STRUCTURE AND EFFECTIVENESS: ACADEMIC ADVISING MODELS AT HBCUS AND IMPACT ON RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATES

Dr. David S. Hood, Associate Dean of University College North Carolina Central University Dr. Jennifer A. Schum, Associate Dean of University College North Carolina Central University

NACADA, October 7, 2013

Academic Advising and Retention

 Cuseo (2003): Direct, causal connection between academic advising and retention yet to be established  Impact retention through: 1) student satisfaction with college experience, 2) effective educational, and career planning and decision-making, 3) utilization of support services, 4) student-faculty contact outside classroom, 5) student mentoring  Essential to advising programs: 1) mission and outcomes, 2) recognition/ reward, 3) hiring/ deployment criteria, 4) orientation/ training/ development  In Higher Education, students are leaving school at the end of their freshman year at alarming rates (McDaniel and Graham, 2001).

 For every meeting with an academic advisor, the odds that a student will be retained increase by

13%

(Swecker, Fifolt, & Searby, 2013)

HBCUs

   Filling critical gap in higher education despite substantial ideological, funding challenges (Cantey et al., 2013) Disproportionately enroll low-income, first generation, underprepared 324,000 attended HBCUs in 2011 (NCES, 2013)  HBCUs comprise 3% of all four-year institutions in the US, yet produce 20% of the bachelors degrees awarded to Black students (UNCF, 2013)  In US: 33% of Whites vs 20% Black adults (aged 25+) have earned bachelor’s   Average overall 6-year graduation rate in US= 50% Black= 42%, White= 62%

Academic Advising Models

Habley (2004)

Decentralized

  Faculty-Only Model Satellite

Shared

    Supplementary Model Split Model Dual Model Total Intake

Centralized

 Self-Contained Model

Faculty-Only Model

 More prevalent decentralized structure  All students are assigned to a departmental advisor  Typically a professor from the student's academic discipline  Used at 28% of all institutions  Primarily the model of choice at private institutions  36% of the private 2-year colleges  39% of the private 4-year colleges and universities.

However, when considering the two most popular shared models together, 4 year private institutions using the Supplementary or Split Models slightly outnumber (at 43%) the 4-year private institutions with the Faculty Only Model (39%).

Satellite Model

 Academic divisions within the institution establishes a unit responsible for advising  Professional advising faculty/staff in each unit  Styles to approaching advising vary

Supplementary Model

 Students are assigned to a department advisor  Central administrative unit housing professional advising staff  Usually staff offers support through resources and training  Centers may serve students according to transfer course evaluation/ degree audit  Most popular at 2-year private and 4-year institutions  2-year private (21%)  4-year private (26%)  Found at 17% of all institutions

Split Model

     Faculty in departments and staff of an advising center oversee advising Advising centers are usually responsible for:  Undecided majors  Academic probation  Freshmen  Pre-majors for professional program Once declared or cleared for professional program, students are reassigned to academic major Found at 27% of all institutions The Split Model is dominant at 4-year public colleges and universities  Nearly half (46%) of these institutions utilize this model

Dual Model



Student has two advisors

 Instructional faculty  Advises on academic major-related issues  Advising Office  Advises on general requirements, procedures, and policies

Total Intake Model

 Staff in an administrative unit advise all students  Students are advised for a specified period of time/and or requirements have been met  After requirements are met, students receive a faculty advisor

Self-Contained Model

 Advising may occur in an advising center or a counseling center  Staffed primarily by professional advisors/counselors  Faculty may advise student at the center/part-time basis  Found at 14% of all institutions  Most frequently found at 2-year public colleges at 29%

Statement of Problem

 No data exist that shed light on the perception of Provosts/ Chief Academic Officers (CAOs) at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on the structure and effectiveness of first year academic advising on student retention and graduation rates.

Purpose of Study



The primary purpose of this study is to determine if there are statistically significant differences between first year academic advising models at HBCUs and

    First year retention rates Four-year graduation rates CAO perceptions of program structure effectives CAO perceptions of effectiveness with students 

Additionally, this study will determine if there are statistically significant relationships between CAO perceptions of program structure effectiveness and effectiveness with students and

 First year retention rates  Four-year graduation rates

Research Questions

 1. Are there statistically significant differences between the Academic Advising models implemented at HBCUs during the first year and 1) first year retention and 2) four-year graduation, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics?

 2. Are there statistically significant differences between the Academic Advising models implemented at HBCUs during the first year and perceptions by CAOs of 1) effectiveness of program structure and 2) effectiveness with students?  3. Are there statistically significant relationships between 1) effectiveness of program structure and 2) effectiveness with students, with 1) first year retention and 2) four-year graduation, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics?

Survey Items

           1. FY academic advising model 2. AA reporting line 3. Presence of AA coordinator 4. Presence of SLOs for FYAA 5. Adequate training for FYAA 6. Adequate rewards for FYAA 7. Effective assessment of FYAA 8. Effective collab between AA and FY programs 9. Effective collab between AA and faculty 10. FYAA knowledge of curricula 11. FYAA knowledge of developmental needs of students         12. Effectiveness of FYAA with special populations 13. Effectiveness of FYAA with those switching majors 14. Quality FYAA important to retention 15. FYAA effective at increasing retention on my campus 16. Percentage of FY in bridge/preparation program 17. Gender 18. Length of experience as CAO 19. Length of experience in higher education

Research Design and Population

 NCCU IRB approval  Electronic survey (SurveyMonkey)  Pilot: convenience sample of 57 Advisors and academic support colleagues  open two weeks, two follow-up reminders  Study: Chief Academic Officers at 97 institutions identified as Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the U.S.

 84 contacts identified at four-year institutions  open for two weeks, two follow-up reminders  Other data taken from National Center for Education Statistics  First year retention, four-year graduation rate, total undergraduate enrollment, first year cohort, control (public/private), selectivity

Pilot Results

   32 respondents; reliable instrument (Cronbach’s α= .837) Factor Analysis on Likert scale items Q5 to Q16 Two factors with excellent internal consistency   Factor I,

Effectiveness of Program Structure

scale (Cronbach’s α= .827)  Q8, AA-FY program collaboration  Q7, Effective AA assessment  Q5, Effective AA training  Q6, Effective AA reward  Q9, AA-faculty collaboration .828

.823

.821

.820

.459

Factor II

, Effectiveness with Students

scale, (Cronbach’s α= .798)  Q12, AA effective with special populations .831

 Q10, AA knowledge of curricula .778

  Q13, AA effective with switching majors .771

Q11, AA knowledge of first year dev. needs .683

  Q15, AA effective at increasing retention Q14, AA important to retention .594

.221

Preliminary Study Results

 Low response rate= 13  6 M/6 F= 12 (1 skipped)  Avg. higher ed. exp.= 25.92 yrs.; 66.7%= in position < 3 years  61.5%= total intake, 23.1%= shared split  91.7%= First Year Academic Advising reports to Academic Affairs  30.8%= no Student Learning Outcomes for FYAA  50%= reward structures for FYAA not effective  33%= training /professional dev. for FYAA not adequate  25%= assessment of FYAA not effective  25%= collaboration between FYAA and faculty not effective  80%= less than 25% of freshmen in summer bridge

Preliminary Study Results

 91.6%= strongly agreed quality FYAA important to retention  all agreed/ strongly agreed  75%= FYAA on campus effective at increasing retention  25% not sure, or FYAA is not effective

Next Steps

 Mail paper surveys to Provosts/ CAOs to increase response rate  Alternates not appropriate for research questions  surveying Directors of Advising  surveying larger population of Provosts/CAOs

DISCUSSION

References

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