Studying the Effectiveness of a Community College Advising Intervention Model for Undecided Students

[摘要] Nationally, community college rates of student completion and success are in the spotlight, and college leaders are increasingly focusing on academic advising as a strategy to meet institutional goals for improvement.Research on academic advising as a lever for improved student outcomes is compelling, but applying research-based strategies to local practice can be challenging.This research study discusses the development of an academic advising intervention model for undecided students within a small, rural community college, and the implementation of this model using improvement science-based strategies over an academic term.To assess the effectiveness of the model, quantitative data on student engagement, behaviors and outcomes, and qualitative data on the implementation process were collected and analyzed.The research methodology incorporated in this study utilizes both a causal comparative design to evaluate differences in quantitative data between the study and a comparison cohort, and thematic analysis to explore the implementation process and impacts.Major findings are that (1) the adoption of the advising model did have significant positive impacts on student engagement and student behaviors, and positive impacts on student outcomes and (2) the iterative design strategies utilized throughout the implementation had a positive influence on the adoption of the model.The study provides an example of the application of community college advising theory to local practice, the management and evolution of a change initiative through iterative design, and the assessment of a local advising model using readily available data.The study and results have implications for academic advising administration and for educational leadership more broadly.

[发布机构] the University of Pittsburgh