Student Progress Notes in the SoN

1. Student Progress Notes in the SoN Outline • Impetus of Today’s Discussion • Purposes of Quarterly Progress Notes • Courses & Satisfactory Progress • Barriers • Supports • Resources

2. Student Progress Notes in the SoN What is the impetus for today’s discussion? • A lack of documentation of student progress in all degree programs is causing student concerns to go unaddressed. • Documentation is important for our accreditation as well as for quality student advising.

3. Student Progress Notes: Purpose What is the purpose of the progress note? • Provide feedback. Problems identified can be addressed before worsening. Students can be supported to succeed. • Documentation. Unrecorded behaviors/issues cannot be identified as a part of a pattern, if one exists.

4. Student Progress Notes: Purpose • Comply with UW Grad School policy. Units identify person responsible for evaluating students(GS Memo 16). • Comply with SoN policy. Students are to be evaluated on a quarterly basis by the advisor and/or instructor (AS Memo 2).

5. Student Progress Notes: Purpose • Meet accreditation standards. CCNE (national), Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission (state), and national sub-specialty accrediting bodies. • Fulfill the role of faculty advisor and supervisory committee chair. For masters, DNP, and PhD students, the faculty advisor and committee chair ‘keeps a written log of student progress in the student file’.

6. Student Progress Notes & Courses Can a student pass courses yet not make satisfactory progress? Yes – if we let it happen! (If a student isn’t making satisfactory progress, a warning card, contract, and/or letter are needed, but that is for another PP!)

7. Student Progress Notes & Courses How can a student pass courses but not make satisfactory progress? • BSN, MEPN, and Masters students must meet Essential Qualifications. • BSN students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. • Grad students must have a quarterly and cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. • Progress toward thesis/project or dissertation must be demonstrated.

8. Student Progress Notes & Courses Quarterly student progress notes: • Identify satisfactory progress or a problem/unsatisfactory progress. • If there is a problem, state in writing how to make satisfactory progress and inform student of what may happen if unsatisfactory progress continues.

9. Student Progress Notes: Barriers What barriers do I experience in writing quarterly student progress notes? • No time • Don’t remember • Don’t know where to start • Don’t know how the student is doing • Don’t know names of my advisees • Unsure who is supposed to write the note

10. Student Progress Notes: Supports Supports for writing notes: • Quarterly email reminders • Notes can be short, e.g.: 1/10/07: John Doe is making satisfactory progress in the PhD program. He has just completed data collection and will begin analysis this quarter. Jane Smith, chair.

11. Student Progress Notes: Supports Suggested outline for a note if you have more time: • Name of student. • Date, including quarter and year. • Course name/number and name of clinical agency, if applicable. • Comment on student demonstration of satisfactory progress, including course or focal area objectives, Essentials, etc. • Instructor/advisor name and signature. • Student signature indicating that s/he has read the evaluation.

12. Student Progress Notes: Supports • Send email notes (for printing & filing) to: BSN & MEPN - Patrick Tufford <ptufford> PhD, MN, MS, DNP* - Christine Noyes <cnoyes> *PMHNP notes go to Rebecca Wood <rew>

13. Student Progress Notes: Supports • To find out how a student is doing, send an email request for update • Departmental staff might be able to provide names of masters student advisees, as they are assigned by department

14. Student Progress Notes: Supports If unsure who is to write a note, part 1: • Confirm selection of a supervisory committee chair with Erica Winberry, <keridwen> • Determine at focal area/departmental meeting who will write notes for each student • CC other faculty (advisor or committee chair) on your email to inform them that a note was written

15. Student Progress Notes: Supports If unsure who is to write a note, part 2: • The person signing the warrant, i.e. the student's supervisory committee chair, is vested with the authority to assure - and by signing is indeed assuring - that the student has satisfactorily met all program requirements.

16. Student Progress Notes: Supports If unsure who is to write a note, part 3: • PhD students cease to have an academic advisor once a supervisory committee chair has been selected: the PhD student's supervisory chair = the academic advisor. If the PhD supervisory committee chair signs that the student has fulfilled program requirements, his/her signature is authoritative.

17. Student Progress Notes: Supports If unsure who is to write a note, part 4: • MN students often continue to have an academic advisor even after a supervisory committee chair has been selected: • Before the chair signs that warrant, and ideally throughout the thesis/project process, s/he ought to communicate with the academic advisor to assure that the student is making satisfactory progress toward program requirements – and vice versa. • Both the chair and the academic advisor ought to be making progress notes on the student.

18. Student Progress Notes: Resources Web Resources AS Memorandum 2: Student Evaluations http://www.son.washington.edu/faculty/support/2asmemoranda.asp Links to: • Graduate School policy • Definitions of satisfactory progress • Essentials

19. Student Progress Notes: Resources Web Resources: Student Advisement From the SoN home page, click: • Faculty • Faculty Support • Student Advising or go to http://www.son.washington.edu/faculty/support/advising.asp

20. Student Progress Notes: Requests? What other information or resources about advisement questions, issues, tips, etc. would be helpful to you?