Faculty-led student advising model: a case study on how faculty make sense of their role in the academic advising process.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20350271

This case study explored how a faculty-led advising model at a large nontraditional university consistently results in above-average student persistence rates. Through investigating the role of the faculty, the project considered why this advising model is effective, how it was developed, how faculty implement the model, what works, and what does not work. The purpose of this case study was to understand how specific faculty members make sense of their role as academic advisors and construct knowledge about the importance of academic advising, applying the seven properties of sensemaking as a lens. The findings revealed three overarching themes, and six sub-themes, which emerged as the faculty described their role. First, engaging in reflective practice during the advising process leads to increases in self-efficacy. Second, through holistic and contextual interaction, student success is improved. Third, a connection between altruism and advising guides faculty behaviors and contributes to student success. Implications and recommendations include a focus on employing faculty with skills aligned with the advising model; developing more focused training opportunities; developing a reward system to illustrate the value of this advising process and devising an assessment methodology to verify effectiveness of the process--Author's abstract