The Use of Predictive Analytics to Shift the Culture of Academic Advising Toward a Focus on Student Success

Abstract

This paper explores the use of data through a predictive analytical approach to shift the current culture of academic advising from one of compliance to one that focuses on student learning and success in all areas of an educational experience.As educational institutions demonstrate an ever-increasing reliance on the use of data to make evidence-based decisions, the use of much of the same data can be used to develop an evidence-based profile of student performance. Advisors using analytics can predict future outcomes and proactively guide students to make betterdecisions regarding their selection of an academic major or coursework pathways, improving a student’s likelihood of attaining a degree and consequent success in a given field. Due to the technological advances in the areas of educational data mining and the use of analytics, the capacity to guide students using rational, evidence-based information is now a possibility. This paper sets the stage for the use of predictive analytics that can influence a cultural shift in academic advising while offering caution that educational institutions must assess the quality of the data decisions that are being made.