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In learner-centered advising, the advisor sees every opportunity for the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø make a choice as a learning opportunity and assists ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs in steadily gaining ownership over their college experience. The learning process encompasses ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs’ cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal development.

Being learner-centered is different from being ºÚÁÏÉçÇø-centered: "Being ºÚÁÏÉçÇø-centered implies a focus on ºÚÁÏÉçÇø needs. It gives rise to the idea of education as a product, with the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø as the customer" (Weimer, xvi). In contrast, "Being learner-centered focuses attention squarely on learning: what the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø is learning, how the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø is learning, the conditions under which the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø is learning, whether the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø is retaining and applying the learning, and how current learning positions the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø for future learning. The ºÚÁÏÉçÇø is still an important part of the equation. When instruction is learner-centered, the action focuses on what ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs (not advisers) are doing" (Weimer, xvi).

In this approach, advisors and academic support professionals teach ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs and assist in their purposeful, holistic, and intentional growth. Through conversation and dialogue, they teach ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs to value the learning process, apply decision-making strategies, put the college experience into perspective, set priorities and evaluate events, develop thinking and learning skills, gain personal and intellectual maturity, and make informed choices.

To best support this learning process advisors and other academic support professionals at ºÚÁÏÉçÇø partner purposefully across the university.

Key Assessment Measures

ºÚÁÏÉçÇø embraces assessment of academic advising at both the divisional and institutional level. The following measures indicate the effectiveness of academic advising and provide data for the continuous improvement of advising processes. 

Measures

• First-to-Second-Year Retention and Six-Year Graduation Rates
• Student and Advisor Surveys
• Advising-Related Questions on the National Survey of Student Engagement
• Standard Advisor-Advisee Ratios