Faculty Advisor Refresher

1. Faculty Advisor Refresher The Ins and Outs of Advising Shepherd University students.

2. Consider The Level AND ACADEMIC STANDING of Your Advisee and Adapt accordingly • First Year Students: May have only limited experience with RAIL and may not have seen or know how to run a degree evaluation • Plan for longer advising sessions • If possible, let them log on to RAIL and walk them through how to generate and interpret a degree evaluation • Help them build a schedule (show them how to use the online class schedule) with required courses and options • Explain the registration process (i.e., when to register and what the pinnumber is) • Provide your contact information and let them know that if they have any questions or registration challenges, they should contact you

3. Consider The Level of Your Advisee and Adapt accordingly • Sophomores: May be beginning to take ownership of their educational path, but may still be uncertain of how to get there • Request that they bring a copy of their degree evaluation to the advising appointment • Ask them to bring a list of courses that they might be interested in taking before the meeting • During the advising appointment, try to support their interests as much as possible while still letting them know of required prerequisites and sequencing • If applicable, encourage the choice of a minor

4. Consider The Level of Your Advisee and Adapt accordingly • Juniors: If given adequate support in previous semesters, they should be able to interpret their degree evaluations and plan their own schedules • Ask that they bring a completed schedule of classes • Review the schedule and make sure nothing has been overlooked (e.g. minimum C in ENGL 101 & 102, GPA minimums, Expressions of Knowledge) Seniors: While these students should be self-sufficient, the advisor must take special precautions to ensure they are prepared for graduation • It is recommended that both senior semesters be planned to ensure needed classes will be available (sequencing) and any upper-division prerequisites are met • Remind them to apply for graduation on time! (the semester before graduation)

5. Consider The Level of Your Advisee and Adapt accordingly • Transfer Students and Students who Change Majors: May need more active advising, even if they are juniors/seniors • How can we expect students to take ownership of their academic plans if they do not know how to find and utilize the tools to do so?

6. Core Curriculum WORKSHEET

7. Core Curriculum • All Students Need to Complete Core Curriculum Requirements. NOTE: Current core options can benefit students in any Catalog. • Tier I : • FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE (1 credit) • MATH (3 credits) • NATURAL SCIENCE SEQUENCE (8 credits) • WRITTEN ENGLISH (6-7 credits) • HISTORY (3 credits)

8. Core Curriculum • Tier II : • HUMANITIES (6 credits) • ART (3 credits) • SOCIAL SCIENCES (9 credits) • WELLNESS (3 credits) = ~42 credits NOTE: Some majors require the completion of specific core classes The Core Curriculum also requires both a writing-intensive and also a capstone course as part of each major.

9. Degree Evaluation • Log on to RAIL

10. Degree Evaluation • Select “Faculty and Advisors” (bottom) and “Student Information Menu” (top)

11. Degree Evaluation • Choose the most recent term and enter the advisee’s ID# or name

12. Degree Evaluation: 3 Options

13. Degree Evaluation: 3 Options • Previous Evaluations: A log is maintained for every degree evaluation that has been run. You can easily reference recent evaluations, but be careful that you do not use an outdated evaluation for advising. If a degree evaluation was run in the fall and opened in the spring, it may not have fall grades or current coursework. • **Generate New Evaluation: If you are seeing an advisee for the first time in a semester, always choose to generate a brand new evaluation. • What-if Analysis: If an advisee is considering changing majors or minors, you can generate a degree evaluation with the prospective major/minor to determine whether it is feasible to complete the requirements on time.

14. Degree evaluation: interpretation • The degree evaluation outlines course requirements and completions in the major, minor (if applicable), and the core curriculum, respectively.

15. Degree evaluation: interpretation • Catalog Term: This may be important if your department’s major has changed in the past few years and the student is following older degree requirements. • Total Required Hours: 120 credits are required for graduation and the “Used” credits are those earned or currently attempting. “Used” credits include classes they are currently enrolled in but have not earned a grade. • Met Requirements: The far left column indicates whether they have met (“Yes”) or not met (“No”) the individual requirements for the degree. Note: If the student is currently enrolled in a required course it will indicate the requirement has been met (“Yes”). • Source: The far right column explains whether the student took that course here at Shepherd (H), whether the student is currently registered for the class (R), or whether the credits were transferred from another institution (T).

16. Degree evaluation organization • 1. Major Requirements • 2. Minor Requirements • Know whether the major/concentration is comprehensive (i.e. no minor required) • If a minor is required, it will not appear on the degree evaluation until the student declares a minor 3. Core Curriculum Requirements 4. Expressions of Knowledge 5. General Electives (not counting toward major, minor, or core but counting toward 120-credit requirement) 6. Upper Division Credits (42-credits at 300 or 400-level are required) 7. All Courses taken at Shepherd

17. Degree evaluation-Core Curriculum

18. Degree evaluation-Core Curriculum • It may be helpful when advising to have a copy of the Core Curriculum Worksheet to show students the options they have to fulfill core requirements. 1. ENGL 101 (or 101A + 101B; beginning fall 2019 101S) and ENGL 102: all students must receive a C or better in both courses 2. FYEX: All students must complete a First-Year Experience course. Some programs have designed major-specific FYEX classes. If a student transfers 30 or more credits, this requirement may be waived. 3. HIST: all students must complete a 100-level history; other history options are available in Tier 2 Humanities.

19. Degree evaluation-Core Curriculum 4. MATH: Core requirements will be met with the completion of MATH 101, 107 or 109 (or a 4-credit lab math), but some majors require specific and/or additional math to meet program requirements. 5. SCIENCE: two 4-credit lab sciences within the same sequence (e.g., if a student takes BIOL 103 here, s/he must take BIOL 104 to meet the requirements). However, a student who transfers in a single, 4-credit, articulated lab science is able to choose any lab science to complete the requirement. A student who transfers in a biology lab science should take a non-BIOL lab science, or check with the Biology Department Chair to determine the appropriate corresponding biology course.

20. Degree evaluation-Core Curriculum • 6. *ARTS: One 3-credit course must be completed • 7. *HUMANITIES: Two 3-credit courses must be completed • 8. *SOCIAL SCIENCES: Three 3-credit courses must be completed • * “Expressions of Knowledge” (see next slide) 9. WELLNESS: One 3-credit course must be completed (NOTE: If you are working with a current or former service member, this may be waived. Contact the Registrar for information) 10. WRITING IN THE MAJOR and CAPSTONE (Tier 3): Each program has chosen courses in their majors that serve as their writing-intensive course and the capstone to the major.

21. Expressions of Knowledge • Individual courses in the Tier 2 Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences have designations of CK (civic knowledge and engagement), GL (global understanding and respect), and/or MD (multiculturalism and diversity). This is clearly distinguished on the Core Curriculum Worksheet. Students must complete course(s) in each of the three expressions of knowledge. If lacking a certain designation, direct the student to courses that would fulfill both the expression requirement and any deficiency in the Humanities, Arts or Social Sciences.

22. Additional Considerations • Are there specific GPA requirements for your major beyond the 2.0 minimum? • Are there specific core classes that your majors must take? • Are there prerequisites in your major that impact sequencing? • When will required courses be taught? Are any required courses in your major taught only in one semester?

23. Common Forms for Advisors-Withdrawing on time

24. Common Forms for Advisors-Withdrawing on time • 1. Instructions are listed (top, left corner) • 2. If you have the time to verify their schedule, make sure they are not dropping below full-time status. • If they are dropping below full-time, encourage them to speak with financial aid and residence life, if applicable. • Warn them against withdrawing too often in order to make “satisfactory academic progress.” • If the student is an athlete, they must get the signature of the Athletic Director or AD’s designee to ensure eligibility. 3. A Department Chair can sign for an instructor (e.g. an adjunct) or advisor

25. Common Forms for Advisors-ACADEMIC Change • ACADEMIC CHANGE FORM (https://media.suweb.site/2016/10/Academic-Change-Form-pdf.pdf) • To Change: • A degree (or add a second degree) • A major and/or concentration (or add a second major) • A catalog • An advisor • A minor (change, declare, or add)

27. PETITION: Requesting exemption to academic regulation • Too late to add a class • Too late to drop a class • Too late to withdraw from a class • Too late to apply for graduation • Does not have the GPA to take more than 19 credits • Cannot take a course elsewhere during last 12 credit hours • Extend an incomplete • Partial reinstatement after dropped for non-payment • Return early after suspension; return after academic dismissal • Increase/Decrease credits in classes with variable credit • Late switch from Credit/Grade to Audit/Pass-Fail

28. What to do if a student/advisee wants to petition SEND THEM TO THE ADVISING ASSISTANCE CENTER IN THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE LIBRARY FOR PRE-PETITIONING COUNSELING! • Is there rationale for the petition? • Which signatures are needed? • What documentation needs to be submitted with the petition?

29. What to do if a student/advisee asks you to sign a petition • Discuss the content and merit of the petition • Check whether you “support” or “do not support” the petition • If you do not support the petition, that does not prevent the student from moving forward • It is okay to tell the student that s/he lacks a strong rationale that prevents you from supporting • Provide a brief statement of your support • Prevents the AAC staff from having to follow up with questions • Provides complete information to the A&C Committee • Faculty comments are seriously considered and appreciated!

30. Effective Advising • Be available, preferably adding office hours during the week of advising • Be supportive and be an active listener—you might not have every answer (and advisees understand that) but seek to find those answers • Know what resources are available for referrals (e.g., counseling services, tutoring, disability support services, career services, TRiO, etc.) • The Advising Assistance Center can help students with more than just what classes to take (e.g., are they in the right major?)