A three-day program at the College of the Holy Cross (Massachusetts) was developed to address low retention rates for African-American students meeting the usual predictive criteria for academic success. It familiarized students with the college, allowed them to meet significant college community members, and assisted in adapting to academic…

College students who change majors often drift without recognition or advising. University College at Ohio State University has established an innovative program to help these students identify, explore, and decide on alternative educational and career directions. Components include individual and group advising, a course in academic alternatives,…

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator can be a helpful tool for enabling returning adult students to know themselves and for enhancing student development. It should be used appropriately as part of a comprehensive plan for holistic academic advising. (SK)

A survey of 181 adult students in a university's division of continuing education or university without walls (UWW) programs received 145 responses indicating greater satisfaction among the UWW students than those in traditional majors. Academic advising was especially satisfactory, because UWW advisors may be more aware of adult development…

Describes the current state of undergraduate academic advising in the field of communications, including procedures and practices. Questions whether some advising training should be provided for academics and how important the activity of academic advising really is for students. (HB)

Examines the thesis process from both student and faculty supervisory perspectives, using the experience of the joint authors as an example. Identifies and questions four assumptions underlying thesis supervision, such as "the supervisor and committee are experts whereas the student is a novice being initiated into the culture." Concludes that the…

A survey that examined the advising process was given to sophomores, juniors, and seniors requiring business administration courses at the University of North Texas. As a result, additional advisors, staff development for current advisors, and emphasis on individual student needs were recommended changes that support a developmental approach. (JPS)

Describes efforts colleges should be making to promote student retention, especially for first-year students. Learning communities are needed to connect students, faculty members, and staff to involve them actively in shared learning activities. Academic advising must be an integral part of the first-year experience. (SLD)

Ten professional academic advisors were observed in advising sessions with 35 traditional-aged undergraduates to determine whether advising styles are observable and whether conceptual differences between prescriptive and developmental advising approaches are distinguishable. Individuals were observed to use one of three styles and did not vary…

While outcomes assessment has become a focus for institutions of higher education, assessment in academic support units remain sparse. Traditionally, assessment has been comprised of one-time student satisfaction surveys and/or supervisor evaluations tied specifically to job criteria. Although informative, these methods fail to account for or…

Although advising and mentoring students are important activities for professors in most academic settings, faculty job ads seldom mention these roles. We reviewed issues of the "Monitor on Psychology" from the past three decades in order to discern how frequently advising and mentoring are named as job requirements, and the frequency of requests…

The purpose of this study was to determine sophomore students' perceptions of academic advising at ETSU as reported in fall 2002 and trends in sophomore students' perceptions of academic advising at ETSU from 1994 to 2002. Four research questions and seven hypotheses were examined. The ACT Survey of Academic Advising was the instrument used in…

Described as "tough love," Louisiana State University at Eunice's "Pathways to Success" program experienced success in its first two years by implementing mandatory placement, attendance, tutoring, and advising policies. Selected student successes and retention data are discussed, along with policies and some practical advice…

A description of the kinds of educated humans to be cultivated at a particular institution can be found in the college or university vision statement. The extent that vision is reflected in the governing models of advising operations, known by personnel, and transformed into day-to-day activities was assessed through a NACADA membership survey.…

Performance as measured by grades in the first and second semesters of organic chemistry was predicted using pre-college measures (SAT scores, high school rank, validation exams) and college measures (general chemistry GPA, overall college GPA prior to beginning organic chemistry, first-semester organic chemistry GPA). Data indicate that overall…