Discussions on academic advising theory have centered on application from many disciplines; however, academic advising is unlike any other field, and therefore, theories from other disciplines do not correspond with all of the unique goals of advising: assisting students in understanding the meaning of higher education, supporting students in…

This article provides a review of the evolution of the developmental academic advising approach and a brief analysis of its relationship to the emergent contemporary approaches to academic advising.

In this adaptation of my keynote address at the 2011 NACADA Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, I outline the level of increase in college attainment that must occur between now and 2025 for the United States to remain internationally competitive and meet its changing economic and social challenges. After making the case for why achieving Goal…

Pamela Shockley-Zalabak, Chancellor, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, gave the following speech at the 2011 NACADA Annual Conference October 3, 2011, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. She provides an overview of changes affecting U.S. higher education, commentary on how those changes affect the role of the academic advisor, and…

This article presents an annotated bibliography of recent research related to academic advising. It includes 13 research papers that focus on advising.

In this mixed-methods study we identify situations that impact students' decisions to withdraw from a course and examine their affective reasoning and attitudes toward course withdrawal. Exploring students' decision-making processes through the lens of self-authorship, we show that students frequently seek information from people with whom they…

Utilizing generational theory, we explored the relationship between Millennial characteristics and students' major selection and academic advising experiences. We conducted focus groups of students with senior standing at a private, midwestern university, and we utilized a closed coding technique to analyze the qualitative data. Consistent with…

Previous research on advising outreach, including intrusive or proactive advising, suggests required advising improves contact frequency, student retention, and academic achievement, especially for students on probation. We show results of a 4-year randomized trial of 501 students at an urban state university. One half the cohort received advising…

Review of social cognitive theory constructs of self-efficacy and self-regulated learning is applied to academic advising for the purposes of assessing student learning. A brief overview of the history of student learning outcomes in higher education is followed by an explanation of self-efficacy and self-regulated learning constructs and how they…

Foreclosure students have prematurely committed themselves to academic majors and future careers, but present themselves to academic advisors as very decided. From a developmental theory perspective, foreclosures represent an immature identity status and include students whose failure to explore their personal and vocational identities and achieve…

Research on the influence of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) on academic advising is limited. Using a comparative case study method, I respond to this research gap by exploring how the standards influence practices of academic advising programs. Study results indicate that participating advisors knew little…

Research in academic advising has traditionally been conducted and disseminated by faculty researchers, graduate students, and higher education administrators (including advising directors). While significant in developing a body of literature to guide academic advising, the sources of the contribution also suggest that the frontline advisor does…

This article presents an annotated bibliography of recent research related to academic advising. It includes eight research papers that focus on advising.

By adding student perceptions of the curriculum, we enhance the current history of American higher education over 5 decades. We draw from memoirs, short stories, notebooks, and legends to animate the story of students and the curriculum. The episodes depict historical events and cases that have shaped colleges, curricula, and students. The study…

The development of academic advising parallels the history of higher education and reflects decades of student personnel work. Changes in funding, curricula, students, and faculty roles have all affected the means by which students have been advised. The evolution of advising eventually led to the formation of NACADA in 1979. Since 2001, when I…