Download Advising Models Tasks and Types May 2015

Advising Models
Many different advising models exist at UK and universities across the country. The following
terms and descriptions may be helpful for reference when discussing various advising models.
Professional
Students are formally assigned only to a professional advisor, who is usually located within an
advising center. Other professional staff or faculty may provide limited or informal support for
designated subsets of students, but students’ primary advising contact is always their
professional advisor.
Faculty
Students are formally assigned only to a faculty advisor, usually a professor from the student’s
academic discipline. Professional staff may provide limited support for faculty advisors at key
times, but students’ primary advising contact is always their faculty advisor.
Hybrid
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Split – Students may be assigned to either a professional advisor or a faculty advisor,
usually based on their level of progression through their program. Professional advisors
may be responsible for a particular subset of students (e.g., freshmen, those on
academic probation, pre-majors preparing for an upper-level or professional program).
When students have satisfied certain criteria, such as completing prerequisites for
admission to a program, they are reassigned to a faculty advisor in the school or
department that offers their major.
Dual – Students are simultaneously assigned to both a professional advisor and a faculty
advisor.
Advising Models In Use At UK Colleges
Professional: 5 (Business & Economics, Design, Nursing, Public Health, Undergraduate Studies)
Faculty: 0
Hybrid (Split): 4 (Arts & Sciences, Communication & Information, Education, Engineering)
Hybrid (Dual): 1 (Social Work)
Hybrid (Split and Dual): 3 (Agriculture, Allied Health, Fine Arts)
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Notes on Advising Models at UK
1) Every undergraduate college uses professional advisors to some extent.
2) Among colleges that use both faculty and professional advisors, there is much variation
in how these two advisor types are used, as well as how closely these advisor types
work together from a practical standpoint.
3) Generally speaking, smaller colleges tend to use dual advisor assignment (simultaneous
faculty and professional advisor for a single student) much more often than larger
colleges.
Advising Tasks
The term “advising” encompasses many different tasks. The following terms and descriptions
may be helpful for reference when discussing what tasks are expected of advisors.
UK Core: Ensuring students complete appropriate courses to fulfill UK’s general education
requirements (e.g. Inquiry-Arts & Creativity, U.S. Citizenship, Global Dynamics).
Pre-Major Courses: Ensuring students 1) follow recommended sequence of prerequisite
courses for their major and 2) complete these courses with required GPA, to facilitate
movement into upper-division status in their major.
Major Courses: Ensuring students select and complete (usually upper-level) coursework
pertinent to and required for their major.
Degree Audit: Utilizing a degree audit program to verify that students are fulfilling all the
course requirements necessary to earn their degree.
Career Exploration: Helping students to gain knowledge of and/or experience in areas of
potential career interest, and to clarify their career goals.
Major Exploration: Determining if the student’s current or proposed major matches their
interests, aptitudes, and vocational and life goals.
Personal Issues and Campus Referrals: Helping students address academic, personal, financial,
and medical issues by connecting them with the appropriate campus support office(s).
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Advisor Types
UK has several different types of advisors. The following terms and descriptions may be helpful
for reference when discussing different advisor types.
Faculty advisor: A faculty member whose primary job responsibilities include teaching and/or
or research, with advising as an additional (ancillary) responsibility. Faculty advisors are often
on 9 month contracts with limited availability during summer months.
Academic advisor: A staff member, based in an academic unit or college, whose primary job
responsibility is advising students. Academic advisors are available to their students yearround.
Special program advisor: A staff member, based in a particular non-college-based program
(e.g., Honors Program, CARES, 1st Generation, CATS, Student Support Services), who works
continuously with individual students year-round to support them in achievement of their
goals.
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