ECU Advisor Tips

1. ECU Advisor Tips Office of Admissions and Records December 5, 2012

2. Advisor Tip 1 • The Academic Forgiveness Policy consists of three parts. They are (1) the Repeat Policy, (2) the Reprieve Policy, and (3) the Renewal Policy. • Academic Repeat Policy-students may repeat up to 4 courses in which they originally made a D or F to replace the grade in the GPA as long as they do not retake the course more than one time. The course must be non-repeatable; meaning that it cannot be taken for credit more than once. Zero-level courses are not counted as one of the four courses being repeated. The order in which courses are repeated determines which are considered the first four. The repeat policy is automatically applied and requires no action on the part of the student.

3. Advisor Tip 2 • Do you have an advisee who might have a semester or more of failing grades? If so, you might take the opportunity to introduce an academic reprieve or renewal to them. • An Academic Reprieve can be granted for up to two consecutive semesters (summer isconsidered a semester) if the following is met: the work must be three years old or older, there can be no grades below a C since the reprieved semesters, the student must have completed at least 12 hours since the reprieved semesters, and the student must be an enrolled, undergraduate student. • An Academic Renewal includes more than two semesters and begins at the start of the student’s academic career. The work must be five years old or older. Other requirements listed in the reprieve policy above apply. See your catalog for full descriptions or call if you have questions. • Note – ECU can apply a reprieve or renewal to course work taken at another college or university.

4. Advisor Tip 3 • Students who have completed courses that are being used in lieu of other required courses must complete a Course Substitution form and secure the proper approval signatures. • A substitution may be considered for a number of reasons but the most common are that the student took a course that is similar in content to a required course at another school or that a required course is not available to the student at a time that would allow progression to degree completion and the department is willing to accept another in its place. • If the student wishes to request a course substitution, the form may be obtained in the Office of Admissions and Records or via the admissions forms page on the ECU website. The student and advisor should complete the form together with both signing in the proper place at the bottom of the page. The form is then sent through the proper channels for signatures, eventually ending up in the Office of Academic Affairs where a final decision is rendered. The student and his or her advisor will both receive copies of the form with the final decision indicated. • Forms SHOULD NOT be initiated until the course being substituted has been evaluated. It is imperative that the form be submitted completely and accurately. Any forms missing information will be returned, resulting in a delay of the decision and processing. Students should request a course substitution as soon as they become aware of its necessity.

5. Advisor Tip 4 • Students who have attended military basic training are eligible to receive four hours of college credit upon the submission of their DD-214, AARTS, SMARTS, or CCAF transcript. These credits will satisfy the KIN 2122 requirement on both general education requirements and on the kinesiology major requirement. The remaining two hours may be counted as an elective toward the 124 graduation requirement. The four hours are considered lower level credit. • Students having served in the military may also be eligible for credit granted based on special schools attended. These are generally evaluated to be elective only. You should refer to the student’s transfer sheet for course equivalencies, the level of the courses taken and the level of the schooling (2 year or 4 year).

6. Advisor Tip 5 • Non-accredited course work will be recorded after the student has completed 12 semester hours at ECU with a 2.0 GPA. Course work must first go through the evaluation process. This also includes exams such as CLEP, AP, and ASE. • Please see the Admissions and Records office to obtain the ECU Credit for Non-Accredited School form to begin the evaluation process.

7. Advisor Tip 6 • Students graduating in May should have already applied for graduation. The $50 graduation fee must be paid prior to the end of the spring semester. An email will be sent to all May candidates in April detailing commencement ceremonies and other pertinent graduation information. A “Graduation” webpage will also be added to the ECU Website at that time. • Only students completing their degree requirements will be allowed to participate in the commencement exercises in May. This means that those doing student teaching or internships in the fall are part of the December graduating class, NOT the May class. • Summer candidates will walk in May even though they will actually complete in July.

8. Advisor Tip 7 • Please remind your students who are completing degree requirements in either the summer or fall that they should apply for their degree at the time they enroll. The graduation application can be submitted online through the MyECU portal and must be approved by the student’s advisor before the student is cleared to graduate by Admissions and Records. • Summer graduates MUST apply by (Date) to ensure that their name is included in the May commencement program. • Students completing in the summer will participate in the spring commencement ceremony. Those completing in the fall will participate in the December commencement ceremony. • Students completing degree requirements at the end of summer or fall (year) should complete a degree application when they pre-enroll in April.

9. Advisor Tip 8 • Remember that all students must have 40 hours of coursework taken at the upper level (3000-4000) to graduate. 5000 level courses taken as undergraduate credits also count as upper level. • Transfer courses taken as a lower level course (1000-2000) that equate to an upper level course at ECU will satisfy the course requirement but CANNOT be used to satisfy the 40 hour upper level requirement.

10. Advisor Tip 9 • As students arrive in your offices for advisement be sure to watch for those on academic probation or academic notice so that they can be advised appropriately. Those on probation MUST make a minimum 2.0 GPA during the probationary semester to avoid being placed on academic suspension. • Midterm grades are posted online for all undergraduate students and are excellent indicators of issues students may be having.

11. Advisor Tip 10 • Students beginning at ECU in the fall 2007 semester or later are required to meet a Service Learning requirement prior to graduation. Those who have earned less than sixty-four hours at the time they begin attendance at ECU are required to successfully complete two classes designated with a service learning component. Those transferring to ECU with sixty-four or more hours are required to successfully complete one class designated with a service learning component. • Courses with a service learning component are designated on the student’s transcript and in the ECU Schedule with an (SL) before the title of the class. • (Example: ENG 1113 (SL) Freshman Composition I) • This is a graduation requirement and students must complete the minimum number of service learning courses. It will not be waived.

12. Advisor Tip 11 • Students must have a minimum of 124 semester hours to graduate with their first bachelor’s degree (excluding physical activity courses, zero level courses and “not applicable on degree” courses). Of these, 60 hours must be from a senior college. • Please help students understand the 60 hour requirement. Although all hours from a two-year school apply toward completed hours, the student must still complete 60 hours from a senior college to satisfy this graduation requirement. This is what we commonly refer to as “excessive two-year school hours” and is a common problem seen when transfer students apply to graduate.

13. Advisor Tip 12 • Students transferring to ECU with an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree from an Oklahoma institution of higher learning will have their 45 hours of general education requirements considered met. This does not apply to Associate of Applied degrees nor degrees from out of state schools. These must be evaluated on a course by course basis. • If the student’s major or minor requires a specific general education course that he or she has not taken that requirement is not considered met even though the student may hold an AA or AS degree.

14. Advisor Tip 13 • Students enrolling in intersession courses will have their final grades recorded on their transcript as part of the semester or term immediately following the intersession. Those recently completing intersession courses in May will have their grades recorded as part of the summer term. • It is not guaranteed that financial aid or veteran’s educational benefits will use intersession courses as part of a student’s load.

15. Advisor Tip 14 • A student may not select a minor from the same program area as the major unless noted in the catalog on the minor requirements page. In cases where this is allowed, the student must take additional coursework, approved by the student’s minor advisor, to substitute for courses called for in both the major and the minor. Courses may not apply on both a major and minor unless the course is considered “related work” on the major program.

16. Advisor Tip 15 • Honors students should be directed to take designated honors courses as part of their general education requirements in four specific areas. • HNRS 2313 should be taken in lieu of ENG 1213 • HNRS 1213 should be taken as G1 Humanities • HNRS 1313 should be taken as G2 Humanities • HNRS 2213 should be taken as G4 Humanities • See ECU Catalog for details.

17. Advisor Tip 16 • Many majors require courses listed as “related work.” Related work courses do not count in the major GPA. Courses listed as related work on the major may be used on the students minor if required.

18. Advisor Tip 17 • FERPA(Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) • Federal law prohibits the release of student records to any party without the student’s authorization. This includes parents, spouses, and other agencies requesting information. In some cases, students may have signed releases (on file with our office) allowing others to obtain information from their records. If they are giving you permission to discuss their educational record, we suggest you require it in writing. • Know the rules. If in doubt, don’t release. • Feel free to call our office with questions. • The complete FERPA policy may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

19. Advisor Tip 18 • During a transfer student’s first semester at ECU, all coursework from other colleges is entered into the computer to create the student’s transcript. This also creates a transfer credit equivalency sheet. As an advisor, you will be able to access this along with all other advisee records on your MyECU portal. • Using the equivalency sheet is fast and easy. It details the course the student took at another school, the ECU equivalency, the credit hours, when the student took the course, the grade earned, the level of the course, if the class is for credit or not, and the status of the school from which the student transferred (T2-two year or T4-four year). This is much easier than looking up each individual course on the transfer matrix because it specifically addresses an individual student’s information. However, if the student has not yet had coursework entered into the computer system, you should refer to the ECU Matrix. • An example is: • ENG 1113 FRESHMAN COMPOSITION I 3.00 SU 2000 P T • ENGL 1 FRESHMAN COMP I degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T4

20. Advisor Tip 18 cont. • Here are a few points to remember: • A course equating to NODEPT 0000 means that a course equivalency does not exist. However, the course will still count as elective credit on the student’s record. • A course equating to a department 0000 (ex. MGMT 0000) means that an exact course equivalency does not exist but the credit may still be applied to a course on the student’s major electives or substituted for a required course. • A course with an equivalency of NOEVAL 0000 indicates that the course has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, you cannot assume it will or will not count toward a specific course. If in doubt, do not put a student into a course that you feel has the slightest chance of being used as equal to or in lieu of (by substitution) a required course. • A course with NE (not earned) in the cntg field (see example of counting field in the example above) indicates that credit will not be applied to a degree. This will include such instances as remedial or pre-collegiate level courses. E means it does count as earned college credit. • Do not rely on course titles to indicate an equivalency. You should always check the course number to which the transfer work is equated. • Always check a student’s transfer work before advising a student who has transferred from another college or university. A common problem has been students retaking courses at ECU which they have successfully completed elsewhere.

21. Advisor Tip 18 cont. • The transfer credit equivalency sheet indicates anytime two transfer courses have the same evaluation. This is strictly to alert the student and advisor that a review/repeat situation may exist. If the equivalency is repeatable, the repeat policy will not apply. However, if the course is not repeatable, the rules of the forgiveness policy may alter a student’s GPA and/or completed hours. • (the example below shows a repeatable course equivalency without the repeated notation) • NODEPT0000 NO EQUIVALENT 4.00 SP 2002 F T • PHYS 1114 PHYSICAL SCIENCE degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T2 • NODEPT0000 NO EQUIVALENT 3.00 SU 2004 B T • PHIL 1213 INTRO TO ETHICS degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T2 • (the example below shows a non-repeatable course equivalency with the repeated notation) • HIST 2483 US HIST SURV TO 1877 3.00 SP 2004 F T Repeated • HIST 1483 AMER HIST TO 1865 degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T2 • HIST 2483 US HIST SURV TO 1877 3.00 SU 2004 A T Repeated • HIST 1113 AMER HIST TO 1865 degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T2 • A large number of advising errors result from inadequate use of transfer sheets. Please familiarize yourself with these reports and take advantage of this tool while advising.

22. Advisor Tip 19 • Students admitted to East Central with a curricular or skills deficiency must remediate that deficiency by passing the appropriate 0-level course within a specified time frame. Students admitted as beginning freshmen must complete the required course(s) within the first 24 hours of college level courses attempted. Transfer students must do so before attempting 12 hours at ECU. • The Beginning Freshman Advisement sheet (BFA) will indicate all curricular and skills deficiencies a beginning freshman may have. Transfer students will have signed a contract at the time of admission. Advisors should have copies of both forms in the student’s folder.

23. Advisor Tip 20 • Athletes should consult with their coach and/or the NCAA compliance officer or NCAA Compliance Assistant in addition to their advisor prior to enrolling, dropping, or adding courses.

24. Advisor Tip 21 • Does your major require students to complete a minor? You might be surprised at how many students do not know that they must complete a minor to graduate. Please be sure your advisees know that they must complete a minor with your program if it requires that they do so. • Education majors do not have minors but instead must complete professional education requirements. These are not the same thing as a minor. • (By the way, completed minors are NOT shown on transcripts or diplomas as are majors.)

25. Advisor Tip 22 • Students pursuing education degrees are not required to complete a minor. The professional education curriculum is used in lieu of a minor. Professional Education courses are not included in the major GPA.

26. Advisor Tip 23 • For various reasons a student sometimes takes a course or two at another school during their final semester at ECU. These students should declare the enrollment on their Application for Graduation and should make sure the course equates to the required ECU course. Students taking their final work off campus must have the official transcript showing completion of the coursework to the Office of Admissions and Records by the established deadline to remain in the graduating class. • A student must complete 15 of the last 30 hours in residence at ECU OR 50% of the major requirements must be from ECU to graduate.

27. Advisor Tip 24 • All students pursuing a degree with a Teacher Certification concentration must demonstrate novice high competency in foreign language or complete a Foreign Language or American Sign Language course with a C or higher. • Questions concerning novice high competency should be directed to the School of Education and Psychology.

28. Advisor Tip 25 • Many students utilize the course substitution process to be able to use one course in lieu of another on the student’s degree plan. • Although one course may be used in lieu of another for degree requirement purposes, the Grade Point Average (GPA) will not reflect this substitution as a repeated or reviewed course. Example: HIST 2003 taken at another school equates to ECU course number HIST 0000. The student passes it with an A. HIST 2003 is substituted for the required course HIST 2483 in which the student previously received a grade of F. Both grades of A and F will calculate into the retention GPA even though the 2003 class is used in lieu of 2483. This is because the courses do not “EQUATE” to each other but instead of are just being used in lieu of one another.

29. Advisor Tip 26 • This is the time of year when students apply to take Advanced Standing Exams to validate knowledge gained in a non-academic or high school setting. If your advisee is planning to take an exam, please remind them that they must complete the application for exam process before they can test. • If you are issuing the test, DO NOT administer it without an authorization sheet from Admissions and Records and a grade sheet. • The deadline for dropping a class (if the student passes the exam and was enrolled in it for credit) is August (day) to receive a full refund.

30. Advisor Tip 27 • Advanced Standing Examination (ASE), Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit, and military credit (excluding Community College of the Air Force (CCAF)) all count as senior college course work.

31. Advisor Tip 28 • All students who began attendance at an educational institution Fall 1998 or later are required to satisfy a COMPUTER PROFICIENCY graduation requirement. This includes students transferring to ECU that began college fall 1998 or later at another school. • There are three ways that a student may satisfy the computer proficiency requirement. They are 1) complete an AA or AS degree from an Oklahoma college, 2) successfully complete the C2 ECU general education requirement as specified in the student’s program of study, or 3) complete a program where the primary use of a computer is integral to the major (i.e. Computer Science majors). • You should refer to the program sheets in the Catalog as to which course a student is required to pass for each major. Some are satisfied using any general education computer course (see section C2) while others may call for a specific computer course based on major requirements. • It should be noted that all students pursuing a teacher certification major or concentration will satisfy the computer proficiency requirement upon successful completion of the professional education sequence. These students must complete both a communications and foreign language course to satisfy general education and major requirements. All non-education majors must complete the computer proficiency requirement as detailed above. • Be alerted that students changing from education to non-education majors MUST meet the computer proficiency requirement as detailed in the new major. This applies even if all general education requirements were completed using communication (C1) and foreign language (C3) prior to the major change.

32. Advisor Tip 29 • As a means of saving costs and speeding up notifications to students, a student’s campus e-mail is used as a primary method of communication. The Admissions and Records Office routinely uses e-mail to notify students of decisions for waiver requests’ when degree checks are ready for pick-up and all graduation issues and notifications. Other offices, advisors and faculty use this method of communication also. • Please remind your advisees to forward their ECU e-mail to a personal e-mail account if they do not routinely check their campus e-mail.

33. Advisor Tip 30 • Students may only use one course from their general education requirements towards the minor. • If a student’s major requires the same course(s) as their minor, the student must take additional courses to be used in place of the duplicated course(s) UNLESS the course(s) are considered “Related Work” on the major. Related Work courses may be used, as needed, on the major, minor and general education requirements unless otherwise noted. • Courses that are used on both the major (as related work) and the minor will result in the student having more electives than are specified in the catalog or on the degree audit.

34. Advisor Tip 31 • ECU general education requirements include UNIV 1001 Freshman Seminar and UNIV 3001 General Education Seminar. Students must complete UNIV 1001 during their first semester at ECU and UNIV 3001 should be completed once a student has accumulated between 45 and 72 hours. • Transfer students with 15 or more hours completed and one full time term may request to waive UNIV 1001. Those completing 25 hours or more of general education requirements prior to transferring to ECU may request that UNIV 3001 be waived. Forms are available in the Office of Admissions and Records or online. • Students transferring to ECU with an Associate of Science or an Associate of Arts degree from an Oklahoma college will have their general education requirements considered met. Therefore, they are not required to take these courses nor do they need to request a waiver.

35. Advisor Tip 32 • In addition to meeting all coursework requirements for graduation, students must also meet minimum grade point average requirements before their degree can be conferred. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in up to six areas. These include: • Retention/Graduation GPA • ECU Retention/Graduation GPA • Overall Major GPA • Overall ECU Major GPA • Overall Minor GPA (if minor is required) • Overall ECU Minor GPA (if minor is required) • Remind your students that not only must they pass the classes, but they must meet these minimum GPA requirements also.

36. Advisor Tip 33 • Students transferring to ECU will have a summary of all courses they have taken at other colleges or universities available by the midpoint of their first semester at ECU. This is contingent upon the student supplying final official transcripts to the Admissions and Records Office in a timely manner. The summary report will show equivalent courses at ECU for each course transferred. It is an excellent advising tool. • Students and advisors may access the student’s information using the MyECU portal. Students should login>click STUDENT tab>click the Transfer Work link in the left-side menu. Advisors should login>click ADVISOR tab>click Transfer Work link in the left-side menu. The ECU course is the one listed first and the transfer course is below it.

37. Advisor Tip 34 • Students graduating from East Central University with a bachelor’s degree must complete a minimum of 30 hours in residency at ECU. Courses completed by advanced standing exam will NOT count toward the 30 hour requirement. Courses taken online or at any of the distance education sites that are taught and transcripted by ECU will count toward the requirement. • Graduating students must also have a minimum of nine semester hours in residence (from ECU) toward the major requirements and a minimum of three semester hours in residence toward the minor requirements.

38. Advisor Tip 35 • Catalog requirements often change from year to year. Be sure your advisees are being advised under the correct catalog in regards to major, minor, general education, and degree requirements. You, as an advisor, will indicate the catalog year being used on the student’s request for an official degree check. • Students who cease attendance for a fall or spring semester will be required to meet the newer requirements under the catalog in existence when they return to ECU.

39. Advisor Tip 36 • Do you know the difference in two degrees vs. a double major? Many students don’t understand the difference. A student graduating with two degrees at the same time must apply for both degrees separately (two online applications), must pay two $50 graduation fees and must complete a minimum of 154 hours. They will receive two separate diplomas. A student graduating with two majors will receive one degree and one diploma showing both majors, must pay one $50 graduation fee, and must complete a minimum of 124 hours. • A student who has already received a bachelor’s degree and returns to school to pursue a second bachelor’s is required to complete a minimum of 30 hours above the first degree which means he or she must complete a minimum of 154 hours. They must have a different major and minor than the first degree. Courses used on the major core from the first degree (excluding related work) may not be used as part of the major core on the second degree. A degree check should be requested during the first semester in which the student returns to school.

40. Advisor Tip 37 • Students may only use one course from their general education requirements towards the minor. • If a student’s major requires the same course(s) as their minor, the student must take additional courses to be used in place of the duplicated course(s) UNLESS the course(s) are considered “Related Work” on the major. Related Work courses may be used, as needed, on the major, minor and general education requirements unless otherwise noted. • Courses that are used on both the major (as related work) and the minor will result in the student having more electives than are specified in the catalog or on the degree audit.

41. Advisor Tip 38 • ECU general education requirements include UNIV 1001 Freshman Seminar and UNIV 3001 General Education Seminar. Students must complete UNIV 1001 during their first semester at ECU and UNIV 3001 should be completed once a student has accumulated between 45 and 72 hours. • Transfer students with 15 or more hours completed and one full time term may request to waive UNIV 1001. Those completing 25 hours or more of general education requirements prior to transferring to ECU may request that UNIV 3001 be waived. Forms are available in the Office of Admissions and Records or online. • Students transferring to ECU with an Associate of Science or an Associate of Arts degree from an Oklahoma college will have their general education requirements considered met. Therefore, they are not required to take these courses nor do they need to request a waiver.

42. Conclusion • Office of Admissions and Records • Phone Number: 580-559-5237 • Office Hours: 8am-5pm, Monday -Friday