1. Advisors
  2. Training
  3. Training Framework

Academic Advisor Training Framework

Our Model for Advising Practice

There is overlap between training and "professional development. However, The Office of Undergraduate Education advisor training program - in partnership with individual advising units - will focus on the basic knowledge and skills necessary to advise students during an advisor's first-year of employment.

Professional development involves individual growth: developing leadership skills, learning and practicing advanced advising techniques, planning for and presenting at conferences, developing skills in presenting and facilitating, writing journal reviews, expanding your knowledge of certain technologies, etc. CSAA will collaborate with ACADAOS and CUA on a variety of professional development fronts.

A few important items about our efforts to creating an exceptional learning experience for both new and established advisors:

  • We provide both synchronous and asynchronous training topics that compliment college/department training programs for academic advisors and closely affiliated staff.
  • We do not have a separate track for new and established advisors. All of our experiences are intentionally designed to accommodate both, offering sessions where the new advisors can benefit from the real student experiences that established advisors offer during our demonstrations, discussions, and Q&A time. This allows us to provide updated training for experienced advisors and include time for new and experienced advisors to participate for mentoring -style activities.
  • We are committed to performing regular evaluations of our programs, our advising community, and our advising services to ensure we are meeting the needs of both the advising community and our campus colleagues.
  • Each semester, advising annual update meetings are hosted by our advising community on a variety of topics in order to collaborate, share practices, and get to know each other better.
  • Advisors are encouraged to contact advising@osu.edu with suggestions for trainings or experiences they would like to see offered to benefit their colleagues and students.
Onboarding Sessions Professional Development

Vision

Academic Advising will be an intentional, ongoing, and holistic collaboration between students and advisors, responsive to the emerging needs of students, in order to co-create plans to achieve lifelong learning, success, and citizenship.

Mission

Academic Advising exists to help students explore and engage with their educational goals by providing relevant curricular and campus community information to empower students to reach their full potential. Through care and compassion advisors collaborate with students and campus partners to foster inclusive environments for student success.

Competency Categories

Our training framework is positioned within the core competencies that NACADA has developed for academic advisors. This design intentionally aligns advising at The Ohio State University with best practices in our field. Strong foundational understanding of these key areas of knowledge enhances advisors' ability to participate meaningfully in professional development opportunities focused on the praxis areas where advisors apply theory to their professional practice.

Model for Academic Advisors
  • Core values of, ethics in, and role of academic advising
  • Undergraduate advising at Ohio State
  • History and theory of academic advising
  • Institutional student outcomes
  • High Impact Practices
  • Trends in higher education and impacts on advising
  • Personal philosophy of advising

Covers the knowledge advisors must gain to be able to guide the students at their institution.

  • OSU Majors, Degrees, and the GEs
  • Campus resources
  • Buckeye Guide to Academic Policies
  • Self-reflection and active listening
  • Motivational interviewing
  • Effective verbal and non- verbal communication
  • Problem-solving during complex conversations
  • Individually tailored support skills

Student Learning Outcomes

Each training experience we provide to advisors is mapped to at least one of Ohio State's twelve defined academic advising student learning outcomes.

Goals:
1. Students understand and successfully navigate the tools and systems of advising.
2. Students thrive academically and make progress toward degree completion.
3. Students plan their future and engage in their education.

SLOs:

  • By engaging with academic advising throughout their undergraduate career, students will:
  • Identify resources based on their needs to help them be successful (Goal 1)
  • Understand university policies and procedures (Goal 1)
  • Schedule and attend advising appointments to discuss course planning (Goals 1 & 2)
  • Actively participate in their major and career planning (Goal 2)
  • Formulate and revise degree plans, selecting appropriate courses based on academic goals (Goal 2)
  • Respond to communication and outreach from the academic advisor or advising unit (Goals 2 & 3)
  • Select academic enrichment and co-curricular opportunities that support academic and career plans (Goals 2 & 3)
  • Proactively engage with support resources to ensure academic and career preparedness (Goal 3)
  • Take responsibility for educational decision-making (Goal 3)