Pro-Active Dedicated Advisors

2023
Seminole State College of Florida
www.seminolestate.edu
FloridaDebbie Lynch
Equitable Access and Outcomes, Student Services
Each bachelor’s student is assigned a dedicated advisor that connects with their students from the point of application to the college. The specified advisor is the subject matter expert for the student’s program of study and preferred campus location. The Advising and Counseling team utilizes prescriptive and pro-active strategies to positively connect with their assigned students throughout their academic journey. In addition, the advisors utilize technology-mediated advising strategies to “meet the students where they are”, including connecting with their students through telephone, email, virtual, text, and in-person meetings through appointments created in Navigate®. Appointments in Navigate® have been very successful in that there is approximately a 100% fill rate of advising appointments that are created via this software. Utilization of student data and metrics directly correlate to the review and continuation of Academic Advising and Counseling initiatives. For example, student satisfaction surveys and qualitative feedback have provided data that shows that students perceive the dedicated advisor services to be of quality and effective. Metrics tracked include advising appointment statistics such as number of appointment utilized by students, frequency of appointments, no-shows, etc. Additionally, Navigate® analytics track student usage of advising tools, resources, and technology and reveal engagement levels. By utilizing this information, decisions are made as to whether current initiatives should be expanded, revised, or be replaced. Also, the Advising and Counseling team tracks student retention by identifying specific cohorts, such as veterans, athletes, Pell eligible, and minority males. Retention rates for these cohorts have increased for each of these groups through high touch and high contact initiatives that a dedicated advising model provides.
Advising, Counseling