Academic Advising as Learning: 10 Organizing Principles

Abstract

A learning paradigm can transform the field of academic advising. Ten organizing principles answer the two core questions raised by a focus on learning. What should the student learn through advising? How might the learning take place? The first three organizing principles define a curriculum for academic advising and are based on the premise that the goals and values of advising should be derived from the institutional mission statement and assist advisees in developing higher-order thinking skills. The other principles focus on pedagogy: creating and organizing situations that assist students in meeting learning goals. We draw upon progressive, constructivist, and social constructivist theories of education to study both the learner and the learning context.