Innovative Practice

Bridging Academic Advising and Career Education through Appreciative Advising and Design Thinking

---

Abstract

Insights from the National Alumni Career Mobility survey revealed academic advisors as key resources for career advice, prompting strategic partnerships to expand the career ecosystem. Utah State University’s Career Design Center and University Advising collaborate to bridge academic and career advising through Appreciative Advising and Design Thinking. The process began by aligning the Appreciative Advising and Life Design frameworks, ensuring that programming was anchored in the values, principles, and practices used by both teams. Career educators and advisors embraced Appreciative Advising and Life Design principles, expanding practices and fostering a unified partnership. This collaboration led to co-teaching career courses, sharing programming, enhancing advisor competencies, and scaling career initiatives. By integrating Appreciative Education and Design Thinking, USU exemplifies innovation in breaking silos, empowering students, and strengthening the advising-career connection.

Keywords: Appreciative Education Conference, career education, design thinking, professional development, Appreciative Campus