The choice of a graduate advisor is a far-reaching academic decision for students. This presentation provides ideas for students and for faculty seeking to be effective mentors.

Learn from recommendations for best practices for advisors and choosing an advisor based on a research survey of current and recently graduated Ph.D. and master’s students’ experiences. These include: 1)Academic support, 2)Emotional Support, 3)Accountability, 4)Advisors as Informational Sources, and 5)Advising for the Future/Networking. This study also showed that only about half of graduate students felt they received emotional support from an advisor (49%), but ranked emotional support as the most important quality in an advisor (28%).

The survey was distributed through higher education listservs and was shared on social media. The researchers individually coded the five qualitative survey questions and discussed discrepancies until reaching consensus on coding schemes. Then a thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes. In 65 responses received, respondents overwhelmingly were in Instructional Design/Technology fields (83%), with the remaining 17% in “Other”/Learning Science fields. Most survey respondents were current graduate students (63%), while 37% had graduated; 72% were female, 28% were male, with widespread age-range for participants. The survey required participants to be current students or graduated in the last 5 years.

The graduate student who chooses their advisor with these recommendations can benefit from a mentoring experience that positively impacts their academic degree and the scholar they become. Faculty who adopt these key advisor qualities can be better prepared to successfully mentor students on their academic journey.

Authors:
Camey L. Andersen, Brigham Young University, United States
Carolyn Andrews, Brigham Young University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Camey L. Andersen, Ph.D., is the Lead Manager for Strategy&Research/Africa West Area Manager for Succeed in School for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints & an Adjunct Instructor at Brigham Young University. See www.Mentoring123.com.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/camey-andersen
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Camey-Andersen-2
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Camey-Andersen-2

Dr. Carolyn Andrews is a leader-scholar currently serving as Associate Dean of Continuing Education at Brigham Young University. She is a recognized expert in mentoring and student success and has pioneered impactful mentoring programs.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynbancroftandrews

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/camey-andersen

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Camey-Andersen-2

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