| Presentation Proposal - NACADA Annual Conference |
| Presentation Info and Handouts |
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Code=483
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Conference Year:
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2026
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Session #:
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P15(PRE-2)
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Title:
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Meeting in the Middle: Elevating the Student Experience in Academic Advising |
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Lead Presenter:
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Locksley Knibbs |
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Date:
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October 04, 2026 Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm |
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Room:
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Five Moons 3 - Omni |
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Abstract:
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Academic advising too often becomes defined by transactions: course selection, registration troubleshooting, policy interpretation, and compliance checkpoints. While these responsibilities are essential to institutional functioning, they are insufficient on their own to foster students' holistic development, sense of belonging, persistence, or clarity of purpose. When advising is reduced to a checklist of tasks, opportunities for deeper engagement, identity exploration, and meaning making are frequently lost.
This highly interactive pre-conference workshop reframes advising as a relationship-centered, intentional, and purpose-driven practice aligned with the conference theme, 'Meeting in the Middle: Connecting People, Purpose, and Possibility.' Participants will examine how Advisors can meet students at the intersection of academic planning and personal aspiration, bridging institutional expectations with individual lived experience. The session will explore strategies for shifting advising conversations from procedural exchanges to developmental partnerships that intentionally integrate identity, strengths, goals, systemic barriers, resilience, and future possibilities.
Through guided reflection, case studies, advising simulations, small-group dialogue, and structured strategy design, attendees will critically assess their current advising approaches and identify opportunities for transformation within their own institutional contexts. Emphasis will be placed on practical frameworks that can be implemented immediately, whether advising is centralized, decentralized, or hybrid.
Participants will leave the session equipped with actionable tools, conversation models, and implementation strategies designed to elevate the student experience from transactional encounters to purposeful, relationship-driven engagement that supports both student success and Advisor professional identity.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Differentiate between transactional, developmental, and intentional advising approaches
Identify structural and cultural factors that reinforce transactional advising practices
Apply intentional advising conversation strategies that integrate purpose and possibility
Utilize relationship-building micro-skills to deepen student engagement
Develop actionable strategies to embed purposeful advising within their institutional context |
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Handouts
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Note: Handouts (if offered for this session) are accessible via the conference app. |
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