Producing A Comprehensive Academic Advising Handbook

Abstract

A comprehensive academic advising handbook that is attractive, useful, versatile, and inexpensive is the cornerstone of a well-developed and implemented academic advising program. Seven steps have proven effective in handbook development: (1) making the commitment--appropriate campus administrators must commit the human and financial resources to develop and produce the handbook and zealously support its utilization by faculty; (2) handbook responsibliity--the administration must designate the office responsible for producing the handbook and the chain of command in seeking assistance; (3) determining the objectives and purposes of the handbook--several questions should be considered, such as who is the targeted audience, and what are the handbook's general purposes (e.g., promoting quality advising) and specific purposes (e.g., providing correct, concise, and consistent information); (4) Content--some or all of the following topics should be addressed: definitions, advisor responsibility, specific regulations/guidelines for registration and scheduling, academic policies and procedures, philosophy and objectives of the advising system, advising techniques, sample forms, directory of campus assistance, legal responsibilities, procedures for advising probationary students and other special groups, advising schedule, advanced standing, student assistance, characteristics of a good advisor, advisement strategies, referral skills, do's and don'ts, and a bibliography; (5) Organizational Pattern--the handbook should be organized in an easily accessible manner; (6) Typing and Printing--various options are available for preparing the manuscript and binding the handbook; and (7) Revision--normally, the handbook will be updated annually, but a looseleaf binder may be updated more often and less expensively. Additional notes and suggestions for handbook development are included. (JMC)