ACUM CES: Findings from a Survey Characterizing Advisors' and Coaches' Experiences and Perceptions with Validating Approaches

The Student Success Initiative (SSI) coming out of the Office for the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education seeks to create data-informed change that promotes the holistic success of students at the University of Michigan. Recognizing the importance that advising and coaching play in students’ academic journeys, one focus of the SSI is to enhance advising and coaching at U-M for both students and advisors and coaches, such as through the implementation of training on a validation approach to advising and coaching (with training planned to begin in Sp/Su 2026). To support these efforts, we—Dr. Solaire Finkenstaedt-Quinn (Assessment and Evaluation Specialist for the SSI) and Natalie Drobny and Gray Strain (Evaluation Advising Fellows)—are working to understand the current advising landscape at U-M and how it shifts over time as validation training is implemented. During this CES, we will begin by presenting our findings from a survey that characterizes U-M advisors’ and coaches’ knowledge and use of approaches that align with validation theory and the mission and framework developed by the Academic Advising & Coaching Team. To close off the session, we hope to engage advisors and coaches in a conversation about how our findings can be used to inform changes in advising and coaching at U-M.