Abstract
Academic advising (AA) is an ongoing and active process that consists of the interaction between student, academic advisors, school, faculty and the university. The ultimate goal is to provide assistance to students in developing accomplishment and suitable study plans as well as career development that are compatible with their life goals. This project aims at conducting a thorough and qualitative investigation on the current AA system in CUHK. We will look into five aspects of AA namely: (1) arrangement; (2) barriers; (3) content; (4) definition; and (5) evaluation. Our team will study and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages, effectiveness, obstacles and difficulties of each aspects from our stakeholders: teaching staff and students. The investigation format includes online surveys, discussion meetings, and in-depth face-to-face interviews to collect the stakeholders’ reflection, experience, and recommendation to the improvement of the present academic system. The improvement on academic advising can enhance students’ satisfaction with their university experience and encourage them to remain in university long enough to fulfill their educational goals, future plans, social and personal development. By the end of the study, we will provide a list of recommendations and solutions on adjusting the current system for the betterment of academic advising and the support to teachers for academic advising. This project will provide new insight for the development of AA at CUHK in the future.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
This project aimed at conducting a thorough and qualitative investigation on the current academic advising (AA) system in CUHK. The following five aspects of AA from both the university students’ and teachers’ perspectives when conducting the investigation were evaluated: (1) Definition; (2) Arrangement; (3) Content; (4) Barriers; and (5) Evaluation.
Activities, process and outcomes
We have conducted online questionnaires to academic staff and students during the project period. We also conducted focused group interviews to both staff and students to understand the current issues related to academic advisory system. According to the study results, we could provide suggestions and recommendations to the university to optimize the AA system.
Deliverables and evaluation
A total of 1203 students and 62 teachers completed the questionnaires and 33 undergraduates, and 7 teachers attended an interview in 2020. The utilization rate of the AA system was low as 64.3% (773 students) had experiences of meeting their academic advisors and 35.7% (430 students) never met with their academic advisors.
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
We have shared the findings of the current project in both local and international conferences. We have organized workshops on AA workshop and are invited to present our project at the sharing session organised by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Rawlins.
Impact on teaching and learning
This study provided new insight for the development of the AA system at our university. A good and efficient academic advisory system would not only impact on the students’ experience on teaching and learning but also their whole person and career development in the future.
