At the collegial level, academic advising has long been advocated as a scholarly activity based on its parallel to teaching. In fact, the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) has promoted the parallel between Developmental Advising and Teaching as its primary contribution to the education community and to its claim as a scholarly profession. While there are similarities between the two, this study seeks to contribute to the body of research by probing this theory via the restructuring of the CST 1001 Freshman Seminar Course offered within the College of Science & Technology at a large, urban public research institution. By implementing a caseload-teaching model of the course for first year freshman STEM students, the study sets out to illustrate whether caseload advising within a classroom/teaching setting can improve students’ first year retention and persistence to graduation. This evaluation study is two-fold: Not only does it set out to “treat’ students within a section of the course via the application of constructive and intrusive advising/teaching practices, and track student persistence to graduation in four, five and six years, it also examines the increasing demand on the academic advising role and its place within the higher education landscape. In search for its place in the higher education community and its claim as a profession, the study examines the advisor role to determine whether the advising practice offers more than its student service function, which is designed to carry out the mission of the institution. / Educational Administration

<p> Iodine-125 is produced from Xe-124 at McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR) for medical applications. Excessive amounts of this isotope in the air of the reactor site can be hazardous especially for the staff members who are continuously working at the reactor building. Therefore there is a critical need to monitor the concentration of iodine released to the air. In the previous iodine monitoring system available at MNR, there were several technical and practical problems. Consequently a new monitoring system was designed to overcome the previous problems and to provide with further facilities for the staff. The system is developed in the LabVIEW1 platform and is easily maintainable. The external data acquisition board LabJack is used to transfer the data to the PC. Briefly, by using radiation monitoring techniques and statistical methods, a computerized embedded system is designed to keep the MNR a safe place for operators and visitors. This thesis examines in detail the design and implementation of the new monitoring system, MASIS.</p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

abstract: The theory of learning centered academic advising states that the purpose of advising is to teach undergraduate students about the logic and purpose of their education. Previous scholarship on learning centered advising has focused on the theoretical or on implementation by faculty at small colleges and universities. Methods for supporting learning centered advising in other contexts are lacking. This mixed methods, action research study investigates the efficacy of FaculTea, a professional development program designed to promote learning centered advising practices among professional academic advisors at a large state university. The study also measured frequency of learning centered advising and student perceptions of learning centered advising. Participants were 57 academic advisors in a liberal arts and sciences college at a large state university, who reported on their advising practices. In addition, the investigator interviewed four advisors, and observed them during 15 advising appointments. Also, six students were interviewed to determine their response to learning centered academic advising. Results showed the FaculTea program model was effective in promoting learning centered advising. In addition, advisors used learning centered advising to a moderate extent, depending upon the context of the appointment, the developmental level of the student, and experience level of the advisor. Student responses varied. These findings suggest learning centered advising can be incorporated into various academic advising contexts and structures and that FaculTea is an excellent model for learning centered academic advisor professional development. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Leadership and Innovation 2013

This research was conducted to better understand how first-year college students make sense of the role of trust in the development of the relationship with their academic advisors and how they characterize the conditions that enhance or hinder trust in this relationship. An extensive literature review was conducted, identifying relevant scholarship concerning trust and academic advising--the history, philosophy, and professionalization of the field. Also, a brief section on distrust was presented to offer balance in the trust literature and to support the Lewicki, McAllister, & Bies’ (1998) theoretical framework that guided this research endeavor. Moreover, a profile of the traditional, first-year college student was introduced, as this distinct population was asked to participate in this study and to share their unique lived experiences, detailing the relationships they have developed with their academic advisors. A phenomenological research design was employed, collecting participant data via in-depth interviews, an advisor/trust orientation exercise, and member checking. After these data were collected, the Moustakas (1994) four-step approach to data analysis was utilized as a means of data reduction. Eight traditional, first-year college students participated in this research endeavor, and all indicated that the role of trust was important in the development of the relationship with their academic advisors. Also, they isolated four trust characteristics that may enhance trust in their advising relationships: initiative, knowledge/expertise, kindness, and reliability. Likewise, the inverse of these named trust facets may hinder trust in their advising relationships. These new discoveries offer powerful insights for advancing the field of collegiate level academic advising. Keywords: academic advising, academic advisor(s), advising relationships, first-year college student(s), freshman, relationships, trust

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The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of academic advising needs by faculty advisors and students at Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand, using the Academic Advising Needs Questionnaire developed by Thomas H. Burke. The assessment is based on age, sex, education level, academic rank, years of advising, and number of advisees. The questionnaire consisted of 15 items, using a four-point rating scale. The population consisted of a total of 280 faculty members and 700 resident students at all seven faculties at Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 230 faculty members or 82.14 percent of the sampling and a total of 561 students or 80.14 percent of the sampling participated in this study. The t-test, Spearman s Coefficient of Rank Correlation, and Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance W were used in the follow-up assessment, with the level of significance at .05. Data were collected by means of two Academic Advising Needs Questionnaires for this study. Questionnaires were distributed to faculty advisors and students. While students revealed some degree of need in all advising areas, the five highest ranked items were: (1) serve as a student's personal reference for prospective employers and/or graduate goals, (2) assist students in obtaining part-time work experiences (paid or unpaid) which complement their career and/or educational goals, (3) assist students with career/vocational planning, (4) help students explore possible graduate/professional school study, and (5) provide students with academic advice and suggestions for scholastic improvement. Faculty responses indicated student need in all advising areas; the five highest ranked items were: (1) assist students with career/vocational planning, (2) help students explore possible graduate/professional school study, (3) assist students in selecting a major, (4) inform students of the employment opportunities in the students' intended fields of study, and (5) assist students in obtaining part-time work experiences (paid or unpaid) which complement their career and/or educational goals.

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The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenographic study was to understand the experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives of new, primary role academic advisors at four-year public institutions in the United States. Research on advising has provided insight into advising best practices and the student perceptions of academic advising; however, there is little research illustrating current primary role academic advisors and their experience, or perhaps lack thereof. To receive highly coveted federal and state funding, higher education institutions must show growth in student success. Academic advisors are on the front lines of student success because they are tasked with the responsibility of retaining students at the respective institution through graduation. Research has indicated the importance of effective advising as it directly relates to student success metrics. Only recently have a small number of post-secondary graduate programs in the United States established certificate or degree programs specific to academic advising. Also, there are no required training standards for the profession. Because of this, advisors arrive on campus with diverse educational and occupational backgrounds and experiences that may or may not be related to their work with students that directly impacts student success. This research involved interviews with 17 new, primary role academic advisors at four-year public institutions in the United States. Participants discussed their educational and occupational backgrounds and experiences prior to entering the advising profession, their training and development experiences, and their knowledge and perceptions of NACADA’s Core Competency Model and student development theory as it applies to advising. This study added to the gaps in literature by providing specific examples of experience and knowledge of academic advisors currently working with students in the United States. Additionally, there are vast differences in advisor knowledge and understanding of NACADA’s Conceptual Core Competency and student development theories. Many advisors are aware of ideas related to professional best practices whereas others understand specific concepts related to best practices in academic advising. The findings may be used to address the necessity of implementing a university-wide, standard training and development program using NACADA’s Core Competency model as a guide for effective advising practice.

The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive study was to identify the self-perceived leadership styles of college academic advisors and to explore the variance in the perceived leadership styles based on demographic information such as academic advising approaches, institutional type, age, years of experience, and gender. Participants were 225 college advisors from among 5,066 members of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) during the 2013-2014 academic year who met study criteria and whose email invitation to complete an online survey was presumably delivered, rendering a 4.44% response rate. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Version 5X (MLQ 5X) with five supplemental questions was used for data collection The composite score for leadership style served as the dependent variable, and advising approach, institutional type, age, years of experience, and gender served as the independent variables for the study. Descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, and a factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for data analysis. The descriptive statistics for this study revealed that college academic advisors represent all points along the entire spectrum of the Full Range Model of Leadership continuum employing different leadership behaviors based on the situation. The descriptive data were supported by the frequency distributions per case which identified transformational leadership as the perceived dominant leadership style for the college academic advisors in this study. A priori to conducting the factorial ANOVA, Leneve’s test for homogeneity of variance indicated a statistically significant coefficient, thus violating the assumption of data normality and rendering the ANOVA findings uninterpretable. An implication of this study is that transformational leadership is the most desired leadership style of the Full Range Model of Leadership for college academic advisors. If this is true, professional development activities for college academic advisors should focus on strengthening transformational leadership behaviors/techniques including with whom and when this leadership style should be employed compared to the other Full Range Model of Leadership styles