Advising Assessment: You Might Be Asking the Wrong Questions

Many advising centers already review data regularly, but are they collecting and reviewing the right data?

Generic questions like, “Are you satisfied with advising?” may look helpful on a report, yet they rarely guide meaningful change. If satisfaction dips from 4.2 to 3.9, what exactly should the team do differently tomorrow?

A data-informed advising center begins by asking: What do we truly care about improving? Then it designs one or two focused questions that generate actionable answers.

For example, instead of asking about overall satisfaction, a center might ask:

• “My advisor helped me clarify my long-term academic or career goals.”

• “I left my advising appointment knowing my next three concrete steps.”

• “My advisor explained how this semester connects to my longer-term plan.”

These questions are specific, observable, and coachable. If students consistently report uncertainty about next steps, advisors can adjust how they close appointments. If career conversations are not happening, that becomes a training focus.

The shift is subtle but powerful. Rather than collecting broad sentiment, you gather information that maps directly onto advisor behavior.

Assessment expert Linda Suskie has written that useful data should answer the question, “What are we going to do differently because of this?” If the answer is unclear, the measure may not be the right one.

Importantly, this does not require a major new system.

A simple two- or three-question pulse survey sent after appointments can be enough. A short QR code at the front desk. A monthly one-question email sample. Even a rotating focus on one key question per semester.

The discipline is restraint. Choose two or three indicators that matter most right now. Resist the temptation to measure everything. Work within your current tools and rhythms so the assessment effort never feels like an additional thing, but part of what you do with what you have.

When advising centers focus on a small number of high-impact, behavior-linked questions, data becomes energizing instead of overwhelming. Advisors can see the connection between what they do and what students experience. Leaders can identify clear coaching priorities. Improvement becomes visible.

Being data-informed, then, is not about accumulating information. It is about being intentional about which questions deserve your attention and making sure the answers actually lead somewhere useful.  [Additional Reading: Academic Advisors' Mental Health is a Critical Issue]