The Main Support System for Online Millennial Students is Academic Advising
The Millennial generation is certainly an interesting one. I'm sure by now that you have heard that this generation has changed many things from the consumption of avocados, to killing off the napkin industry, to valuing culture in the workplace more than others. All of these random tidbits aside, Millennials have also changed online higher education. With the sense of looking for a purpose and keeping their freedom in mind, the Millennial Generation has turned to the online learning environment to advance their education. While face-to-face classes were perceived to hold a strong value among prior generations, Millennials see things differently. A study conducted by Clark University surveyed a thousand Millennial students asking about their perceptions on online education. According to this study, “Nearly 3/4 say it is possible to gain as much value from an online education as from a traditional college/university” (Arnett, 2015). To support this statement, Millennials make up a significant portion of online course enrollments throughout the country. At one online university in particular, 45% of the undergraduate population were Millennials (Hobson, 2019). With such a high number of online students flocking to online education, how do we best support them? Their answer: academic advisors.
A recent study in 2019 asked the question, “How do online Millennial Generation students perceive their relationships with online academic advisors?” This study surveyed 715 participants and interviewed seven participants from the Millennial Generation to learn their relationship perceptions with their online academic advisors (Hobson, p. 14). One of the major findings of the study was that academic advisors, not parents, friends, colleagues, instructors, etc. were the main support system for online Millennial students. This could be because of how the relationship of academic advisors and students have evolved. Years ago, academic advisors and students had a prescriptive type of relationship. The student came to the academic advisor with questions, the advisor answered, and then they parted ways, much like how a doctor prescribes medication to a patient. The relationship between academic advisors and students progressed to focused on the personal growth and development of students’ overall wellbeing. This type of relationship model became known as the developmental model of academic advising, which is still heavily practiced today. Burns Crookston, who wrote the book on the developmental model, described the developmental relationship model as the combination of both advising and teaching in the relationship between academic advisor and advisee. According to Crookston (1994), The most important of these is the belief that the relationship itself is one in which the academic advisor and the student differentially engage in a series of developmental tasks, the successful completion of which results in varying degrees of learning by both parties. (p. 66).
When asked to describe academic advisors, online Millennial students described them as their “go-to person” to help them. They also mentioned how advisors are problem solvers, motivators, supports, a calming presence, and goal setters. One participant described his experience as, “One of the reasons why I really have had a good experience is because they make sure of that whatever you're doing fits into your goal, not just the idea you have in your head, so to speak” (Hobson, 2019, p. 101).
Perhaps a better term for an academic advisor is a coach or mentor. Academic advisors are perceived as being knowledge with how to set goals, time management skills, study skills, and prioritization. All of these are critical elements for helping online learners be successful in an online program, and Millennials in particular appreciate their abilities. One of the findings from the study mentioned above was how academic advisors were seen as the first support system compared to other typical support structures like relationships with family, friends, colleagues, or instructors. When the seven interview participants were asked about their support system, their academic advisor was always named first, with only one participant also mentioning her parents. It’s evident that online Millennials appreciate and respect their relationships with academic advisors. There is a sense that they want to make their academic advisors proud. One participant supported this by saying, “She (advisor) has been there for me through everything with helping me out and being in the right classes. I’m graduating because she is saying to me I can do this (Hobson, 2019, p. 102).”
I think that quote perfectly sums this up. Academic advisors and the Millennial Generation have a special kind of relationship that’s built on support, communication, and trust. There is a professional mutual respect of wanting to succeed together. I can tell you from personal experience that there is no greater joy than seeing a student walk across the graduation stage and finally grasping that long-awaited diploma.
References:
Arnett, J. J. (2015). Clark university poll of emerging adults Retrieved from http://www.clarku.edu/clark-poll-emerging-adults/pdfs/2015-clark-poll-report.pdf
Crookston, B. (1994). A developmental view of academic advising as teaching. Classics revisited a developmental view of academic advising as teaching, 14(2).
Hobson, L. A. (2019) Understanding online millennial generation students’ relationship perceptions with online academic advisors
