Appreciative advising

Appreciative Advising (AA) is a social-constructivist advising philosophy that provides a framework for optimizing advisor interactions with students in both individual and group settings. The heart and soul of appreciative advising is the organizational development theory of appreciative inquiry that was developed in 1979 by David Cooperrider at Case Western Reserve University. Appreciative advising also draws from the positive psychology, social constructivist theory, and choice theory literature.

Appreciative advising emerged from an article written by Jennifer L. Bloom and Nancy Archer Martin titled "Incorporating Appreciative Inquiry into Academic Advising" that appeared in the online academic advising journal at Penn State, The Mentor, on August 29, 2002. Subsequently, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) began implementing the concepts outlined in the article and began to demonstrate success in terms of student retention. Bryant Hutson and Scott Amundsen at UNCG coined the term "appreciative advising". Bloom, Hutson, and He (2008) wrote the first book, titled The Appreciative Advising Revolution, on the topic. Institutions and academic advisors from throughout the country are now utilizing the appreciative advising approach to guide their advising programs and interactions with students.

In 2012, the University of South Carolina began offering an online Appreciative Advising course as well as a process for certifying appreciative advisers. Building on the success of the Appreciative approach to academic advising, the movement has expanded to other areas, including teaching (appreciative college instruction), orientation, admissions, Greek life, and tutoring. This expansion of the principles of appreciative advising is now known as appreciative education.

The University of South Carolina's Office of Appreciative Education now offers a professional rating for academic advisers: Appreciative Advising Certification. Certified Appreciative Advisors are committed to a standard of excellence in the field of advising and optimizing their students' educational experiences. The certification process includes successful attendance of the Appreciative advising Institute or completion of the appreciative advising course, as well as completed advising rubrics, recommendations, a current CV, and personal advising theory.

The Appreciative Advising Institute was first held in August 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2012 Appreciative Advising Institute was held July 28-31 in Charleston, SC. The Institute is intentionally designed to teach participants the theoretical structure of appreciative advising and to provide skills training in implementing this framework. This conference is designed to provide ample opportunity for participants to extend theory to practice. Participants learn how the six phases help both the advisor and advisee optimize their educational experiences. Participants are encouraged and given the opportunity to reflect on their own goals and dreams to optimize their own lives.

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Wikipedia