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Insights from two years of data gathered through the Student Experience Action Plan (SEAP) and the National Survey on Student Engagement (2014-2023) highlight that student advising is a key area for improvement for º£½ÇÉçÇø students. The Enhancing Advising Project is an exciting initiative aimed at developing an improved advising model for students and those who support them across our campuses, faculties and units.

Project Overview

The Issue

The current advising model at the º£½ÇÉçÇø is inconsistent across programs, which can negatively impact the student experience. Although dedicated and thoughtful teams have made improvements, feedback from students and staff reveals that deeper, systemic issues remain unresolved. There is an opportunity for improvement, based on recent SEAP data:

• 50% of overall survey respondents agreed it was easy to access academic advising within their faculty.
• 47% of overall survey respondents agreed they were able to access academic advising on time.
• 55% of overall survey respondents agreed the requirements for completion of their current program have been communicated.

These results highlight that we can do better for our entire community of students, faculty and staff.

The Impact

Student well-being and experience are directly connected to their advising experiences. Students' year-to-year persistence and program completion rates, a key priority outlined in SHAPE, may be negatively affected by our advising ecosystem. As a result, students may not be getting the full benefit of all the opportunities available throughout their educational experiences.

The Opportunity

We have an opportunity to create an improved advising model that incorporates best and leading practices in training, structures, technology, processes and physical spaces. This enhanced approach can strengthen navigational, support and academic advising services for all.

What we know

We have dedicated people

According to the 2024 Student Experience Survey, between 85% and 100% of students agreed or somewhat agreed that they were treated with respect by academic advising staff within their faculty. This strong foundation, supported by a dedicated community of advising professionals, offers a valuable opportunity to build upon and further enhance the student experience.

2024 student experience survey data revealed the following:

1. Accessing necessary academic advisement and information is consistently challenging.
   1. An average of 50% of student respondents agreed with the statement “It was easy to access academic advising within my faculty”.
   2. An average of 41% of student respondents agreed with the statement “Information on available academic advising within my faculty has been clearly communicated to me”.
2. Students are often unable to get advising assistance from their non-home faculty; particularly for students in Open Studies.
   1. An average of 35% of student respondents agreed with the statement “It was easy to access academic advising outside of my faculty”.
3. There is a lack of consistent student-to-advisor ratios and long wait times to see an advisor.
   1. An average of 48% of student respondents agreed with the statement “I was able to access academic advising within my faculty in a timely manner”.

There are three facets of advising:

1. Navigational: Where to go and when? How can students use technological tools and human interactions to learn what they need to know to have a positive experience?
2. Support: What resources or support services do students need to access to achieve their goals?
3. Academic: What program components need to be satisfied to get students to graduation, and how can students build in opportunities to explore and take advantage of the º£½ÇÉçÇø’s multidisciplinary offerings along the way?

Project Timeline

To evolve our advising ecosystem will take intentional work that engages all those who create and are impacted by our advising community. To ensure broad engagement, we have crafted a three-phased approach.

Project Leadership and Engagement

This project is being led by Office of the Deputy Provost, Students and Enrolment and SEAP co-sponsors:

• Declan Ali, Dean of Science
• Melissa Padfield, Deputy Provost (Students and Enrolment)
• Pedro Almeida, President, º£½ÇÉçÇø Students’ Union
• Aashish Kumar, President, Graduate Students’ Association

The project is also guided by a staff advisory committee and extensive student engagement to ensure the outcomes positively impact our students, staff and faculty members.

Advisory Committee

The advisory committee is composed of student service and advising staff across our university community.

Membership