Advising as Teaching

The blended advising model is intended to integrate academic advising into the teaching and learning mission of UNG. Teachers and advisors provide a context for learning that helps students make sense of their education as a whole and not just as a series of isolated events. Like teaching, academic advising is made up of a curriculum, (the information advisors work with), and a pedagogy (the various approaches used in advising), that support positive student learning outcomes.

Maximize Your Major sessions at new student orientations, mandatory advising, faculty mentoring, degree sequence maps, and predictive analytic technology all capitalize on the similarities between advising and teaching. In this way, the blended advising model fosters intentional interactions between advisors and students to enhance progression and retention.

Effective Teachers

  • Master their subject matter
  • Plan, organize and prepare materials for the classroom
  • Engage students actively in the learning process
  • Provide regular feedback, reinforcement and encouragement
  • Help students learn independently
  • Teach students how to evaluate information
  • Serve as a resource to students
  • Provide problem-solving tasks to students
  • Deliver information clearly and understandably
  • Exhibit good questioning skills
  • Exhibit positive regard, concern and respect for students
  • Promote a climate of learning that supports diversity
  • Stimulate higher level thinking

Effective Advisors

  • Possess accurate information about policies, resources and programs
  • Prepare well for advising sessions
  • Engage advisees in the advising process through challenges involving alternative choices and encouragement to question and explore
  • Provide timely feedback, reinforce learning that has taken place and applaud student successes
  • Encourage advisees to be self-directed learners
  • Help advisees evaluate their progress toward personal, educational and career goals
  • Provide materials to advisees and make referrals when appropriate
  • Provide tasks to be completed before the next advising meeting that will require the advisee to use information-gathering, decision-making and problem-solving skills
  • Communicate in a clear and unambiguous manner with advisees
  • Ask questions and initiate discussions
  • Provide a caring, personal relationship by exhibiting a positive attitude toward students, their goals and their ability to learn
  • Respect diverse points of view by demonstrating sensitively to differences in culture and gender
  • Help student learn concepts, test validity, and confront attitudes and beliefs