Building on more than a decade of research on effective advising practices, this project is developing a practitioner-oriented framework for holistic advising. The framework will define the core features of holistic advising and outline evidence-based practices for achieving each of the essential components. It will serve as a tool that state higher education agencies and associations, student success centers, technical assistance providers, and intermediary organizations can use when working with community colleges on advising redesign. Community college administrators can use the framework as a tool to inform their vision for advising reform.
The updated holistic advising framework will reflect CCRC research on Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS) and advising in the guided pathways framework and will refine definitions of key principles to align with current and emerging staffing and technological landscapes. Increasingly, colleges recognize that advising is not only the responsibility of formal advisors, but also an important job function for faculty, other student services staff, and administrators. At the same time, the technological landscape is evolving, with a wide expansion of communication, risk intervention, degree planning, and AI-powered advising tools. These changes require further exploration and conceptual development in an updated holistic advising framework.
Funding for this project is provided by ECMC Foundation.