Approaches to Advising

Developmental Advising

Developmental academic advising continues to be the most fundamental and comprehensive approach to advising practice. It enables the academic advisors to take a holistic view of each student to maximize that student’s education experiences in an effort to foster his or her current academic, personal, and career goals toward future success. Properly practiced, it encourages academic advisors to use their own skills to identify each student’s skills, abilities, and expectations; to know the resources and opportunities available to the student; and to support maximum growth (development) in academic, personal, and career goals. Simply stated, developmental academic advising allows the practitioner to accept the student on a three-dimensional continuum and facilitate growth in each one through the coordination of a variety of experiences. These efforts result in the most successful and rewarding college experience possible. (Grites, 2013, p. 45)

When to use this approach: Developmental advising should be the approach for the majority of your advising interactions with a student. This approach allows the advisor to support the student beyond coursework and focuses on their skills, abilities, and expectations which helps the advisor tailor the student’s experience in college.

Proactive Advising

Proactive Advising as an advising strategy first appeared, as intrusive advising to blend the practices of advising and counseling into a form of student intervention that allows advisors to provide students information before they request or realize they need it. Often service based, with advisors providing needed assistance and institutional information to students, it promotes relationship building similar to that generated in counseling sessions. (Varney, 2013, p. 137)

When to use this approach: Proactive advising should be utilized with high need populations such as those on academic warning, academic probation, or even those whom the advisor is aware needs a more intrusive experience to be successful and feel supported. This approach is best when working with students who have not completed course request, Corps of Cadet academic plans, and even student athletes whom you know will need to confirm they have met with an academic advisor to ensure course completion for eligibility.

Prescriptive Advising

The traditional relationship between the academic advisor and the student may be described as prescriptive. As implied by the term itself, the relationship is obviously based on authority; the advisor is the doctor, and the student is the patient. The patient comes in with some ailment, the doctor makes a diagnosis, prescribes something, or gives advice. Therefore, if the student follows the advice, the problem will be solved and all is well! In this context, the advisor presumably "teaches" and the student "learns." From the viewpoint of the advisor, the assumption underlying this relationship is that once advice is given, the responsibility is largely fulfilled; now it is up to the student to fulfill their responsibility by doing what is prescribed (Crookston, 1994, p. 5).

When to use this approach: Typically, this might be an approach used when working with students on course selection. It is a transactional experience to educate the student about which courses they need to complete for their academic program.

Appreciative Advising

Appreciative Advising (AA) entails the intentional and collaborative practice of asking positive, open-ended questions that help students optimize their educational experiences and achieve their dreams, goals, and potential (Bloom, Hutson, & He, 2008). AA involves a six-phase model highlighting the proactive mind-set that empowers advisors and students to a) build trust and rapport with each other (disarm); b) uncover their strengths and assets (discover); c) be inspired by each other’s hopes and dreams (dream); d) co-construct plans to make their goals a reality (design); e) provide mutual support and accountability throughout the process (deliver); and f) challenge each other to set higher expectations for their educational experiences (don’t settle) (Bloom et al., 2008).

When to use this approach: Appreciative Advising is effective when working with students who are not making academic progress. This allows the advisor to help support students through identifying their strengths and assets through their academic journey since sometimes students need to pivot from their original plans.