Nudging Students to Success: The Integration of Academic Advising and Motivational Psychology

Nudging Students to Success: The Integration of Academic Advising and Motivational Psychology

Digital Recordings

ISBN: 978-1-939213-30-3

60 min – April 6, 2017
Panelists: Heather Luth (University of Redlands), Nicholas Holladay (University of Missouri), Jordan Parshall (University of Missouri)

Despite the fact that most higher education institutions now offer a wealth of student success resources, survey data suggests that these offices are under-utilized by students. How can academic advising personnel effectively motivate students to take advantage of student success offices and academic planning tools? In this 60-minute videocast presentation, Heather Luth (University of Redlands), Nicholas Holladay (University of Missouri), and Jordan Parshall (University of Missouri) address the micro and macro factors that contribute to this issue and argue that academic advisors play an essential role in the solution. Utilizing techniques found in Thaler & Sunstein’s “Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness,” they demonstrate how advisors can nudge students into making good decisions by altering predictable behavior through incentives. Discussion focuses on nudging students via intentional acts of persuasion and guidance to produce outcomes while maintaining a student’s agency.