2 Yr > 4 Yr

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

2%

5%

8%

16%

91%

79%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

(Academic Advisors Only): In advising first-year students, to what degree do you discuss their future enrollment plans (stay, drop-out, transfer)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

2 Yr > 4 Yr

Large majority of academic advisors report very high

degree

2 Yr Inst

4 Yr Inst

7%

16%

23%

27%

70%

57%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

(Academic Advisors Only): In advising first-year students, to what degree do you have adequate training to effectively address their needs

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

2 Yr > 4 Yr

Not as satisfied with their job training

Quick Summary: Fac/Staff 4Yr vs 2Yr

General faculty/staff population perceive academic advising to a moderate level

A large majority of academic advisors report high levels of success in the various advising roles (e.g., choosing courses, success behaviors, etc.)

A large segment of academic advisors are dissatisfied with their job training

First-Year Students at 4-Yr Institutions

Faculty/Staff at 4-Yr Institutions working

with First-Year Students

What are the perceptions of advising among

students and faculty/staff at 4-Yr Institutions?

Comparing Student to Fac/Staff: 4Yr

Selecting Courses

Successful Behaviors

Future Enrollment Plans•

Overall Satisfaction with Advising

Selecting Courses (4 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advisors: In advising first-year students, to what degree do you help them select courses

First-Year Students: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors helped you select courses?

Academic Advisors (4 Yr Inst)

First-Year Students (4 Yr Inst)

4%

12%

13%

26%

83%

61%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Successful Behaviors (4 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advisors: In advising first-year students, to what degree do you discuss what it takes for them to be academically successful?

First-Year Students: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors discussed what it takes for you to be academically successful?

Academic Advisors (4 Yr Inst)

First-Year Students (4 Yr Inst)

5%

13%

23%

29%

72%

58%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Future Enrollment Plans (4 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advisors: In advising first-year students, to what degree do you discuss their future enrollment plans (stay, drop-out, transfer)?

First-Year Students: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors discussed your future enrollment plans (e.g., stay, drop-out, transfer)?

Academic Advisors (4 Yr Inst)

First-Year Students (4 Yr Inst)

5%

25%

16%

29%

79%

45%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5Largest disconnect

between students and advisors

Satisfaction with Advising (4 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

All Faculty/Staff: Please rate the overall effectiveness of academic advising for first-year students at this institution

First-Year Students: Overall, to what degree are you satisfied with academic advising at this institution?

All Faculty/Staff (4 Yr Inst)

First-Year Students (4 Yr Inst)

12%

10%

39%

28%

50%

62%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5Only item where

students > faculty/staff

Quick Summary: First-Year @ 4Yr

Large disconnect between students and advisors on advising informationAdvisors are much more positive with their delivery of information than students report receivingAll faculty/staff are less positive with overall advising than studentsLargest disconnect between students and advisors for “discussing future enrollment plans”

First-Year Students at 2-Yr Institutions

Faculty/Staff at 2-Yr Institutions working

with First-Year Students

What are the perceptions of advising among

students and faculty/staff at 2-Yr Institutions?

Comparing Student to Fac/Staff: 2-Yr

Selecting Courses

Successful Behaviors

Future Enrollment Plans•

Overall Satisfaction with Advising

Selecting Courses (2 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advisors: In advising first-year students, to what degree do you help them select courses

First-Year Students: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors helped you select courses?

Academic Advisors (2 Yr Inst)

First-Year Students (2 Yr Inst)

1%

19%

6%

21%

92%

60%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Successful Behaviors (2 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advisors: In advising first-year students, to what degree do you discuss what it takes for them to be academically successful?

First-Year Students: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors discussed what it takes for you to be academically successful?

Academic Advisors (2 Yr Inst)

First-Year Students (2 Yr Inst)

2%

20%

11%

22%

87%

58%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Academic Advisors (2 Yr Inst)

First-Year Students (2 Yr Inst)

2%

25%

8%

21%

91%

53%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Future Enrollment Plans (2 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Academic Advisors: In advising first-year students, to what degree do you discuss their future enrollment plans (stay, drop-out, transfer)?

First-Year Students: To what degree have faculty/staff advisors discussed your future enrollment plans (e.g., stay, drop-out, transfer)?

Largest disconnect between students and

advisors

All Faculty/Staff (2 Yr Inst)

First-Year Students (2 Yr Inst)

11%

17%

31%

27%

58%

57%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Satisfaction with Advising (2 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

All Faculty/Staff: Please rate the overall effectiveness of academic advising for first-year students at this institution

First-Year Students: Overall, to what degree are you satisfied with academic advising at this institution?

Only item where students ~ faculty/staff

Quick Summary: First-Year @ 2Yr

Large disconnect between students and advisors on every measure Advisors are much more positive with their delivery of information than students report receivingStudents and All Faculty/Staff have approximately same view with overall advisingLargest disconnect between students and advisors occurs for “discussing future enrollment plans”

Faculty/Staff at 2-Yr Institutions working with Transfer-Bound Students

Transfer-Bound Students at 2-Yr Institutions

What are the perceptions of advising among transfer-bound students and faculty/staff who

support them(2-Yr Inst)?

Comparing Student to Fac/Staff: 2Yr

Discussed Career / Educational Goals

Enrolling in Transferable Courses

Select Appropriate Transfer Institution

Transferring Before Completion

Advises Transfer-Bound Students (Career Goals)

Advises Transfer-Bound Students (Further Education)

Transfer-Bound Student (Further Education and Career Goals)

1%

1%

30%

8%

8%

24%

91%

91%

46%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Discussed Career / Ed Goals

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Advising Transfer-Bound: When advising transfer-bound students, how often do you discuss their goals for further education / career goals?

Transfer-Bound: To what degree has your academic advisor helped you enroll in courses that will transfer?

9 of 10 advisors believe they do this; less than 50% of students

receive that information

Advises Transfer-Bound Students

Transfer-Bound Student

2%

31%

12%

23%

85%

46%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Enrolling in Transferable Courses

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Advising Transfer-Bound: When advising transfer-bound students, how often do you discuss transferability of specific courses?

Transfer-Bound: To what degree has your academic advisor helped you enroll in courses that will transfer?

Nearly 9 of 10 advisors believe they do this; 3 of 10 students do

not receive any information

Advises Transfer-Bound Students

Transfer-Bound Student

5%

46%

24%

20%

71%

34%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Select Appropriate Transfer Institution

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Advising Transfer-Bound: When advising transfer-bound students, how often do you discuss transferability of specific courses?

Transfer-Bound: To what degree has your academic advisor helped you enroll in courses that will transfer?

Nearly ½ of students don’t think they’re

getting this information

Advises Transfer-Bound Students

Transfer-Bound Student

5%

43%

14%

21%

81%

36%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Transferring Before Completion (2 Yr Inst)

NOTE: Data is from 2011-2012 FoE/EBI Assessments

Advising Transfer-Bound: When advising transfer-bound students, how often do you discuss the advantages/ disadvantages of transferring before or after completing an associate's degree?

Transfer-Bound: To what degree has your academic advisor discussed the pros and cons of transferring before or after completing an associate's degree?

Nearly ½ of students don’t think they’re

getting this information

Other Transfer-Bound Student Q

To what degree has your academic advisor discussed your academic progress?

To what degree has your academic advisor explained the transfer process?

To what degree has your academic advisor helped you connect with advisors and/or faculty at the institution to which you plan to transfer?

29%

40%

47%

23%

24%

21%

48%

35%

32%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

Nearly ½ of students don’t think they’re

getting this information

Other Advisor Transfer-Bound Q

When advising transfer-bound students, how often do you discuss their academic readiness to pursue their desired major?

To what degree does this college assure that transcripts are sent to receiving institutions in a timely manner?

1%

9%

14%

14%

85%

77%

Ans = 1 or 2 Ans = 3 Ans = 4 or 5

8 of 10 advisors believe this happens to a very

high degree

Quick Summary: Transfer-Bound

Large disconnect between students and advisors on every measure

Advisors are much more positive with their delivery of information than students report receiving

Nearly ½ of students are not receiving the information needed

Summary

Overall SummaryWeaknesses

~ 50% of Students at 4Yr and 2Yr are not highly satisfied with

advising

Strengths: 4 Yr: Acad Major, Selecting

courses, Overall satisfaction

2 Yr: Future enrollment plans

First-Year Students

Academic Advisors

Students and Other Faculty/ Staff

Deliv

ery

of

Info

rmat

ion

Receipt of Inform

ation

Academic Advisors vs. Students and other

Faculty/Staff

Dissatisfied with job training

High success in delivering

information

Advisors: 2Yr and 4Yr Inst

Take Away: Academic Advising is extremely important to success, retention, and graduation.

BUT, there’s a large disconnect between delivery and receipt of information.

What can we do to change that?

• Be Proactive: Helping Students to Persist and Succeed– Cathy Brinjak, Slippery Rock University– Amy Lynn Shimko, Frostburg State University– Sunday, 9am

• Creating a Campus-Wide Retention Strategy: A Study of Collaborations– Melissa Bussear, Central Michigan University– Steven Hawks , Kansas State University– Sunday, 10:30am

FYE Conference

How to Evaluate a Benchmarking Study in Student Affairs– Date: 02/21/2012, Time: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM CT

Moving Surveys from Interesting to Useful to Actionable– Date: 03/06/2012 Time: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM CT

Resident Assistants And Residence Hall Outcomes– Date: 04/03/2012, Time: 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM CT

Upcoming Food for Thought Webinars

www.webebi.com/community

Darlena Jones, Ph.D., Darlena@webebi.com