Assessment of Academic Advising: A Cross-Sectional Study
We highlight a study of an academic advising program at the University of Michigan. Students were surveyed via the Internet, and we summarize data obtained in 2001 and 2002. The majority of respondents reported taking actions that they would not have considered without interaction with an academic advisor. These data have been used for staff discussion and program development. By annually adding cohort data to the survey results, we will be able to assess the students as they move through the university and to compare first-year student responses in year-to-year data sets.
Contributor Notes
Alice Reinarz is Director of the LS&A Academic Advising Center and Adjunct Professor of Biology at the University of Michigan. Reinarz is the chair of the NACADA Commission for Advising Administrators.
Nat Ehrlich is Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Interested readers can contact Dr. Reinarz at areinarz@tamu.edu.
This research project has been supported generously by Student Academic Affairs, College of LS&A, University of Michigan. Specifically, the authors appreciate the encouragement of Assistant Dean Esrold Nurse and funding from the Monroe-Brown grant.
The authors acknowledge Dr. Eric R. White (Executive Director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies) and Jim Levin (Coordinator of Advising, College of Science) of The Pennsylvania State University, College Park campus, for helping us develop the strategy for this study based on some of their models. They have generously shared suggestions and information that have been extremely beneficial.
