The Student Learning Agenda: Implications for Academic Advisors

Abstract

[George Kuh was the NACADA Journal keynote speaker at the annual conference in Kansas City, MO on October 5, 1997. Some of his ideas were also expressed in a presentation at the 1997 American Association of Higher Education Assessment Forum in Miami, Florida (Kuh, 1997), in a paper that will appear in About Campus (Kuh, 1998), and in a chapter on expectations for Good Practices for Student Affairs (Kuh, in press).] By discussing the evolution and impact of the Student Learning Imperative (SLI) (American College Personnel Association, 1996), I place academic advising in the context of a larger movement in American higher education. The SLI asserts that professionals who work with students primarily outside the classroom can increase institutional productivity and enhance student learning by collaborating with faculty and others. I then offer suggestions for how advisors can contribute more directly to their institutions' educational missions by promoting higher levels of student engagement with learning opportunities.