Advising at IWU: Findings from Focus-Group Discussions

Submission Type

Event

Faculty Advisor

Amanda Vicary

Expected Graduation Date

2018

Location

Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University

Start Date

4-21-2018 2:00 PM

End Date

4-21-2018 3:00 PM

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

Advising is an important component to students’ satisfaction and success. In an effort to better understand students’ perceptions of advising at Illinois Wesleyan University, six focus groups were conducted. The groups consisted of randomly selected sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Analyses of the sessions revealed five main themes: the level of desire for personal relationships with advisors, importance of advisors’ knowledge of gen-ed requirements, importance of advisors’ knowledge of minor requirements, importance of student preparedness for advising sessions, and the structure of the advising process. Although overall satisfaction with advising was high, by making slight adjustments to current policy and offering guidance to advisors on how to best support students, we believe that the path can be paved for an even more satisfactory, collaborative relationship between students and advisors.

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Apr 21st, 2:00 PM Apr 21st, 3:00 PM

Advising at IWU: Findings from Focus-Group Discussions

Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University

Advising is an important component to students’ satisfaction and success. In an effort to better understand students’ perceptions of advising at Illinois Wesleyan University, six focus groups were conducted. The groups consisted of randomly selected sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Analyses of the sessions revealed five main themes: the level of desire for personal relationships with advisors, importance of advisors’ knowledge of gen-ed requirements, importance of advisors’ knowledge of minor requirements, importance of student preparedness for advising sessions, and the structure of the advising process. Although overall satisfaction with advising was high, by making slight adjustments to current policy and offering guidance to advisors on how to best support students, we believe that the path can be paved for an even more satisfactory, collaborative relationship between students and advisors.