INTRODUCTION
Academic advising is a complex process involving a wide variety of tasks and students with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Yet, few interactions in students' college careers have as much potential for influencing their development as does advisement.
This handbook has been prepared to assist with the advising process. Several assumptions influenced the preparation of this handbook:
- quality advising is the shared responsibility of faculty, students and administrators
- advising is a teaching opportunity
- sound educational planning and decision making utilize faculty advisors' knowledge and expertise, Delta State resources, and students' needs, interests, and abilities
- faculty advisors can articulate and help students understand the relevance and interrelatedness of the general education requirements and their majors in educational, personal, and career contexts
- advising can contribute to academic excellence and persistence.
Add to this the fact that it costs about ten times as much to recruit a new student as to retain a presently enrolled one, and the importance of advising becomes even more apparent. We hope that you will find this handbook to be a helpful resource. Comments and suggestions to improve its usefulness are encouraged and may be sent to Collier Parker, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, Kethley 113.
OVERVIEW OF ADVISING
Faculty advisors perform a critical function in enabling students to maximize their higher education experience by assisting in the selection of majors and the completion of degree requirements.
Good advising is important for several reasons. First, there is no question that good advising improves an institution's retention of students, a goal that all colleges seek to achieve. Second, as college tuition increases, there is growing concern among students and parents about the services that colleges provide for these tuition costs. Third, colleges recognize the need to be active participants in what students take in college and what students do after graduation.
Adequate advising is particularly important for students who are in a professional or pre-professional program. Students in these programs must meet certain requirements to enter the profession or be eligible for graduate school. Inadequate advising could hamper students' abilities to meet these prerequisites.
"Overview of Advising" is excerpted from Managing Departments: Chairpersons and the Law, by Kent M. Weeks, Nashville, Tennessee: College Legal Information, Inc., 1997, pages 66-67.
ADVISING MISSION AND GOALS
The primary purpose of the academic advising program is to assist students in the development of meaningful educational plans that are compatible with their life goals. The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) has established the following goals for academic advising:
- development of suitable educational plans
- clarification of career and life goals
- selection of appropriate courses and other educational experiences
- interpretation of institutional requirements
- enhancement of student awareness about educational resources available (e.g., internships, study abroad, honors, and learning assistance programs)
- evaluation of student progress toward established goals
- development of decision-making skills
- reinforcement of student self-direction
- referral to and use of institutional and community support services
- collection and distribution of data regarding student needs, preferences, and performance for use in making institutional decisions and policy.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADVISOR
- Develop a working relationship with advisees
- Help students define and develop realistic educational career plans
- Know and understand requirements, prerequisites, resources and procedures - or know where to find such information
- Interpret and provide rationale for instructional policies, procedures, and requirements
- Assist student to plan a program consistent with their abilities and interests
- Monitor progress toward educational/career goals
- Approve or recommend all designated academic transactions (e.g., schedule, drops and adds, withdrawals, change of program, request to modify degree requirements, application for degree, etc.)
- Maintain for each advisee an advising file (grades, degree requirements, modification forms, check sheet for graduation, etc.). College grades are available on Banner (SHATERM, SHACRSE, SHASUBJ).
- Refer students when academic, attitudinal, attendance, or personal problems require intervention by other professionals
- Inform students of special services available to them for remediation, academic assistance, and other needs
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADVISEE
- Clarify personal values, abilities, interests, and goals
- If the student finds it impossible to keep the appointment, the student will notify the advisor.
- Become knowledgeable and adhere to institutional policies, procedures, and requirements
- Follow through on actions identified during each advising session
- Evaluate the advising system, when requested, in order to strengthen the advising process
- Request re-assignment of a different advisor if necessary
- Accept final responsibility for all decisions Contact and make an appointment with the advisor when required or when in need of assistance. Accept the responsibility for knowledge of course and degree requirements
ADVISING TIPS
Most entering freshmen should be viewed as undecided about their major interest. Many freshmen will change their minds several times during the first two years.
View the student's high school record and placement test scores as a whole package. Look for consistencies or inconsistencies such as high grades versus low test scores or vice versa. The high school record is available on Banner (SOAHSCH). Prior college information for transfer is on SOAPCOQ. Test scores (ACT, etc.) are on SOATEST. Detailed high school grades are available in the Registrar's Office.
Pay close attention to ACT or Placement test scores (English, Math, Science, etc.) and course recommendations.
Try to create a balanced academic schedule with the student, one in which the student can succeed.
Discuss time management and the part it plays in formulating a successful academic schedule.
Be aware of the heavy reading courses in a student's schedule.
Follow course prerequisites and, in general, be aware of departmental sequencing.
Do not put a student in more than two science laboratory classes in the first semester unless required by the major.
Suggest that the student take at least one interest course.
Familiarize yourself with the classroom location to try to avoid scheduling successive classes that are located at opposite ends of campus.
Do not place a freshmen in a 300 or 400 level course. It is rare that a sophomore should enroll in a 300 or 400 level course.
If a student must leave campus unexpectedly and lets you know, you can inform the Office of Student Affairs or Office of Academic Affairs, and it will officially notify each instructor of the student's absence.
ADVISOR ASSIGNMENT
Upon enrolling, students are assigned an academic advisor from the department in which they major. If the student is undecided about a major, an academic advisor is assigned from the College of Arts and Sciences. Each semester prior to registration or preregistration, the student should make an appointment with their advisor.
Faculty who advise few or no majors are encouraged to volunteer as an advisor of an undeclared student. This presents a unique opportunity to help a student clarify degree and career goals.
ACADEMIC PROCEDURES AND REGULATIONS
For detailed information regarding grading, program changes, graduation, and the student grievance policy consult the "Academic Procedures and Regulations" portion of the Delta State University Bulletin.
GENERAL STRUCTURE OF A DEGREE PROGRAM
Each degree offered by Delta State University requires the completion of a minimum of 128 semester hours credit and consists of several distinct components.
- AN ACADEMIC MINOR:A secondary field of specialization, amounting to 18-21 hours, selected by the student is required for most degrees. In some programs the professional education courses constitute a minor.< /P>
- GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: 44-51 hours of broad and introductory liberal arts courses which are usually completed in the first four semesters. SPECIAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:3-33 hours of special courses which are distinctive components of the various degrees. AN ACADEMIC MAJOR:The field of specialization selected by the student. Requirements vary from one field to another but average around 30-36 hours. Some majors have a choice of concentrations. FREE ELECTIVES:These are courses selected by the student and are needed to supplement other components of the degree program. Electives are used to bring the total hours to 128.
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
General education should provide students with understanding, appreciation, and knowledge that will assist them in living a more useful, happy, and productive life regardless of vocation.
| GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES | SEMESTER HOURS |
|
|---|---|---|
| English | 12 | |
| ENG 101, 102, OR 103 Composition | 6 | |
| Literature | 6 | |
| Fine Arts (ART 101, 212, 401, 402; MUS 211, 212; or SPE 225) | 3 | |
| History, 100 or 200 level | 6 | |
| MAT 103* or MAT 104 | 3 | |
| Physical Education and Recreation | 2 | |
| PER 101 Concepts in Physical Education | 1 | |
| PER (elect from 100-level activity courses) | 1 |
|
| PSY 101 General Psychology | 3 | |
| Laboratory Science | 6 | |
| Social Science | 6 | |
| SPE 101 Fundamentals of Speech Communication | 3 | |
| TOTAL GENERAL EDUCATION CREDITS | 44 | |
| * MAT 103 is recommended for all degrees except B.S. | ||
COURSES COMMONLY USED TO MEET THE GOALS OF GENERAL EDUCATION
|
|
UNDECIDED AND UNDECLARED STUDENTS
While some students know what they want to study when they begin their university work and continue through graduation with their original plans, this pattern is not the usual one. Studies show that a majority of college students change their academic direction significantly - most within their first year of study.
Undecided students are advised to keep as many "doors" open as possible during the first years of study. Encourage students to register for an introductory General Education course in a subject they know nothing about. Some students find their major by using this strategy. A sample course schedule follows.
FRESHMAN YEAR Fall Semester
Spring Semester ENG 101 Composition 3
ENG 102 Composition 3 SOC 101 Principles of Sociology 3
MAT 104 College Algebra
(required for B.S.) or Mat 1033 HIS 101 History of Civilization 3
HIS 102 History of Civilization 3 MUS 212 Music in General Culture 3
PSY 101 General Psychology 3 PER 100 Any 100 level activity course 3
PER 101 Concepts of Physical Education 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
SOPHOMORE YEAR Fall Semester
Spring Semester ENG 101 Composition 3
ENG 102 Composition 3 SPE 201 Fundamentals of Speech
Communication3
PHY 110 The Physical World 3 BIO 100 Principles of Biology 3
Electives to complete the semester 9 ECO 210 Principles of
Macroeconomics3
Elective 3
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER IN SELECTING A MAJOR
- What are your interests?
Begin by knowing yourself (be honest). Consider your aptitudes, interests, values and limitations, particularly as they apply to your academic performance. What classes have you done well in? Which ones have you enjoyed the most? Which ones do you tend to avoid? What are your career goals after finishing school? Think about the kinds of activities that you enjoy participating in, reading, studying, or talking about. What hobbies do you actively pursue? Do you enjoy group activities, or do you prefer working alone? Do you enjoy outdoor activities or being indoors? Are you interested in science fiction, science fact, or neither? What kinds of activities are you not interested in, and why? Can you see yourself studying a subject in depth for four or more years that you are truly not interested in? The importance of considering your interests in choosing a major should not be underestimated. Would you be interested in the work required in a particular major?
- What are your abilities?
Try to take an objective look at your past performance in scholastic as well as in non-scholastic work. How do your college entrance exam scores and high school performance compare to those of other students? What are the projections for your success in certain academic areas at DSU? How have others judged your performance in the past? Have you won scholastic honors, or awards for excellence in art, music, sports, or other performance areas? Do you seem to have a natural talent for helping other people, working with numbers, influencing others, solving problems, using your hands, or organizing? How strong are your study skills? Do you have the ability to handle the work required in a particular major?
- What are your options?
Become familiar with what DSU has to offer. Start with the catalog, reading descriptions of majors and their courses. Make special note of programs that have major declaration requirements and how they apply to your situation. Consider how your own interests and goals compare with each major. You will naturally gravitate towards some majors and eliminate others. This research should help you narrow your options.
Develop a list of majors you would like to explore in more detail. You can gather more detailed information about majors by talking with professors, surveying course textbooks and visiting classes. Talking with students in the major can also be very insightful. If possible, enroll in courses which will help you "try on" the major to see how it "fits". Many students benefit from exploring more than one major in any given semester rather than taking all their courses from one area.
- What are your motivations?
Ask yourself why you might be considering a particular major. Do your strongest motivations come from your interests, your abilities, your values, or from some other factors? Are outside pressures (from family, peers, or the job market) shaping and influencing your decisions? Are you thinking about choosing a major because you believe it will be easy, or because it is what somebody else said you "should" do, or because you think you could ensure a good job and earn a great deal of money? Would your motivation be strong enough to allow you to succeed in a major even if other factors seemed to direct you away from that major?
- What are the realities?
Consider what situations in your life may have a strong and overriding influence on your choice of major. Do your interests, abilities, values, and motivations conflict with each other, or are they in agreement? Sometimes students are very interested in a major but find that they do not have the abilities to handle the academic demands of the required courses. On the other hand, some students have considerable abilities in a particular area but do not have any real interest in studying that area. And sometimes students have both interests and abilities in an area but find that the realities of the job market are such that they are not willing to risk a four year (or more) investment of time and money on potentially bleak employment chances. Consider these and other outside factors that may make a significant difference to you. Is your choice of a major a realistic one?
*(Suggested by and adopted from advising handbooks on the Internet, including Penn State and CSU-Chico.)
SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS
- Remember that students and parents are unfamiliar with college life and college expectations. Offer information which will help them adjust.
- Parents, as well as students, will not be aware of the services we offer to students. They will need help in accessing information and assistance.
- Help students and parents become familiar with University policies, especially those which may affect financial aid, residence halls, and curriculum.
- Recommend that freshmen participate in the GST 100, Emerging Scholars, program.
- Encourage questions by students and parents.
- Encourage students and parents to communicate often. Students should write or call home even when they don't need money.
- Make parents aware that we cannot legally release information to them about student grades without the student's written permission.
- Help them understand what is required of college students.
TRANSFER STUDENTS
Though incoming transfer students typically neither require nor wish the kind of intensive advising assistance that freshmen do, they do have special needs that their academic advisors can help them meet. The majority of transfers arrive at Delta State University having chosen a major, and they are assigned to a major advisor immediately.
The most critical time for a transfer student, as for a freshman, is the period between their orientation and the end of their first term at Delta State University. Advisors of transfer students give their most valuable assistance at this time by helping students to understand University policies and procedures, the application of transfer credits to core and major requirements, and appropriate placements in first-term classes.
Advising Tips for Transfers
- Obtain copies of the student's transcripts before advising session. This will enable you, the advisor, to better evaluate what courses your advisee should take.
- Pay close attention to those courses which may have similar titles, so that you may avoid enrolling your advisee in the same course at Delta State University.
- If transfer students have taken two Physical Education activity courses (excluding varsity athletics) from their transfer institution, they do not have to enroll in physical education at Delta State University.
- If a student does repeat a course, the last grade earned will stand, not the best grade.
- Remind students to have official transcripts from all previous institutions sent to the Admissions Office.
- For further information regarding transfers, consult the "Admission Requirements for Transfers" portion of the Delta State University Bulletin or contact the Office of Admissions at (662) 846-4018.
ETHICS IN ACADEMIC ADVISING
(Excerpted from NACADA Standards and Guidelines for academic advising posted via electronic media on 12/03/97)
All persons involved in the delivery of the academic advising program must adhere to the highest of principles of ethical behavior.
The academic advising program must ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all records and communications (i.e., paper and electronic) unless exempted by law.
Information disclosed in individual academic advising sessions must remain confidential, unless written permission to divulge the information is given by the student. However, all academic advising personnel must disclose to appropriate authorities information judged to be of an emergency nature, especially when the health and safety of the individual or others are involved. Information in students' educational records must not be disclosed to non-institutional third parties without appropriate consent, unless classified as "Directory" information or when the information is subpoenaed by law. The academic advising program must apply a similar dedication to privacy and confidentiality to research data concerning individuals.
All academic advising personnel must be aware of and comply with the provisions contained in the institution's human subjects research policy and in other relevant institutional policies addressing ethical procedures.
All academic advising personnel must recognize and avoid personal conflict of interest or appearance thereof in their transactions with students and others. All academic advising personnel must strive to ensure the fair, objective, and impartial treatment of all persons with whom they interact.
All academic advising personnel must maintain the highest principles of ethical behavior in the use of technology.
All academic advising personnel must not participate in any form of harassment that demeans persons or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive campus environment.
All academic advising personnel must perform their duties within the limits of their training, expertise, and competence. When these limits are exceeded, individuals in need of further assistance must be referred to persons possessing appropriate qualifications. All academic advising personnel must use suitable means to confront unethical behavior exhibited within the educational community.
LEGAL ISSUES
Campus advisement is not free of liability risks. Legal challenges to advising usually arise when students believe their degree requirements are complete, and the university disagrees, refusing to award the degree. In undergraduate institutions, charges of inadequate advising probably will not surface until the student is ready to graduate.
Institutional liability in advisement can be based on several legal theories. Students can use contract, tort, agency, and mandamus law if they feel campus officials have dealt with them unfairly.
ADVISE WITH CARE (from Perspective: The Campus Legal Monthly, vol. 6, no. 7, p. 3-5. Magna Publications, Madison, Wisconsin.)
CONTRACT LAW
Most student suits over advisement are based on contract law. They contend that the school entered into an agreement and then breached that agreement. Written campus publications are often cited as being contractual: catalogs, applications, brochures, and handbooks set out terms under which students accept admission, select courses, and pursue degrees. A series of court cases have clearly established that representations made in these official documents can be contractual and thus enforceable.
In addition to written materials, courts have found advisement contracts in oral representations by campus agents. What you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!
However, spoken words must be specific and believable to form a contract. A student told by a school official "not to worry" about an academic problem cannot rely on those words.
What if an advisor makes a statement not in accordance with campus policy? Can the student rely on that "promise"? Yes, if it can be shown that the student's reliance was justifiable.
Courts will hold campuses to promises, written or verbal, even when the promise is outside campus policy. That places a responsibility on advisors, as they can create contracts and breach them during everyday duties.
TORT LAW
Advisement situations can also lead to tort law claims, including fraud and negligence. Fraud can be found when school officials or representatives make statements they know to be false. Negligence arises from claims that the college had a duty to a student and breached that duty. Tort claims haven't been as successful in court as contract claims, but increased efforts to "market" campuses to prospective students could give rise to more tort claims in the future.
AGENCY LAW
In addition to contract law and torts, student claims against advisement can be made under agency law. This makes schools responsible for words and deeds of officials or representatives having either actual or apparent authority. When a campus agent has the power to act, or appears to a student to have the power to act, the campus can be held responsible. Therefore, an academic advisor talking to a student about grades, credits, or degrees can be seen as being an authority that a student could consider reliable.
WRIT OF MANDAMUS
In advisement cases a court may also use a writ of mandamus. This is a court order to school officials to act appropriately to correct abuses of authority.
An example of this writ can be found in Bartlett v. Pantzer, 489 P .2d 375 (1971). An applicant to the University of Montana Law School was told that to be admitted he had to complete a course at another school with a "satisfactory" grade. He received a D, which officials then told him was unsatisfactory. The court found this denial of admission to be an abuse of discretion. The distinction in terms was not clearly established or explained, the court held, and the penalty imposed on the student was excessive. The court used a writ of mandamus to order the school to admit the applicant, and correct an abuse of authority.
ESTOPPEL
(Excerpted from Managing Departments: Chairpersons and the Law by Kent Weeks, College Legal Information, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee)
Under certain conditions, a university will be held responsible for the decisions of its agents, even if they are not acting under what the advice-seeking student perceives to be authority (apparent authority). Generally, university faculty are assumed to possess the authority to waive or alter requirements unless specific policies or restrictions check such authority. (Note: At Delta State University, faculty do not have the authority to alter degree requirements. Modifications must be recommended to the Dean.)
Out of this agency relationship and the agent's corresponding authority comes the theory of estoppel. Estoppel may arise when one person knowingly induces another person to reasonably and detrimentally rely in good faith on a verbal or non-verbal representation. Then a court may determine that the person who made the representation is "estopped" (prevented) from claiming that the representation was not as the injured person said it was. As a result, the court will view the representation through the eyes of the injured party, who reasonably and in good faith relied on the statement or conduct. Estoppel claims usually arise where a university employee "advises" a student who relies on the advice, only to find out that the advice was "wrong," causing the student to fail to meet academic requirements. The court may then require the university to treat the advice as correct.
HOW TO REDUCE LIABILITY
Faculty may wish to consider some of the following preventive steps. Understand apparent and actual authority and take steps to limit legal exposure and threats of litigation. These steps could include:
- understanding the limits of advisor authority when training and supervising advisors,
- notifying students of these limits, and
- reviewing materials and advisement procedures to ensure that there are no accidental contracts.
Advisors must understand relevant university policies and requirements, and they must be careful to impart correct information to students. If there is any doubt, please seek advice from other sources. Two guidelines for reducing the likelihood of a suit are suggested by Dr. Parker Young, Professor of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.
- Use common sense.
- Follow the Golden Rule. Treat students as you would want yourself or your children treated.
FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 (THE BUCKLEY AMENDMENT)
Adopted in 1974, the amendment applies to public and private colleges and universities that receive federal support. The law establishes students' rights to access and challenge the content of educational records. It also controls the distribution of record information to outside parties. Under the law, institutions must:
- provide students with access to education records;
- give students the opportunity to challenge records that are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of privacy or other rights;
- get written consent before disclosing personally identifiable information about students;
- keep records of third parties who request or obtain student records;
- provide students with information about their rights under the law; and
- state that third parties receiving information about students must agree not to further distribute the information without written consent. This law applies to all current and former students and gives them rights to records that are directly related to them. (Some records, such as health care files and directory information, are exempt under the law.)
If you are unfamiliar with a request that you receive from an individual concerning the release of public or directory information or other specifics under the Buckley Amendment please see the Vice President for Student Affairs.< /P>
WHO TO SEE FOR ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS
For . . .
See . . .
Academic advice . . .
your advisor
Degree evaluation . . .
the Dean's office
Help with writing . . . .
the Writing Center, Kethley 224
Help with reading, science, mathematics, English, history . . .
the Academic Support Center, Nowell Union
Help with specific courses . . .
the appropriate academic departments
WHO TO SEE FOR STUDENT SERVICES
Help with choosing a career . . .
Career services, Nowell Union 308
Counseling . . .
Counseling Center, Nowell Union
Housing . . .
Housing Office, Bailey 108
Health questions . . .
Health Services, Reily Health Center
International Students . . .
Mr. Collier Parker, Wright 106
DIRECTORY OF SUPPORT SERVICES AND ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS
When dialing from off campus, dial prefix 846.