Abstract:
Despite its importance to postsecondary students' success, there is little known
about academic advisement in Canada. Academic advising can be a very intensive and
demanding job, yet it is not well understood what duties or student populations of
advising make it so. On a practical level, this study sought to learn more about academic
advisement in Ontario universities and provide a general overview of who advisors are
and what they do. This study also investigated academic advising duties and time
allocation for these responsibilities in an attempt to relate theory to practice incorporating
Vilfredo Pareto's theoretical underpinnings to confirm or negate the applicability of the
Pareto Principle in relationship to time utilization by advisors. Essentially this study
sought to discover which students require the greatest advisement time and effort, and
how advisors could apply these findings to their work.
Academic advising professionals in Ontario universities were asked to complete a
researcher-designed electronic survey. Quantitative data from the responses were
analyzed to describe generalized features of academic advising at Ontario universities.
Discussion and implications for practice will prompt advisors and institutions using the
results of this study to measure themselves against a provincial assessment. Advisors'
awareness of time allocation to different student groups can help focus attention where
new strategies are needed to maximize time and efforts. This study found that caseload
and time spent with student populations were proportional. Regular undergraduate
students accounted for the greatest amount of caseload and time followed by working
with students struggling academically. This study highlights the need for further
evaluation, education, and research in academic advising in Canadian higher education.
