Foundations of Student Advising

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

170 hours

This subject is only available to University of Melbourne staff members.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject is designed to provide a critical overview of student advising as it is understood and practised in higher educational contexts nationally and internationally. It will focus on theories, paradigms and methodologies of advising, and the traditions and trends that have informed advising practice over the last 50 to 60 years. The subject will examine and analyse the currently changing patterns and relationships of advising and teaching, administration, and student support, and explore a range of roles academic and administrative staff play in building institutional and student capacity through advising.

The proposed subject will directly contribute to the engagement of academic staff and professional staff of the University by expecting participant staff to:

• Critically examine theoretical knowledge and understanding of student advising, and how it fits into current issues in national and international trends in higher education;
• Analyse methodologies and pedagogies that inform the changing national and international patterns of student advising and how they relate to student engagement, retention and success;
• Examine and assess the varied structures, modes of delivery and practices of staff involved in advising globally; and
• Critically apply these theories, methods and practice to their own roles and responsibilities in the context of advising at the University of Melbourne.

There are three assessment tasks:

• 1000 word paper due early in semester (20%)
• 1500 word paper due mid semester (30%)
• 2500 word paper due end of semester (50%)

Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs/online classes) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.

Readings will be provided

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

At the completion of this subject, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the predominant theories and methodologies in student advising
• Understand and reflect upon the multiple trends and ways in which advising is understood and practised nationally and internationally
• Demonstrate the ability to analyse the implications for student advising at the University of Melbourne and the local higher education context
• Critically apply current theories and practices to their own leadership or management roles