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Navigating Academic Advising for Student Success with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
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"Education is a team sport; we do our part and exceed the expectations of those that we serve. Every detail and job counts," says George Couros.
After students take the time to select the college, university, or trade school they will be attending, it is now time to develop their academic plan for how they will tackle earning their degree or certificate. Most, if not all, post-secondary education institutions, teams, and individuals are dedicated to assisting new or returning students in navigating their academic paths with the end goal of graduation. While many institutions have specific and unique processes for academic advising and setting a successful path for their students, most provide a similar advising onboarding. For example, once a student is completely accepted, they are assessed academically to allow for proper class selection and placement. This assessment can be through transcripts from a different institution or placement exams like the ACT, SAT, or other authorized exam platforms. Based on assessment results and the student's selected academic major, an academic advisor will now provide a course option that coincides with the student's academic major requirements, schedule, and level of preparedness (based on the assessment). Here we address how advisors can implement a holistic approach to their profession using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory.
Analyzing the Student Holistically and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
There is a misconception that holistic support, or advising, means coddling students and enabling students through what should be a challenging learning process. In actuality, when it comes to academic advising, the focus is on taking into consideration all aspects of the student's life, preparedness, and challenges when guiding them through the selection of courses, the selection of an academic major, and what makes the most sense for them to be successful.
A critical aspect to supporting people as a leader is understanding their needs. Same can be applied to supporting a student through their academic path and goals. Throughout higher education, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is taught to students, in many cases as part of a first year experience course, where students learn how to navigate college life, and successful skills.
The push to teach Maslow's theory is to remind students how and why taking care of these needs is important for their success and overall well-being. When guiding and advising new or returning students through the rigors of any academic program, concepts and ideas similar to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs should be considered when developing a guiding plan.
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Advising for Success
The need for a well-developed plan for students is essential. Does the student have the means, resources, and time to engage in their academic journey? As new students, or even returning students, many are still learning about these needs. Savvy and well-prepared academic advisors must be prepared to guide and advise students. Once the administrative questions have been answered, for example, which academic major is being pursued, we revert to some of the most basic of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; an advisor can start from the beginning:
Physiological Needs
Does the student have the logistical support to attend school (financial aid, transportation, housing, food, and school materials)?What is the student's academic skill baseline? Students may be assessed through standardized testing, placement tests, and transcript reviews. These assessments will lead to the proper selection and placement of students in appropriate-level courses within their program. However, a critical aspect of assessment for students returning from a long hiatus from school, or who struggled previously, is incorporating tutoring, student success center support, and, if applicable, accessibility needs support.
Safety Needs
For returning and non-traditional students, have financial security, daycare for children, and health coverage (to name a few) been established? Review students' daily life schedules and outside-of-school requirements to determine appropriate time slots for selected courses. This process must consider work schedules, family requirements, transportation or travel needs, and feasible external needs or risks that students could encounter throughout the semester (for example, health conditions, childcare needs, etc.).
Love/Belonging Needs
What does the student's family support, employer support, and community support (school, clubs, teams) look like? As the quote at the beginning of the article mentions, education is a team sport. This comment is directed to more than just the faculty and staff of higher education institutions, as families, employers, and community stakeholders are just as big of an influence on a student's success or failure. So, a relevant question and vital piece of information is: What support mechanisms does the student have outside of school? Lacking support does not mean all is lost; advisors can consider that and try to mitigate such an absence of external support through other means and initiatives.
As students are briefed and continue through the advising phase, advisors can ask pertinent questions relating to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in order to assess the student's support system and needs in their academic journey.
As academic advisors, student support personnel, and even administrators, we are looking for the overall success of students. We do not just analyze the "As" and "Bs" or even "Ds" on a transcript in some cases but rather analyze the status of a student before they start the semester and throughout the semester. We often consider and analyze situations not based on what happened, but why it happened. Our students are more than the grades on our charts and the scores on their tests. Our success depends on their success, and their success depends on their ability to navigate school in conjunction with their lives and all that their lives entail.
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