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The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal Incorporating Active-Learning Strategies in Academic Advising Katrina Mann, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
In 1972, Burns B. Crookston was the first author to state that, “Advising functions ... are essentially teaching functions” (1994, p. 5). He pointed out that, “ ... advising is concerned not only with a specific personal or vocational decision but also with facilitating the student’s rational processes ... problem solving, decision-making, and evaluation skills. Not only are these advising functions but, deriving from the above assumptions, they are essentially teaching functions as well” (p. 5). Because of the similarities between teaching and advising, it would follow that techniques to improve teaching might also improve advising. The concept of active learning is currently a hot topic in the teaching pedagogy field. Active learning involves incorporating various strategies in the classroom in order to increase student learning and long-term retention of the material presented. Reading, writing, discussion, problem solving, and role playing are just a few examples of active-learning techniques used to encourage students’ motivation and participation in the learning process. This paper will explore how active-learning techniques can be incorporated into an adviser’s repertoire of skills in order to make the advising process more relevant and meaningful to the student advisee. Arthur W. Chickering (1994) considers the fundamental purpose of advising as, “ ... to help students become effective agents for their own lifelong learning and personal development. Our relationships with students – the questions we raise, the perspectives we share, the resources we suggest, the short-term decisions and long-range plans we help them think through – all should aim to increase their capacity to take charge of their own existence” (p. 50). As such, having a variety of strategies for asking questions and for getting a student more actively involved in an advising session is of great importance. Incorporating learning strategies into the advising session, much as they have been incorporated into the classroom, will promote ownership of each student’s decisions and destiny. Bonwell and Eison (1991) note that an important active-learning principle involves the instructor/adviser sharing control with students (p. 63). A student can learn how to inquire, how to extract relevant information, and how to then organize these ideas through a more interactive approach versus that of the more traditional prescriptive style of advising. By applying active-learning strategies to academic advising, the pitfalls of prescriptive advising can be avoided because the student is continually involved in determining his/her future. According to Bonwell and Eison (1991), active learning is enhanced by determining which behaviors “ ... promote interpersonal rapport by projecting warmth, openness, predictability, and a focus on student-centered teaching” (p. 22). They include:
The utilization of active-learning techniques in academic advising has many potential benefits. If faculty members and advisers utilize these techniques, students will perceive that the institution as a whole is truly committed to student learning and development. Students will also perceive the adviser as an approachable resource person and a crucial part of their support network on campus. Active learning techniques have the potential to add a new dimension to advising in that the student is an integral part of the process. “Students must have an awareness of the full meaning of the assessment process. It should be experienced as something that is happening with them rather than to them, something they are helping to shape rather than solely being shaped by” (Brown, 1984, p. 199). Incorporating active-learning techniques allows individual advisers to customize these techniques to the particular needs of students that they serve. It is hoped that students will also learn by example from the adviser how to successfully use active-learning techniques such as effective listening, questioning, and discussion skills. Incorporating active-learning strategies in the classroom and in the advising session demonstrates a commitment to reaching the students in the most effective way possible. Although incorporating active-learning techniques may initially require more preparation and planning on the part of the instructor or the adviser, the benefits to the student will outweigh this initial output of effort on the part of the instructor/adviser. Sharing the process of advising with the student will assure that each advising session is a unique and meaningful learning experience for all parties involved. “The developmental adviser sees learning as a shared experience and recognizes that the student is not likely to learn from the relationship with the adviser unless the adviser himself is open to learning” (Crookston, 1994, p. 8). References Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1. Washington, D.C.: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development. Brown, R. D. (1984). The student development educator role. In U. Delworth & G. R. Handson (Eds.), Student Services (pp.191-208). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Chickering, A. W. (1994). Empowering lifelong self-development. NACADA Journal, 14 (2), 50-53. Crookston, B. B. (1994). A developmental view of academic advising as teaching. NACADA Journal, 14 (2), 5-9. Published in The Mentor on October 18, 1999, by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |