Inclusive Advising

Part of commitment to student learning means also taking a holistic view toward educational outcomes and goals and helping our students achieve not just course outcomes but degree outcomes. As educators, an important role is to advise students. This may include topics like navigating college, study strategies, academic enrichment, career exploration (both for exploratory students and students in a degree program), degree requirements for graduation and feeling a sense of belonging to the Highline community.

As faculty advisors, we are in a unique position to support our students and help them achieve their goals. Faculty advising:

• is one of the best ways to improve the student learning experience and subsequent retention rates.
• contributes to quality interaction with students which is the single strongest predictor of success for at-risk minority students.
• builds student-instructor relationships, and intellectually and socially engages students with the college experience.
• provides direction – many students decide on a degree path or career because of a class experience or faculty interaction.

Resources for successful and inclusive advising

Below is a summary of key foundational elements for effective faculty advising based on the NACADA Core Competencies model. Faculty advisors do not need to have answers for everything, but can help students by advocating for them and connecting them to resources at Highline! Just like teaching, advising is an evolving process where we continue to learn and reflect to improve our practice.

Note that the topics link to resources in our Degree Pathways Canvas Advising course which will require you to login. This Canvas course is designed as a “choose your own adventure” book. Each chapter contains information that might be relevant to you as you based on your advising experiences, and what skills you want to develop as an advisor. You don’t have to read the chapters in any particular order. You can come back again and again as you have questions about advising at Highline.

If you are new to advising,  start with Chapter 1 (Advising Fundamentals) and Chapter 2 (Advising with Watermark and ctcLink – Leveraging Technology)

Summary of foundational elements and topics:

Key websites

• Watermark for Faculty & Staff:  Watermark how-to guides, links to drop-in support sessions
• Watermark, ctcLink, Canvas, and myHighline: brief overview of what each system is for, along with relevant resources and login information
• Faculty Advising: student facing webpage on Advising Center website which includes Faculty Advisor Request form.
• Faculty/Staff Tools: grab-n-go advising tools for faculty and staff use.
• ctcLink Help and Resources for Advising: guided screenshots for using advising functions in ctcLink.
• ctcLink Tutorials: contains screenshots for what students would see when navigating ctcLink.
• Important Forms on Registration Website: includes Program/Plan Update Request form, transcript evaluations and application to graduate.
• Pathways: explore Highline’s Degree Pathways
• Advising Council: cross-divisional group overseeing and implementing an equity-focused intake and advising/educational planning process in alignment with the Guided Pathways framework.
• Placement Guides for Advisors from Highline’s Placement and Testing Center

Have questions or ideas? We want them! LTC is here to support you through one-on-one consultations, workshops, peer mentoring, and customized PD that we can create based on your department and division needs. Reach out to us at ltc@highline.edu