A brief agenda

1. Academics at IWUDr. Jonathan Green, Provost and Dean of the FacultyChandra Shipley, MSEd, Director of Academic Advising & Coordinator of Disability Services

2. A brief agenda • The student-teacher relationship • Academic expectations • Academic resources • Some advice for parents • First-year advising program • Graduation requirement overview • Questions and responses

3. Student-teacher relationship • As distinguished from high school: • A combination of classroom exchanges, assignments, mentoring, and extracurriculars • Ongoing mentorship across semesters as students grow; community building within departments • Multiple faculty roles: • Teachers, scholars / artists, community members • By design, we are busy but available: • Academic advising, office hours, research partnerships

4. Academic expectations • Excellence, excellence, excellence! • Pre-class preparation is key • Approximately two hours of study for each hour in class – college is a full-time (plus) job • Transition from consumers of knowledge to producers of knowledge • Competently and creatively challenging authority – question everything

5. Academic expectations • Some of the biggest challenges for students: • Active reading: note taking, textual criticism • Learning to ask, “Why do we pose the question this way?” • Using office hours effectively • Responding to written feedback • Making time for high-impact extra-curricular activities (summers, internships, spring breaks) • Developing the courage to pursue lofty goals • Again, train to smartly question authority

6. Academic Resources • Professors • Advisors • Academic Advising Center • Academic Skills Series • Writing Center • Language Resource Center • Departmental Tutors • Library Faculty

7. Some advice • This will be a time of lots of decisions • Moving from a highly structured to a less structured environment • The best help from parents probably comes in the form of probing questions • Try not to panic when daughters and sons change majors (med-school? maybe not) • Creating a safe place for experiential learning, including occasionally falling down (and learning how to get back up)

8. What is First-Year Advising? First-Year Advising (FYA) is a program that facilitates a successful transition from high school to university life in which an IWU faculty member assists the student in academic planning and offers advice concerning academic decisions a student must make throughout his or her undergraduate career.

9. Who are the First-Year Advisors? • Faculty members who volunteer and are trained to work with first-year students • Assigned to each Gateway Colloquium course or is the Gateway instructor • Focus is on liberal arts foundation (general education program) • Follow curricular plan for recommended course of study for each major • Available online

10. Role of the First-Year Advisor • Assist students with the transition into the university • Provide GUIDANCE in selection of courses and academic planning • Monitor anxiety about registration process • Promote reasonable balance of work • Facilitate assistance with academic difficulty • Direct access to resources (e.g., psychological difficulty, career counseling, writing skills)

11. Role of the Student • Come to appointments on-time • Prepare for appointments • Keep organized records • Provide accurate information • Be an active partner in the advising relationship • Take responsibility • Follow through on referrals

12. Role of the Family Member • Be available to support and encourage your student • Encourage your student to do things they can for him/herself • Re-direct your student’s concerns and questions to their FYA • Respect the role of the advisors • Remind your student of the various resources available to assist on campus

13. Process Overview Summer 2014 Fall 2014/Spring 2015 Required individual appointments for Spring/May Term 2015 and Fall 2015 Registration Individual appointments as needed • Email from the Office of the Registrar • sent on 6/13 • due on 7/18 • Turning Titan: New Student Orientation • 2 group advising sessions • a 30 minute individual advising appointment • registration for Fall 2014 classes will occur immediately following the individual advising appointment

14. What’s After FYA? • Second/Sophomore Year: Transition to a faculty advisor in their major department. • Undeclared students: Either stay with their FYA or are assigned to the Director of Academic Advising.

15. Transfer Student Advising Summer 2014: • Email from the Office of the Registrar • sent on 6/13 & due on 7/18 • Students can make an appointment with the Director of Academic Advising to review how credits transfer in • Turning Titan: New Student Orientation • group advising session with Director of Academic Advising • 30 minute individual advising appointment with the Chair of their declared major department • registration for Fall 2014 classes will occur immediately following the individual advising appointment Fall/Spring: • Required individual appointment each semester • Individual appointments as needed

16. Graduation Requirements The Basics • Major • Minor (Optional) • General Education Requirements • Electives (varies) • 2.0/4.0 GPA • +/- Grading system

17. UNITS The unit: Required to graduate: BA = 32 units BS = 32 units BSN = 32 units BFA = 32 units BM = 35 units BME = 36 units • 1 unit = 4 semester hours/6 quarter hours • 1 unit = minimum of 150 minutes/week in class • Majority of our classes are 1 unit • Typical course load is 4 units/courses per semester

18. General Education Requirements Category (# of units/courses) • Gateway Colloquium (1) • Analysis of Values (1) • The Arts (1) • Contemporary Social Institutions (1) • Cultural and Historical Change (1) • Formal Reasoning (0-1)* • Intellectual Traditions (1) • Literature (1) Category (# of units/courses) • Second Language (0-3)* • The Natural Sciences (1-2)* • Encountering Global Diversity Flag (1) • Encountering U.S. Diversity Flag (1) • Writing Intensive Courses (1) • Physical Education (0 units/2 semesters) *The # of units required for these categories varies by degree.

19. Sample Schedules Biology Nursing Business Psychology

20. Academic Skills Series • Collaboration between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs • Series of 10 programs to assist students in the development of and/or strengthening of academic skills needed to be successful at IWU • Offered in the fall and the spring • Wednesdays at noon • Pizza provided for lunch • Students can attend any or all

21. Academic Advising Center Services include: • providing drop-in and academic advising by appointment as an additional resource • facilitating major exploration for undecided students or students considering changing majors • drafting semester-by-semester plans • assisting students experiencing academic difficulty • referring students to campus resources • coordinating academic accommodations • answering questions about advising, university policy, and registration www.iwu.edu/advising 110 Holmes Hall advising@iwu.edu 309-556-3231

22. Accommodations • IEP or 504 plan in high school? • Disability Services: • secures and maintains documentation of disabilities • determines reasonable accommodations • works with the student, faculty, and staff to develop plans for providing such accommodations www.iwu.edu/access

23. Summer Reading Program

24. Questions?* * yes, everything is fair game