Elements of the Framework Putting the Advising Framework into Practice
Training and Development Advising Framework Spotlight
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles are explicitly interwoven throughout this framework. This integration approach was deliberate because these principles must be foundational to all initiatives, decisions, policies, communications, and practices of academic advising at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Stakeholder discussions identified that a guiding resource was needed to bridge the aspirations of the UMNTC advising system with the impressive work being done across campus. In response, this framework was developed from a review of institutional guiding documents, survey data with multiple stakeholder groups, and other primary advising resources.
View the foundational guide highlighting the evolution of this work.
Our Vision
Academic advising at the University of Minnesota strives to encourage students' reflection, engagement, and growth within a diverse community of ideas, people, and disciplines. We aspire to be a collaborative, welcoming community that fosters students' resilience and well-being and prepares them for lifelong success.
Our Mission
Academic advising at the University of Minnesota intentionally challenges and supports students to create and achieve their academic, career, and personal development goals.
Our Values
Excellent advising is:
- Inclusive
Advising recognizes and supports the diverse backgrounds, interests, and needs of the University of Minnesota student body by establishing practices and relationships that are culturally relevant and effective at addressing barriers for students and communities facing social, cultural, economic, physical, and attitudinal barriers. - Relational
Advising is built upon developing relationships between students and their advisors that center on mutual trust and respect. - Responsive
Advising is flexible and adaptive to individual student identities, urgent situations, anticipated challenges, and emerging higher education trends. - Informed
Advising is grounded in institutional data, student voices, relevant theory, and research on effective practices. - Holistic
Advising is student-centered, developmental, and learning-focused, incorporating a concern for the growth and needs of the whole student, beyond curricular planning.
Academic Advising Goals
Our academic advising goals are to:
- Support students in the exploration of their identities, strengths, interests, and values to enrich their holistic college experience
- Coach students to reflect upon and learn from challenges, adversity, and setbacks to foster their motivation and self-efficacy
- Guide students to create educational plans aligned with their academic, career, and personal development goals
- Challenge students to incorporate diverse, global perspectives into their educational experience to prepare for effective citizenship and lifelong learning
- Discuss with students the value of appreciating difference and engaging with a diversity of people and ideas
- Show students how to navigate the University’s academic requirements, policies, procedures, tools, resources, key dates, and deadlines
- Invite students to proactively engage with resources and opportunities that promote their success
- Promote student persistence, retention, and degree progress through outreach, record maintenance, and data systems
Academic Advising Student Learning Outcomes
As a result of their partnership with academic advising, students will be able to:
- Analyze their identities, strengths, values, and interests to make informed and self-aware decisions about their academic, personal, and career plans
- Respectfully interact with individuals with backgrounds and/or ideas different from their own
- Understand the value of appreciating difference and engaging with a diversity of people and ideas
- Seek to incorporate diverse and global perspectives into their academic plan and co-curricular activities
- Increase their capacity to effectively learn from and navigate challenges, adversity, and setbacks.
- Identify information about academic requirements, university policies and procedures, and key dates and deadlines.
- Access University resources and opportunities that support the achievement of their goals.
- Use University tools to explore majors, register for courses, and develop an academic plan through graduation.
Core Advising Skills & Methods
Academic advisors guide students as they navigate their campus experience by practicing the following skills and methods.
- Be an ally and advocate
- Build relationships and apply connections
- Apply interpersonal skills
- Seek information and share knowledge
- Be a cultural navigator
- Be purposeful, reflective, and holistic
- Use technology to execute detail and planning
- Learn, reflect, and integrate new awareness and ideas into advising practices
In order to provide a meaningful experience to all students and advisors, it is critical to intentionally infuse the framework into advising systems and practices. This guide highlights different strategies that individuals and units can use to incorporate the framework into their conversations and practices.
Knowing it’s helpful to have examples, below are sample tools the advising community can use to support the process of putting the framework into practice. These tools are designed to be easy to access and implement, knowing time can be a barrier.
- Advising Leader Tool: This tool features questions advising supervisors and leaders can use during staff meetings, annual retreats, committee meetings, etc.
- Advising Supervisor Tool: This tool provides examples of questions supervisors can use to incorporate the framework into individualized coaching work with advisors.
- Academic Advisor Tool: This chart provides sample questions mapped to the advising student learning outcomes that advisors can ask of students during different kinds of appointments.
The advising community is invited to use these sample tools and also develop their own unique methods for putting the framework into practice.
Informational Training
Watch a video and access presentation materials providing an overview of the Advising Framework. This session covers the background, goals, and process by which the Advising Framework was developed. Training specifically for new advisors is also available.
Professional Development
Having opportunities for reflection and feedback helps advisors build goals that support the development of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for their work. A Goal Setting Guide and a Goal Setting Worksheet are available to support the process of connecting individual goals to the UMTC Advising Framework. These materials can spark conversation between advisors and supervisors about personal and professional development using the framework. The Guide and Worksheet can also be used individually by advisors to reflect on their personal practices or developed with a mentor or colleague.
Practice
Interested in further experience applying the framework? Watch the TATE conference professional development session that reviews sample tools demonstrating how to apply the Advising Framework into practice. Accompanying presentation materials are also available. In addition, case studies and orientation preparation resources are available, which you can use with a colleague/s to practice the framework.
Each winter, spring, and fall, the Spotlight Program highlights a different element of the Advising Framework (Vision, Mission, Values, Goals, Outcomes, etc.). Nominees must be professional undergraduate academic advising staff and nominators must speak to how the nominee exemplifies the part of the framework featured that cycle.
All nominations require a short statement (200 word limit) that describes how the nominee exemplifies the UMTC Advising Framework. Nomination statements will be shared with all individual nominees so they can receive the nominator’s words of recognition. The first 20 nominees also receive a personalized certificate and are announced in an Advising Update newsletter.
Complete this short form to nominate a colleague who exemplifies the Core Advising Skill & Method: Be an Ally and Advocate by May 31st.