Using data and evidence to lead holistic advising redesign

A guidebook for campus leaders for promoting consistent, coherent, and collaborative data use in advising

Authors: The National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, Advising Success Network

Publication Date: 2022

Format: PDF

Act with Purpose
Advising Reform
Strategic Data Use
Mid-Level Leaders

This guidebook is the first in a three-part series from the Advising Success Network focused on advancing equity-driven advising redesign through stronger data use. Volume 1 addresses the “Systems” challenge—how institutions gather, interpret, and apply data related to advising. It synthesizes best practices, presents real-world strategies from institutions across the country, and offers reflection questions and planning tools to support more consistent, collaborative, and effective use of advising-related systems. Designed for institutional leaders advancing transformation in advising, this volume helps teams evaluate current systems and build the infrastructure needed to support equitable student success.

Connections to the Transformation Journey
and How Institutions Transform

Stages of Transformation

Act with Purpose
  • Act with Purpose: This guidebook supports institutions that have chosen to prioritize advising in their transformation efforts and are ready to take action. Focused on the challenge of Systems, this resource offers detailed objectives, checklists, and reflection prompts to help institutions assess current practices and improve the use of systems that support advising-related data. These types of specific steps are most impactful when they’re undertaken as part of a broader transformation process, where they are given attention up and down the institution and are connected to long-term institutional priorities, supported by data, and monitored for progress regularly.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

Evidence-Based Practices

Advising Reform
  • Advising Reform: Centered on improving academic advising through data-informed decision-making, this guidebook identifies common institutional challenges and presents actionable strategies to strengthen advising systems. It offers examples and recommendations from interviews with 21 leaders across 18 institutions, helping campuses address barriers, align advising and data systems, and create a more consistent and collaborative approach to using evidence in advising.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

Core Institutional Capacities

Strategic Data Use
  • Strategic Data Use: This resource builds institutional capacity for data use by outlining practical steps to improve infrastructure, support system integration, and enhance collaboration among advising, IT, and institutional research teams. It includes strategies for assessment, data accessibility, and leveraging both commercial platforms and in-house tools to support equity-driven advising redesign.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

Continuous Improvement

This resource is most relevant to the following cross-functional roles:

  • Mid-Level Leaders: This resource helps mid-level leaders charged with exploring or leading advising redesign efforts to initiate discussions about current data use, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. The articulated objectives and associated reflection questions in this resource offer a starting place for discussions of how transformation around data use in advising might take shape.

This resource connects to the following phase(s) of the PRPAM framework:

  • Act: Designed for institutions already engaged in advising transformation, this guidebook provides tools for advancing the work—such as system audits, stakeholder reflection questions, and capacity-building checklists. Its evidence-based guidance helps teams integrate system improvements into long-term planning and institutional routines.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

Other Considerations

  • This page references Volume 1 of Using Data and Evidence to Lead Holistic Advising Redesign, which focuses on the first challenge, Systems, and provides evidence-based strategies focused on improving the use of systems designed to gather and interpret evidence on academic advising. Volume 2 focuses on the second challenge, Culture, and provides evidence-based strategies focused on creating a culture of data use around academic advising in your institution. The final installment, Volume 3, focuses on the third challenge, Resources, and provides evidence-based strategies focused on improving the human resources needed to use data more strategically. The full guidebook is available on ASN’s resources page here.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

Act with Purpose
  • Act with Purpose: This guidebook supports institutions that have chosen to prioritize advising in their transformation efforts and are ready to take action. Focused on the challenge of Systems, this resource offers detailed objectives, checklists, and reflection prompts to help institutions assess current practices and improve the use of systems that support advising-related data. These types of specific steps are most impactful when they’re undertaken as part of a broader transformation process, where they are given attention up and down the institution and are connected to long-term institutional priorities, supported by data, and monitored for progress regularly.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

Advising Reform
  • Advising Reform: Centered on improving academic advising through data-informed decision-making, this guidebook identifies common institutional challenges and presents actionable strategies to strengthen advising systems. It offers examples and recommendations from interviews with 21 leaders across 18 institutions, helping campuses address barriers, align advising and data systems, and create a more consistent and collaborative approach to using evidence in advising.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

Strategic Data Use
  • Strategic Data Use: This resource builds institutional capacity for data use by outlining practical steps to improve infrastructure, support system integration, and enhance collaboration among advising, IT, and institutional research teams. It includes strategies for assessment, data accessibility, and leveraging both commercial platforms and in-house tools to support equity-driven advising redesign.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

This resource is most relevant to the following cross-functional roles:

  • Mid-Level Leaders: This resource helps mid-level leaders charged with exploring or leading advising redesign efforts to initiate discussions about current data use, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. The articulated objectives and associated reflection questions in this resource offer a starting place for discussions of how transformation around data use in advising might take shape.

This resource connects to the following phase(s) of the PRPAM framework:

  • Act: Designed for institutions already engaged in advising transformation, this guidebook provides tools for advancing the work—such as system audits, stakeholder reflection questions, and capacity-building checklists. Its evidence-based guidance helps teams integrate system improvements into long-term planning and institutional routines.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

  • This page references Volume 1 of Using Data and Evidence to Lead Holistic Advising Redesign, which focuses on the first challenge, Systems, and provides evidence-based strategies focused on improving the use of systems designed to gather and interpret evidence on academic advising. Volume 2 focuses on the second challenge, Culture, and provides evidence-based strategies focused on creating a culture of data use around academic advising in your institution. The final installment, Volume 3, focuses on the third challenge, Resources, and provides evidence-based strategies focused on improving the human resources needed to use data more strategically. The full guidebook is available on ASN’s resources page here.

Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.

Recommended Citation: Zeng, W., Young, D. G., Hartman, C., & Portillo, I. (2022). Using data and evidence to lead holistic advising redesign: A guidebook for campus leaders for promoting consistent, coherent, and collaborative data use in advising: Vol. 1: Improving the use of systems designed to gather and interpret evidence on academic advising. University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

These phases are connected—and continuous. Each cycle builds on the last, deepening impact and embedding equity-driven change over time.

Monitor

Track results, gather insights, and assess progress. Use data and voice to refine strategy and ensure equity stays at the center.

Act

Implement reforms through cross-functional coordination. Test strategies, support your teams, and adapt based on feedback and student outcomes.

Prioritize

Focus your resources on what matters most. Target high-impact strategies that advance equity, improve student experience, and align with your mission.

Reflect

Examine disaggregated data and student experiences to understand root causes. Identify what needs to change—and why it matters.

Prepare

Establish a shared vision. Define the challenge, build the team, and ground your work in equity and student success from the start.