Introduction

“Academic advising is one of the most important services for helping students become aware
of their intellectual and emotional growth, in particular, and for helping them monitor the
progress in their development” (Gordon, 2002, p.240).

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming a pivotal element in various sectors,

including education. This paper explores the integration of AI in educational counselling
particularly academic advising, a domain where (presumably) technology has the potential to
significantly enhance the support provided to students. Educational counselling traditionally
involves guiding students in their academic, personal, and career development. As I
researched more about AI and it’s potential, I discovered that the inclusion of AI offers new
possibilities for personalized learning, predictive analytics, and mental health support, which
could revolutionize this field.

Before, I delve deep into the topic, lets first understand what academic advising entails.

Figure 1: Conceptual organizer for one on one advising

In Figure 1, Pang (2012) talks about a conceptual organizer for one on one advising which is a
flowchart of sorts and shows the various steps of advising as a continuum that is flexible and
proceeds on the requirement and readiness of the advisee.

Source: Pang, D. (2012). Enhancing academic learning advising in globally-engaged

universities – A personal odyssey. Journal of the NUS Teaching Academy, 2 (1), 24-41.Wisker,
G., Exley, K., Antoniou, M., & Ridley, P. (2008). Working one-to-one with students. New York:
Routledge

What is Academic Advising and what is the role of an academic advisor?

Academic advising is a structured and supportive process designed to help students make
informed decisions about their academic and career goals, navigate their educational journey,
and achieve academic success.

Bilquise and Shaalan (2022) assert that the advising process encompasses several critical
tasks. These include ensuring that students are well-informed about institutional policies,
course offerings, and program requirements, and that they enroll in courses aligned with their
degree plans. Moreover, advising ensures that students follow a customized learning track
based on their academic progression. Academic advising provides essential support and
guidance to students who require it the most, such as those on probation or at risk of dropping
out or failing a course.

Role of Academic Advisors

The role of an academic advisor is truly multi- faceted. They don’t just help students
understand their programme requirements, choose appropriate courses, and create academic
plans that align with their goals, they also identify academic challenges early and provide
strategies for improvement. In times of personal or academic crisis, advisors can provide
immediate support and connect students with the appropriate resources, including
counselling services.

They also assist students in exploring what next after they graduate. From potential career
paths to choosing the right higher education degree and institution to starting up, the students
have several choices and may often be confused. The Advisor can help them connect their
academic choices to their future aspirations. And the most important- identify vulnerable
cases and offer them personalized support, taking into account each student's unique
background, needs, and interests.

According to Bilquise and Shaalan (2022), an advisor’s role encompasses three primary tasks:
creating a customized study plan for academic progression, providing guidance and support to
address queries and recommend opportunities for personal and career growth, and monitoring
academic progression while supporting students at risk.

Firstly, an advisor collaborates with each advisee to create a study plan by recommending
courses each semester. A well-structured study plan ensures smooth academic progression
within the program of study. The advisor must select appropriate courses that fulfill academic
requirements such as prerequisites, minimum credits, and specialization. Additionally, the
advisor prepares a graduation plan during the final year of an advisee’s study to ensure timely
graduation.

Secondly, the advisor offers guidance for general academic queries. Serving as the central
contact point, the advisor provides direction and support for any personal or academic
concerns. The advisor directs students to institutional support systems, such as student
services and academic tutorials, or answers general queries about grades, volunteering hours,
GPA requirements, work placements, and more. This type of advising strengthens the
student's connection to the institution, fostering a sense of belonging. Furthermore, the
advisor encourages advisees to participate in extracurricular opportunities, competitions, and
programs related to their career and personal growth. Advisees often seek guidance from their
advisors on policies and procedures, which enhances their satisfaction with the institution
and reduces attrition rates.

Thirdly, the most crucial advising task is directly related to student success. This task
involves proactively monitoring students' academic progression, particularly those struggling
with their studies. The advisor identifies at-risk students and provides necessary support,
which may include arranging meetings with counsellors or facilitating tutorial sessions
through the academic success center.

Media embedded July 13, 2024

Figure 2 : an advisor from College of Southern Nevada explains the role of an advisor
especially from 0.21 to 0.37 where the speaker talks about the different ways in which an
advisor can help a student.

Source: First Year Experience CSN. (2020, August 17). Academic advising [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi5WDW4vP64
Why am I interested?
I work with students and faculty day in and day out as a part of my role at the Centre for
Learning Futures at Ahmedabad University. We are a comparatively new university and several
of our processes are still being set up. Educational counselling or academic advising is at a
fairly nouveau stage at the University right now and is currently being done by the Program
and Major Advisors but not in a structured and formal manner. We are a large university (20
degree programs and close to 5000 students) so it is a fairly cumbersome task to have a free
standing advising program.

We have realizing more and more that to identify vulnerable cases in the nascent stages and
to advise a student throughout their academic lifecycle, it is better to have dedicated advisors
who will provide guidance, information, and support regarding course selection, degree
requirements, academic policies, and career planning but finding the right talent and then
training them are no mean feat.

My endeavour through this paper is to explore if AI can be used to ease the load on Program
and Major Advisors at least where some routine advising is concerned.

Problems with the current system

Figure 3: University of South Carolina- resource utilization for academic advising

Source: University of South Carolina. (2022). Advising Roles Infographic [Infographic].

University of South Carolina. Retrieved July 12, 2024,
from https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/advising/documents/
advising_roles_infographic.pdf
 Figure 4: Challenges of an Advising Process

Figure 3 summarizes the advising problems faced at the institution of students and its impact
on the institution and its members. The challenges highlighted below are the cause of
inefficiencies in the advising process. People, process and technology are the three main
interdependent elements in any advising process.

Source: Bilquise, G., & Shaalan, K. (2022). AI-based academic advising framework: A
knowledge management perspective. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science
and Applications (IJACSA), 13(8).

We cannot explore the need for AI in academic advising before talking about the problems in
the current system.

Academic advising is recognized as crucial to student success, particularly for those from
disadvantaged backgrounds. However, institutions of higher education often struggle to
provide adequate student advising due to several challenges (Bilquise & Shaalan, 2022).

Firstly, the provision of accessible and effective academic advising is highly resource-
intensive. Hiring full-time academic advisers is costly, and faculty advisers, burdened with
teaching, research, mentoring, and other duties, may not consistently be able to devote
sufficient time or attention to general academic advising (Bilquise & Shaalan, 2022).
Additionally, institutional subscription fees for advising tools are steep, limiting access to
these resources (The Future of Advising, 2022).
Human advising in education encounters several significant challenges, identified by
researchers and practitioners alike:

Limited Availability of Advisers: Students often encounter difficulty scheduling appointments

due to the scarcity of available advisers (Karp, 2017). This shortage results in longer wait
times for students seeking guidance on academic planning, career choices, and personal
development.
Inconsistent Advice: Variability in the quality and accuracy of advice provided by advisers can
lead to students receiving conflicting or insufficient information (Bilquise & Shaalan, 2022).
This inconsistency can hinder students' academic progress and decision-making.

High Student-Advisor Ratios: The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)

recommends a ratio of one academic advisor for every 300 students. However, many
institutions experience ratios as high as 1:600, and some, including my own, face even higher
ratios (Bilquise & Shaalan, 2022). This disparity means that advisors, particularly full-time
faculty members serving as Program and Major Advisors, often have limited time to devote to
each student for personalized advising. Also, see figure 2 above.

Figure 5: Advisor student ratio at University of Calfornia, Riverside back in 2014

Source: The Editorial Board. (March 4, 2014). Editorial: More academic advisors mean more
students graduate sooner. Highlander News. Retrieved July 12, 2024,
from https://www.highlandernews.org/12541/editorial-more-academic-advisors-mean-more-
students-graduate-sooner/
In addition to these systemic issues, human advising faces practical challenges that impact
its effectiveness:

Fatigue and Infrastructural Requirements: Advisers frequently experience fatigue due to

heavy caseloads and inadequate support infrastructure (The Future of Advising, 2022). This
strain can diminish the quality of advising interactions and contribute to burnout among
advisors.

Frequent Turnover: High turnover rates among entry-level advisers result in students
encountering advisers who may lack familiarity with campus culture, university policies, or
available student resources (The Future of Advising, 2022). This turnover disrupts continuity in
advising relationships and can negatively impact the quality of guidance provided.
Sheer Volume of Caseloads: School counsellors and academic advisors often manage
caseloads exceeding 450 students per advisor, far surpassing the recommended ratio of 250:1
by the American School Counsellor Association (Karp, 2017). Such high caseloads strain
advisors' capacity to provide individualized attention and support to each student.

Limited Meeting Times: Advising sessions tend to be brief and transactional due to the
overwhelming number of students requiring assistance (The Future of Advising, 2022). This
brevity limits opportunities for meaningful, in-depth discussions that are crucial for addressing
students' academic and personal needs effectively.

Personal Bias: Advisors' personal biases can influence the advice they provide, potentially
leading to disparities in the support offered to different students (Bilquise & Shaalan, 2022).
Addressing these biases is essential to ensuring equitable advising practices across diverse
student populations.

Inadequate Support for At-Risk Students: Advisers often lack sufficient time and resources to
adequately support students who are struggling academically or at risk of dropping out
(Bilquise & Shaalan, 2022). Effective intervention for these students requires dedicated efforts
that are challenging to sustain under current advising constraints.

Theoretical Framework
The rationale for integrating AI in educational counseling draws on various educational
theories, with personalized learning standing out prominently. Personalized learning involves
tailoring instructional approaches to individual learners, which, as Feldstein (2016) notes,
emphasizes the what rather than the how of learning. While achieving personalized learning in
traditional classrooms can be challenging with larger student numbers, adaptive learning
technology offers a scalable solution. This technology assesses learners' current skills and
knowledge, provides feedback and customized content, and continuously monitors progress
using learning algorithms (Educause Learning Initiative, 2017). The Horizon Report (2018)
further clarifies that adaptive learning leverages digital tools to create individualized learning
paths based on students' strengths, weaknesses, and learning pace (Taylor, Yeung, & Bashet,
2021).

Personalized and adaptive learning are driving a shift in higher education from instructor-
centered to student-centered pedagogies. Grounded in constructivist learning theory, student-
centered learning empowers students to make decisions and construct knowledge through
interactions and experiences (Goodman et al., 2018; Hannafin and Land, 1997; Wright, 2011).

The theoretical frameworks of constructivism and personalized learning underpin the

integration of AI in educational counselling. AI-driven practices align with these theories by
offering adaptive, individualized learning experiences and support.

Linking Theory to Practice

The integration of technology in advising began in the early 2000s, with initiatives like
Athabasca University's e-Advisor system since 2003, aimed at facilitating program planning
and advising processes (Lin, Wen, Kinshuk, & McGreal, 2007). Subsequently, the University of
Central Florida implemented the Student Success Collaborative system in Fall 2017. This
online tool connects students to faculty, staff, and campus resources, utilizing predictive
analytics to assist students in decision-making (UCF Faculty Center for Teaching and
Learning, 2019). Similarly, Georgia State University's Graduation and Progression Success
(GPS) system, launched in 2012, employs data analytics to predict student performance and
graduation rates based on extensive historical data (Kurzweil & Wu, 2015).

The transformative potential of AI in educational counselling lies in its ability to cater to

diverse student needs, enhance efficiency, and provide data-driven insights. By addressing
individual student requirements, AI-enhanced counselling can foster improved academic
outcomes, offer better career guidance, and support mental health initiatives.
 Figure 6: AI based solutions to limitations of advising

The above table gives a snapshot of AI based solution for academic advising. For detailed
explanation, read the text below.

Source: Bilquise, G., & Shaalan, K. (2022). AI-based academic advising framework: A
knowledge management perspective. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science
and Applications (IJACSA), 13(8).

Additionally, various AI tools are currently available for academic advising:

Intelligent Advising Programs: These adaptive systems recommend courses and develop
study plans using rule-based and case-based reasoning to enhance advising efficiency and
quality (Daramola, Emebo, Afolabi, & Ayo, 2014).

Predictive Analytics for Student Success: Initiatives such as Georgia State University's
collaboration with the Education Advisory Board demonstrate how predictive analytics can
identify at-risk students early, improving graduation rates and reducing time to degree
completion (The Future of Advising, 2022).

Conversational AI Chatbots: Institutions like Georgia State have implemented personalized

advising experiences through AI-driven chatbots, enhancing student engagement and
graduation rates across diverse student populations (The Future of Advising, 2022).

Critical Evaluation of AI in Academic Advising

AI has a plethora of benefits but comes with its own set of limitations.

Lack of Personalized Human Interaction or Humanistic Advising

AI systems, despite their advanced algorithms, often lack the nuanced understanding and
empathy that human advisors provide. Students might feel less supported and understood
when interacting with an AI, potentially affecting their engagement and satisfaction. (Bermea,
2022).

AI should not be seen as a replacement of human advisors but rather a tool to augment
advising by handling routine tasks, allowing advisors to focus on more personalized and
empathetic interactions.

Bias and Fairness Issues

AI systems can inadvertently perpetuate existing biases present in their training data. This
could lead to unfair or biased advising, particularly affecting underrepresented or marginalized
student groups. But, this could easily be overcome by continuously monitoring and updating AI
training datasets.

Privacy and Data Security Concerns

The use of AI in academic advising involves the collection and processing of sensitive
personal data, raising concerns about privacy and data security. However, ensuring robust
data protection measures, including encryption, anonymization, and strict access controls,
can safeguard student data..

AI may also mean substantial investment but if go by Georgia State University’s example,
them moving to a predictive AI based advising system saved $21 million for the Class of 2022
in tuition money! (The Future of Advising, 2022).

Conclusion
AI stands poised to revolutionize educational counselling, offering the promise of
personalized, efficient, and data-driven support that can cater to individual student needs
more effectively than traditional methods. By leveraging AI, educational institutions can
potentially streamline advising processes, provide tailored guidance, and enhance overall
student experience and satisfaction. However, the integration of AI in educational counselling
must navigate ethical considerations and the imperative for human oversight.

Ethical concerns surrounding AI include issues of data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the
potential for over-reliance on technology at the expense of human interaction. It is essential
that future research focuses on refining AI tools to mitigate these risks while maximizing their
benefits. Ensuring robust data privacy protocols and addressing algorithmic biases are crucial
steps towards ethical AI deployment in education.
Moreover, while AI can augment advising practices by offering quick access to vast amounts
of data and predictive analytics, it should complement rather than replace human advisors.
Human oversight remains indispensable for interpreting nuanced student needs, providing
empathetic support, and fostering meaningful relationships that contribute to student success
and well-being. Advisors should view technology as a tool to enhance their capabilities,
alleviate administrative burdens, and enable more focused and personalized interactions with
students.

Figure 7: percent of time spent by advisors vs how they would want to spend it

Source: The Future of Advising: Strategies to support student success. (2022). Chronicles of
Higher Education, 29.

Ultimately, the integration of human expertise with AI-driven technologies has the potential to
save time for advisors (see figure 7), improve the efficiency of academic advising, enhance
student satisfaction, and contribute to higher graduation rates. This symbiotic relationship
between human advisors and technology can pave the way for a more responsive and
supportive educational environment, where students receive timely and tailored guidance
towards achieving their academic and career goals.

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Media Citations:

University of South Carolina. (2022). Advising Roles Infographic [Infographic]. University of

South Carolina. Retrieved July 12, 2024,
from https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/advising/documents/
advising_roles_infographic.pdf

First Year Experience CSN. (2020, August 17). Academic advising [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi5WDW4vP64