美国高校学业指导模式初探

The Academic Advising Models in American Higher Educational Institutions

学业指导的主要职能是指导学生选课并提供相关的课程学习信息。学术界对诊断型指导和发展型指导的看法经历了一个从两极型到混合型的转变过程。在实际的指导实践中,诊断型指导和发展型指导是一个连续体。大多数指导风格都是发展型和诊断型的混合,指导者和被指导者的关系是动态的,阶段性的,而不是确定的。学业指导评估量表在美国高校学业指导的实践中产生了很大作用,很多研究者运用此测量工具对高校的学业指导现状进行评估,同时对学生期待和喜欢的指导模式进行调查,开展全国性的学业指导评估。中国高校的学业指导尚处于初级阶段:重新审视学业指导的内涵,高质量的学业指导,不仅要解决学生的学业问题,教给学生学习方法和策略,还要在指导过程中培养学生的实践创新精神,自我决策能力、价值观和责任感,搭建起适合学生个体成长和发展的指导模式;不间断地关注学生,持续改善学业指导的空间和动力;尝试建立发展性的评估标准,借鉴美国学业指导的成功经验,引入学业指导评估的测量工具,从诊断型和发展型指导的双视角,构建一套全面而明确的学业指导评估标准和考核办法。从学生、指导人员、高校或院系等不同主体建立多元化的评估体系,促使高校学业指导工作不断趋于完善。

The academic advising has a very long history in America,which plays an important role in students affairs management.Academic advising came into being in the context of the elective system and credit system advocated by Harvard President Eliot Charles,whose main function is to lead students to select courses and provide relevant course information.In 1970 s,student development theory was introduced in the academic advising.Crookston put forward 'developmental advising',and defined the traditional advising as 'prescriptive advising'.Since then,the two advising models have been widely recognized and caused a great debate about the pros and cons.The discussion lasted for a long time.Until now no conclusion has been reached.However,from the perspective of the whole process of cognition,the academic circle has experienced a transformation from polar to mixed type.Namely,prescriptive advising and developmental advising are difficult to deter-mine what is good or bad,and to choose which one to abandon.In practice,the prescriptive and developmental advising are a continuum,which is not exactly reflected.Most of the advising styles are mixed,and the relationship between advisors and students is dynamic,periodical,rather than determined.Meanwhile,in this process,scholars have begun to think about how to assess the prescriptive and developmental advising.In 1984,Winston and Sandor designed Academic Advising Inventory,which has good reliability and validity after many years of practical testing.Until now,it has been regarded as a classic scale and widely used.The instrument produced a great effect in the academic advising practice of colleges and universities in the United States.Many researchers used this tool to evaluate and investigate the students' expectations and preference.NACADA also carried out the national academic advising evaluation with it.In China,academic advising is still at a relatively early stage,and all aspects are not mature.China can learn experiences and enlightenments from the academic advising in the United States,which has a very positive significance to improve our academic advising.First of all,Chinese scholars should re-examine the connotation of academic advising,and realize that the goal of high quality academic advising is not only to solve the problem of students' study,but also to teach them learning methods and strategies,more importantly,to cultivate students' practical and innovative spirit,self decision-making skills,values,sense of responsibility,and build the suitable model for the individual growth and development.Secondly,they should continuously pay attention to students.As long as they always meet the students' needs,academic advising has the space and power to improve.Taking students as the center',they can truly promote the growth and development of students.Finally,they should try to establish developmental assessment criteria.From the successful academic advising of America,they can try to introduce the measurement tools from the dual perspective of prescriptive and developmental advising to construct a set of comprehensive and clear academic advising assessment criteria and methods.At the same time,they can establish a diversified evaluation system from students,instructors,departments,colleges and universities to promote the academic advising program.