| Academic Advising |
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| Contents |
This P&P includes the following
main sections:
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Background
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Advising goals
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Program procedures
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Organization and administration
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Advisor training
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| Background |
The main purpose of academic advising
is to help students develop and implement an educational plan. Toward
that end, this P&P describes the goals of the advising program and
the expectations for both advisors and advisees.
Students must understand that the
ultimate responsibility for making educational decisions rests with them.
However, faculty and staff advisors can assist by helping their advisees
to assess the options available at SPSU and to examine the consequences
of the students’ decisions. |
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| Advising Goals |
Southern Polytechnic's goals for
academic advising are to help students with a variety of tasks, such as
the following:
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Interpreting University System and institutional
requirements
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Clarifying career goals
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Developing suitable educational plans
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Selecting appropriate courses and other
educational experiences, such as co-op
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Seeking assistance from institutional
and community support services such as the Career and the Counseling Center,
when appropriate
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Finding a way out of academic difficulty
or probation
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Monitoring progress toward academic
goals
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Understanding thesis and project guidelines
(for graduate students)
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Program
Procedures |
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In Southern Polytechnic's advising program,
individual advising conferences will be made available to students who
request them. Further, in some cases the university may require advising--either
in person or otherwise--before the student’s registration can be completed.
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Each student is assigned an individual
faculty or staff advisor who is a full-time employee of the university.
The advising activity is viewed as a normal part of the faculty or staff
member’s workload--with each advisor being assigned a reasonable number
of students, considering his or her other responsibilities at the university.
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The academic advisor uses data about
the student's academic and educational needs, performance, and aspirations
to help the student choose courses.
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Although advising often occurs in face-to-face,
one-on-one meetings, information also may be conveyed to advisees in small
groups, or via email, faxes, or telephone. Supplemental advising information
such as on-line computer programs may also be used.
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Faculty advisors should refer students
to other institutional or community support services as appropriate.
The confidentiality of individual student records should be maintained.
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Organization and
Administration |
The vice president for academic
affairs (VPAA) and school deans are responsible for ensuring that an effective
academic advising program is in place. The VPAA and school deans, in cooperation
with the coordinator of planning and assessment, conduct on-going assessments
to improve the university’s advising program.
School deans and programs heads are
responsible for (1) implementing and assessing the university's advising
plans on a day-to-day basis and (2) gaining approval for their individual
school and/or program plans from the VPAA. In the case of programs
that offer graduate degrees, a plan must describe how students are assigned
their graduate committees and/or advisors.
To meet the special needs of certain
student populations, Southern Polytechnic has assigned professional staff
to provide added advising assistance for the groups listed below:
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Students with disabilities
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International students
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Minority students
Responsibility for seeking the additional
help being provided resides with the student. |
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| Advisor Training |
Training will be made available
to all Academic Affairs faculty and staff involved in advising. This
training usually occurs at the school or program level. The VPAA
will delegate to deans the responsibility for ensuring that such training
is conducted.
Advising training includes varied
items but should cover the following:
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A review of this P&P
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Computer skills needed to access pertinent
data and track student progress
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University System Core Curriculum for
undergraduates
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Knowledge of how to change majors and
petition various faculty committees
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Special needs of students who are on
probation or recently reinstated
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College Preparatory Curriculum and Regents'
Test requirements for undergraduates
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Information needed to make referrals
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Institutional requirements for graduation
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Policies concerning students with disabilities
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Information pertaining to co-op, the
ATTIC, and the First-Year Residential Experience (F.Y.R.E.) program
The Office of Academic Affairs maintains
an Advising Handbook that includes plans for the various schools and programs.
Also, the director of records maintains a listing of all approved course
substitutions for the past two years--to help advisors guide student choices
of substitutions. |
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