ERIC Number: ED346914
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1992-Jul-20
Pages: 20
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Assessment of the Student Peer Advisor Program: A Change in Roles.
Phillips, Brad C.; Boren, Kelly J.
Most academic advising conducted in the California Community Colleges is accomplished through a formal system administered by professional academic advisors/counselors. With recent cutbacks in funding, the amount of academic advisor time available to an increasing number of students is decreasing. In an effort to increase the availability of academic advising services, Yuba College began a student Peer Advising Program in 1989. Trained student peer advisors work as paraprofessionals under the supervision of two academic counselors. In spring 1991, a year-long project was undertaken in an effort to change the role of peer advisors, utilizing them more effectively as counselors rather than as clerical support for professional counselors. During three stages of the project (pre-, partial, and full implementation), students completed a satisfaction questionnaire immediately after their contact with a peer advisor. In addition, professional counselors on staff were surveyed at the end of both the partial- and full-implementation stages using an open-ended questionnaire. over the three phases of the study, a total of 225 students were surveyed. Findings included the following: (1) the time students spent with the peer advisor increased by almost 70% from the partial to the full implementation phase; (2) student satisfaction increased with each phase; (3) problems presented to the peer advisors were more academic in nature during the earlier phases; and (4) counselor attitudes about peer advisors did not change, and counselors remained divided on the usefulness of peer advisors. (JSP)
Descriptors: Academic Advising, Community Colleges, Counselor Attitudes, Counselor Role, Educational Counseling, Participant Satisfaction, Peer Counseling, Program Evaluation, Program Implementation, Student Attitudes, Student College Relationship, Student Role, Two Year College Students, Two Year Colleges
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Northern California Community Colleges Research Group.
Authoring Institution: Yuba Coll., Marysville, CA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Supported by a 1991-92 NORCAL (Northern California Community Colleges) Small Research Grant.