The Role of Developmental Advising in Recruitment and Retention

Developmental vs Prescriptive Advising

Prescriptive Advising: What we were used to when we went to collegeHere is a list of courses that are required

for the major (and minor), here is a list of the number of credits and the categories needed for general education distributions and here is a list of other requirements.

When you have completed all of the requirements on the list we will graduate you!

Developmental vs Prescriptive Advising

In 1972, Burns B. Crookston wrote an article in the Journal of College Student Personnel titled "A Developmental View of Academic Advising as Teaching" - the term developmental academic advising was born.

Developmental academic advising is both a process and an orientation. It reflects the idea of movement and progression. It goes beyond simply giving information or signing a form.

Developmental vs Prescriptive Advising

Developmental academic advising recognizes the importance of interactions between the student and the campus environment, it focuses on the whole person, and it works with the student at that person's own life stage of development.

According to Crookston, developmental academic advising "is concerned not only with a specific personal or vocational decision but also with facilitating the student's rational processes, environmental and interpersonal interactions, behavioral awareness, and problem-solving, decision-making, and evaluation skills. Not only are these advising functions but . . . they are essentially teaching functions as well

Developmental vs Prescriptive Advising

In his article, Crookson focuses on the difference between prescriptive and developmental advising. In prescriptive advising, a student would come to an advisor for a solution or an advisor would typically answer specific questions but would not address more comprehensive academic concerns. Developmental advising is based on "the belief that the relationship itself is one in which the academic advisor and the student differentially engage in a series of developmental tasks, the successful completion of which results in varying degrees of learning by both parties .

Developmental Advising is Intrusive, Aggressive, and aids in student maturation. There is an element of reality checking. It is not making the student feel good. It is aiding the student to reach their potential.

What Would UMSL Developmental Advising Look Like?

The Advising Process would start with the student’s acceptance to UMSL.

Mandatory Orientation would be woven into the advising process. Placement exams for both Math and English.

Cohort groups would be established using Orientation and Developmental Advising.

Developmental Advising would have multiple tiers (College Advising Center, Academic Advisor and Pre-Professional Advisor).

Role for Each Advising Tier

College Advising Center: Try to designate one advisor to be with a student throughout career.Work with student on curriculum needs and

in early detection of problems. Is student and chosen curriculum a good fit?Develop a level of mutual respect.

Faculty or Academic Advisor:Career possibilities, involvement in research

and scholarly activities, knowledge of the student with respect to potential for success.

Role for Each Advising Tier

Pre-professional advisor: Work with each student from the time they decide to attend UMSL.How realistic are their chances of obtaining

their goals?Offer Academic Advice with respect to

courses.What else students need to do in order to

obtain admission to their desired professional school?

Become well known and respected among admission officers.

Role for Each Advising Tier

Advisors must work together and must have access to each other’s notes as well as the complete records of the students.

Each of the advisors must consider sending students to counseling when there are appropriate indications.

The advisors can not counter each other out (running from one parent to the other).

Master Plan

Advising to start at the time of acceptance.Closer the advising is to the major the better.

Mandatory Orientation (integrates academics into the social network and student life aspects).

First Year Experience Courses (Freshmen vs Transfer level courses).

Early Alert for all Freshmen, at risk students and all students taking bottleneck courses.

Intrusive Advising for Students in trouble.

Plans to Handle Identified Students

It is one thing to identify a student in trouble, it is more important to offer plans to help students in trouble.

Get students who are in the groups that will be most closely watched out of courses in which they are having difficulties without them losing financial aid (mid-semester courses).

Provide developmental courses for those students having trouble in bottleneck courses.

Developmental Advising and Retention

By itself, the fundamental principles of developmental advising enhance retention and are also a powerful attractant to students applying.

Develop a network of peer mentors, advisors and tutors (students often react better to their peers).

Review how we structure our semesters and schedules to enhance student learning and success.

Major Obstacles to Starting Development Advising

Money $$$$$$ (initial investment should be paid back several times over by increased retention).

Lack of communication and interaction on campus (need to review and reinvent infrastructure).

Students and faculty often both regard UMSL as a 4 day commuter college.

Some Things to Consider

Need for more advisors. Examine our course and class scheduling.

Make better use of the entire week. Look over some typical schedules and try to

reduce exams being given on the same days. Re-introduce a study week to help students

prepare for finals. Increase library hours during final weeks of

classes. Re-engage the faculty in understanding their

importance in student success in ways other than grade inflation.