CPI Academic Advising & Mentorship 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following BEST describes 'intrusive advising'?
- Advising that mandates students follow a prescribed course sequence
- Proactive outreach to at-risk students before they seek help (Correct answer)
- Advising sessions that go beyond scheduled time limits
- Advisors who intervene in students' personal relationships
Correct answer: Proactive outreach to at-risk students before they seek help
Intrusive advising involves intentional, proactive contact with at-risk studentsâsuch as those with low GPAs or missing assignmentsârather than waiting for them to initiate contact.
Question 2: A mentor wants to help a mentee build a professional network. Which strategy is MOST aligned with best mentoring practices?
- Provide the mentee with a list of contacts and instruct them to reach out independently
- Co-attend a professional event and facilitate introductions in real time (Correct answer)
- Email colleagues on behalf of the mentee without informing them first
- Advise the mentee to focus on academics before networking
Correct answer: Co-attend a professional event and facilitate introductions in real time
Active facilitation of introductions models professional networking behavior and provides scaffolding the mentee can replicate independently later.
Question 3: A student discloses during an advising session that they are experiencing food insecurity. The advisor's PRIORITY response should be to:
- Note it in the student's file and proceed with course planning
- Connect the student immediately to campus food and emergency aid resources (Correct answer)
- Ask the student to document their financial situation for the dean's office
- Encourage the student to seek part-time employment to address the issue
Correct answer: Connect the student immediately to campus food and emergency aid resources
Basic needs insecurity is a barrier to academic success, and advisors play a key role in connecting students to emergency support services before addressing academic goals.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a degree audit in the academic advising process?
- To evaluate faculty teaching effectiveness
- To track which degree requirements a student has met and what remains (Correct answer)
- To determine a student's eligibility for financial aid renewal
- To assess whether a student qualifies for honors designation
Correct answer: To track which degree requirements a student has met and what remains
A degree audit is a systematic comparison of courses completed versus degree requirements, allowing students and advisors to map a clear path to graduation.
Question 5: When advising a student with a documented disability, which approach is MOST appropriate?
- Automatically enroll the student in lighter course loads each semester
- Collaborate with the disability services office and follow the student's accommodation plan (Correct answer)
- Make informal accommodations based on your own judgment to save time
- Advise the student privately without involving disability services to protect their privacy
Correct answer: Collaborate with the disability services office and follow the student's accommodation plan
Accommodations must be formalized through disability services to be legally compliant and pedagogically appropriate; advisors should coordinate with, not bypass, that office.
Question 6: A student is struggling academically because they are working 35 hours per week off-campus. An advisor's MOST constructive long-term intervention is to:
- Advise the student to immediately quit their job
- Help the student explore financial aid, on-campus employment, and course load adjustments (Correct answer)
- Reduce the student's expectations for GPA improvement
- Refer the student to the dean of students for a formal intervention
Correct answer: Help the student explore financial aid, on-campus employment, and course load adjustments
A holistic approach that addresses financial pressures through available institutional resourcesâwhile adjusting academic loadâis more sustainable than simply demanding the student stop working.
Question 7: According to Chickering's Theory of Identity Development, which vector is MOST directly addressed when an advisor helps a student clarify their values and personal ethics?
- Developing competence
- Establishing identity
- Managing emotions
- Developing integrity (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Developing integrity
Chickering's 'Developing Integrity' vector involves clarifying values, aligning personal beliefs with behavior, and developing a consistent ethical frameworkâdirectly relevant to values clarification work.
CPI Academic Advising & Mentorship 3
Which of the following BEST describes 'intrusive advising'?