Kiana Y. Shiroma, Michael Kirk-Kuwaye, and Ernest “Niki” Libarios*, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Why should all advisors engage in scholarly activities? Because the stakes are too high for advisors not to do so. We have been saying for decades how important advising is to higher education, and now we are seeing that others think so, too. The many studies attesting to positive advisor impact, as well as advisor contributions to college campuses, are regularly being cited by college administrators and even the mainstream press. Advisors are serving on more campus committees, being asked to provide feedback on academic policies and procedures, and advising is becoming integral to institutional goals that pertain to student success. However, when our departments and campuses, and higher education in general, rely on our judgement, we should make sure that we are not just citing anecdotal evidence but forwarding recommendations that are supported with sound research. And one of best ways to make sure our research is sound is to share it. 

When we share our scholarship, we network. We consult with, make presentations to, and publish for our local and national colleagues, and in the process, get valuable feedback. Our ideas are discussed, tested and honed. When we share our scholarship we bring vetted best practice back to our unit and campus for the benefit of our students. Also, when we make scholarship a shared experience, it naturally improves to a higher quality and is enjoyable to do as well. 

David Spight (2016), past president of the National Academic Advising Association: The Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA), states that advisors should be scholar-practitioners so they can then become more effective advocates for students and bring about institutional change. The recent opening of the NACADA Center for Research at Kansas State University not only highlights the importance of advisors engaging in scholarship and research, but is a call to action.

But as advisors, we do know how hard it can be to conduct research. We suffer at times from the “tyranny of the urgent” (Sriram, 2011), especially when students are outside our door, colleagues need to be consulted, and the dean wants an answer. Here are some best practices for advisors who want to engage in scholarship or conduct research as well as what has worked for us: 

• Find your question: Because the academic advising field is dynamic and interdisciplinary (Robbins, 2010), advisors can easily find pertinent research topics. White and Leonard (2010) even suggest that the questions advisors raise every day are all potential research topics. If you feel you lack a certain research skill set to explore your question, take a course, consult with others, or co-investigate with someone who would balance your research approach. Champlin-Scharff (2010) outlines the range of research methods that advisors may use.
• Block off time: Find the time to read, reflect and research. Regularly blocking off time in your calendar to research is one way to ensure that your research agenda stays on track. Even spending 15 minutes reading before the day starts, especially before opening your email, can be productive. Take advantage of lulls in the semester to do in-house projects and studies. Let your director or chair and colleagues know what you are doing– how this will help your unit/campus — and propose your research agenda and schedule. Also, be efficient. Narrowing your reading to a specific area will provide you with in-depth knowledge and be the start of your literature review for future research.
• Create a culture of research: Sometimes this is difficult to do when there is a limited number of advisors in a unit. At the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, we have a few campus-wide writing groups consisting of  academic advisors. In this group, we float ideas, share resources, and even provide feedback on each other’s drafts of proposals and articles. If you form a writing group, schedule meetings around regional and national conferences or publication deadlines. Group proposals and co-authored publications can come out of a writing group.
• Try a variety of publication formats and media: You do not have to churn out an article a year. If your time is tight for a given semester, write a book review for the NACADA Journal. Hatfield and Wise (2015) recommend publishing in a wide range of formats, such as blog posts, practitioner articles, and book chapters.  They also provide strategies on how to be successful in writing for diverse formats. The online Journal of Academic Advising, recently established at Indiana University, is another journal totally devoted academic advising and completely online.
• Take advantage of NACADA resources: One of NACADA’s core values is to have advisors conduct more research, and its board and staff are walking the talk. NACADA offers a broad range of resources that can help advisors at any stage of their research: e-tutorials, an online Clearinghouse of articles and papers, pre-conference workshops, research symposia, grant opportunities, multiple formats for presenting and publishing, committees to join, and the Center for Research (see web links below).
  

​Many of us have published in various NACADA online and print publications, reviewed conference proposals, and served on editorial boards. We know firsthand that feedback provided by reviewers on submissions, whether it is for a conference proposal or manuscript, is positive and constructive. Everyone involved with Kuana‘ike also embraces this supportive philosophy. We look forward to receiving submissions for future issues and assisting advisors in becoming scholar-practitioners who bring about changes in higher education that benefit students. 

Kiana Y. Shiroma, PhD
Director, Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center
Interim Director, Student Success Center
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Michael Kirk-Kuwaye, PhD
Faculty Specialist Emeritus in A&S Student Academic Services
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
​
Ernest “Niki” D. Libarios, Jr., PhD*
Director of the Office of Student Academic Services (2016-2017)
College of Education
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
*Dr. Libarios passed away on August 19, 2017. Because of his strong belief that advisors should engage in research, he had proposed that an article on this topic be submitted to the first issue of Kuana ‘ike. Before his untimely passing, he contributed to conceptualizing and writing the first draft of this article.

NACADA Research Resources

Events
Annual Conferences
International Conferences
Regional Conferences
State Drive Ins
Web Events

Resources
Research Center
Research Grant and Writing Resources

Publications
Academic Advising Today
Book Reviews
Journal

References

Champlin-Scharff, S. (2010). A field guide to epistemology in academic advising research. In P. L. Hagen, T. L. Kuhn, & G. M. Padak (Eds.), Scholarly inquiry in academic advising [Monograph (20/2010)] (pp. 29-35).  Lawrence, KS: NACADA. 

Hatfield, L.J., & Wise, V.L. (2015). A guide to becoming a scholarly practitioner in student affairs. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Robbins, R. (2010). Generating scholarship from theory and previous research. In P. L. Hagen, T. L. Kuhn, & G. M. Padak (Eds.), Scholarly inquiry in academic advising [Monograph (20/2010)] (pp. 37-41). Lawrence, KS: NACADA.

Spight, D. (2016, June). From the president: Change perspective. Academic Advising Today, 39(2). Retrieved from
https://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/From-the-President-Change-Perspective.aspx

Sriram, R. (2011). Engaging research as a student affairs professional. NASPA NetResults. Retrieved from https://works.bepress.com/rishi_sriram/10/

White, E. R., & Leonard, M. J. (2010). The practitioner-researcher: generating scholarship from practice. In P. L. Hagen, T. L. Kuhn, & G. M. Padak (Eds.), Scholarly inquiry in academic advising [Monograph (20/2010)] (pp. 43-52).  Lawrence, KS: NACADA.