ACADEMIC ADVISING UPDATE
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

April 2000

Advising Enhancement Task Force
Update of Activities
(available in .pdf format)
(For a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader™ , go to the Adobe web site).

Composed of students, faculty, and administrators, the Advising Enhancement Task Force is charged with identifying areas of potential enhancement and examining the administrative structure of advising at Kansas State University. This Task Force was appointed by the Provost, Faculty Senate President and Student Body President, illustrating the concern and commitment to high quality advising.

The Task Force is organized into five subcommittees, each of which is focusing its efforts on one or two of the eight objectives specified in the charge to the Task Force. Issues being addressed include: student expectations and perceptions of advising, advising structures, coordination of advising at the university level and across colleges, time spent by faculty and rewards for advising, mechanisms for informing students of their responsibilities, use of technology, and student feedback to assess advising effectiveness at the program level.

In efforts to study advising and recommend enhancements, the Task Force is considering the Academic Advising Policy (see attached) passed by the Kansas Board of Regents in May of 1999, literature published by the National Academic Advising Association, the knowledge and experience of Task Force members, and two on-campus surveys. The surveys are briefly discussed below.

1) Student Survey

An academic advising survey was sent to 1500 students in December 1999. Students were categorized according to college, classification and curriculum. At least one student in every curriculum received a survey. The survey questions are directed toward determining the quality of the assistance, how often assistance is sought, and whether students are interested in receiving assistance on certain topics. There are sections on curriculum requirements, career information, problem-solving assistance, and the referral process. Students are also asked to give an overall rating.

2) Current Advising Systems Survey

A comprehensive questionnaire about undergraduate advising structures at KSU was distributed Fall Semester 1999, through deans, to faculty and administrators responsible for advising structures. The questions reflect issues related to current advising models, the role of advisors, training for advisors, how students receive information about advising processes, evaluation and reward of advisors, problems and challenges encountered for advisors and for advising, and an assessment of the adequacy of the current advising program.

Other activities of the Task Force include the following:

The subcommittee addressing methods for the coordination of advising in cases of dual majors, particularly across different colleges, has completed its work. A recommendation has been drafted for the final report.

The subcommittee addressing mechanisms which inform students of their responsibility in the advising process is recommending that descriptions of advising in all university documents (e.g., Undergraduate Catalog and Faculty Handbook) be consistent with the Board of Regents Academic Advising Policy. The Task Force's recommended revisions to the 2000-2002 undergraduate catalog (revised to be consistent with the BOR Academic Advising Policy) have been forwarded to University Publications.

After the results of the two surveys are analyzed, recommendations will be developed regarding issues such as advisability of a central administrative position to act as liaison for university-wide advising and the use of technology in advising.

The Task Force intends to forward a final report to Provost Coffman, Faculty Senate President, and Student Body President before the end of 2000.

Whereas Effective Academic Advising occurs when students, faculty, and the university share responsibility in the Academic Advising System and when that System is then required to meet certain criteria, and

Whereas The Students’ Advisory Committee appreciated the attention given to Academic Advising by the Board of Regents at the December Board meeting, and

Whereas The Board of Regents made it very clear that the constant improvement of Academic Advising is important throughout the entire Regents’ system, and

Whereas Each Institution’s Academic Advising System should produce certain end results for students, and

Whereas The Board of Regents has never officially stated the minimum standards that all Regents’ Universities should meet regarding Academic Advising, and

Whereas The creation of said minimum standards could be combined into an Academic Advising Baseline, and

Whereas The Students’ Advisory Committee would like to see the following Baseline adopted by the Board and included in the Policy and Procedures Manual.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

Section 1. The Board of Regents’ Academic Advising Baseline be established to ensure that all Regents’ Universities Academic Advising Systems assist students in and provide for the following at each institution:

1. Goal Setting.
   Each Academic Advising System should help students to set both short term and long term educational goals.
   
2. Information.
   Each Academic Advising System should be able to accurately inform students of the graduation requirements of their department. It should be sensitive to the importance of strategic course selections so as to minimize the number of semesters required for graduation. Additionally, the System should be able to inform students of career opportunities in their field of study.
   
3. Transitions.
   Each Academic Advising System should inform students how to change colleges and/or departments. Furthermore, the System should provide information to explain the process students follow to enroll in their curriculum and to drop or add courses during the semester.
   
4. Accessibility.
   Each Academic Advising System should have reasonable hours and methods of availability for students. Additionally, student should be able to set up appointments within the System for an adequate amount of time to make curricular selections and career choices.
   
5. Referral to Campus Resources.
   Each Academic Advising System should be able to refer students to various campus resources including but not limited to University Counseling, Office of Student Activities and Services, Career and employment Services, Career Information Center.