Research

June 1, 2021

Driving Toward a Degree:
Persistent Barriers to Improving Advising

Since 2015, Driving Toward a Degree has helped institutions make informed decisions regarding their advising and student supports, with an eye towards boosting key student success metrics.

This year, we focus on three persistent barriers to improving advising, as identified by survey respondents:

• Capacity: Caseloads are too high for advisors to effectively meet the needs of students
• Coordination: Lack of coordination across departments is resulting in inefficiencies in service delivery and support
• Engagement: Student engagement with advising resources, including technology, remains low

We examine these barriers through the lens of the practices and technologies institutions are implementing to enhance the student experience. Furthermore, we identify the equitable policies and practices—defined as policies and practices designed to accommodate differences in the contexts of students’ learning—institutions are adopting to ensure all students, especially racially minoritized and poverty-affected students, are equipped with the resources to achieve their goals of academic enrichment, graduation, and gainful employment.