The Mentor
An Academic Advising Journal is a peer-reviewed scholarly publication about academic advising in higher education. The journal is free and published only online.
National Academic Advising Association
NACADA promotes and supports quality academic advising in institutions of higher education to enhance the educational development of students. NACADA provides a forum for discussion, debate and the exchange of ideas pertaining to academic advising through numerous activities and publications. NACADA also serves as an advocate for effective academic advising by providing a consulting and speaker service, an awards program and funding for research related to academic advising.
PREAMBLE
Academic advising is integral to fulfilling the teaching and learning mission of higher education. Through academic advising, students learn to become members of their higher education community, to think critically about their roles and responsibilities as students, and to prepare to be educated citizens of a democratic society and a global community. Academic advising engages students beyond their own world views while acknowledging their individual characteristics, values and motivations as they enter, move through and exit the institution. Regardless of the diversity of our institutions, our students, our advisors and our organizational structures, academic advising has three components: curriculum (what advising deals with), pedagogy (how advising does what it does) and student learning outcomes (the result of academic advising).
THE CURRICULUM OF ACADEMIC ADVISING
Academic advising draws primarily from theories in the social sciences, humanities and education. The curriculum of academic advising ranges from the ideals of higher education to the pragmatics of enrollment. This curriculum includes, but is not limited to, the institution’s mission, culture and expectations; the meaning, value and interrelationship of the institution’s curriculum and co-curriculum; modes of thinking, learning and decision-making; the selection of academic programs and courses; the development of life and career goals; campus/community resources, policies, and procedures; and the transferability of skills and knowledge.
THE PEDAGOGY OF ACADEMIC ADVISING
Academic advising, as a teaching and learning process, requires a pedagogy that incorporates the preparation, facilitation, documentation and assessment of advising interactions. Although the specific methods, strategies and techniques may vary, the relationship between advisors and students is fundamental and is characterized by mutual respect, trust and ethical behavior.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES OF ACADEMIC ADVISING
The student learning outcomes of academic advising are guided by an institution’s mission, goals, curriculum and co-curriculum. These outcomes, defined in an advising curriculum, articulate what students will demonstrate, know, value and do as a result of participating in academic advising. Each institution must develop its own set of student learning outcomes and the methods to assess them. The following is a representative sample. Students will:
- craft a coherent educational plan based on assessment of abilities, aspirations, interests and values
- use complex information from various sources to set goals, reach decisions and achieve those goals
- assume responsibility for meeting academic program requirements
- articulate the meaning of higher education and the intent of the institution’s curriculum
- cultivate the intellectual habits that lead to a lifetime of learning
- behave as citizens who engage in the wider world around them
SUMMARY
Academic advising, based in the teaching and learning mission of higher education, is a series of intentional interactions with a curriculum, a pedagogy and a set of student learning outcomes. Academic advising synthesizes and contextualizes students’ educational experiences within the frameworks of their aspirations, abilities and lives to extend learning beyond campus boundaries and timeframes.
Cite the Concept of Academic Advising using APA style as:
National Academic Advising Association. (2006). NACADA concept of academic advising. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources