The Advising Express
Volume 5, Issue 5, November 9, 2015
In this Issue...
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Guided Independent Study
Fear of Asking Questions
Liberal Arts Core Advising Guide
ALEKS Math Placement Test
Meet a Peer Academic Advisor in Residence
Did you know about these classes?
Important Dates and Deadlines
Announcements!
• Welcome to the November 9, 2015
issue.
• We encourage any feedback regarding
content and design. Please email
david.marchesani@uni.edu with suggestions.
• Look for the link symbols
to
indicate text hyperlinks that will lead you
outside the publication.
What is Guided Independent Study?
Guided Independent Study (GIS) courses are an option for UNI students to take
over 60 different courses on their own schedule. Students have nine months to
complete a course and enrollment is open at any time! Check out the video below
as Monica Johnson explains more about how students can take part in GIS
courses.
Student’s Fear of Asking Questions
Why are students afraid to ask us questions?
One of the biggest obstacles to a successful student is their reluctance to ask questions
when they do not understand the task at hand. Students may be afraid of asking a “dumb
question” or looking stupid in from to their classmates. They may have a low self-esteem
issue or social anxiety that prevents them from speaking up in their classes. But without
the ability to ask questions, a student’s ability to succeed may be compromised. The
Heritage Institute (2014) for Student Identity and Success has identified some tactics that
may help our students and advisees ask us the questions they need answered.
Sometimes as advisors and instructors, we need to break students out of their
shells a little so that they can have a full college experience. Different groups of
students may require different tactics to help them ask questions, but
Heritage University’s Institute for Student Identity and Success has laid out some
best practices for faculty and staff to help students:
1. Acknowledge that doing your best requires a lot of effort on behalf of the
student. Promise to act as a guide and to match the effort the students put forth.
This gives students permission to ask questions and get the help they need. Remind them that if they don’t ask the questions, no one else will.
2. Use the Think, Pair, Share route.
-Ask a thought-provoking question.
-Give the students time to think about the question.
-Pair the students up (or have them pair themselves up) and discuss their thoughts, questions, and ideas with that student.
-Call on a random student to share their ideas or their partner’s,
depending on which they are more comfortable with.
3. Use humor in the classroom and
appointments to let students know that you
are a real person and can be
relatable.
4. Give high praise for good questions. If you
don’t know the answer to a question, give the students an incentive to find the answer on their own. This encourages insightful
questions.
A student who isn’t afraid of asking questions will delve deeper into the subject
areas they are studying, will seek out opportunities that can help them
personally, academically, and socially, and put them on the path to success! Consider attending the CETL’s seminar Help! My Student’s Won’t Talk in Class!:
Strategies for Productive Class Discussions on December 1 in Library 378,
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Liberal Arts Core Advising Guide
With students registering, it is always helpful to review the Liberal Arts
Core Advising Guide to make sure we are giving our students the correct
information on courses they should be taking. If a student started before
the Fall 2014 semester, they would be following the 2004 LAC guide and
if a student started during the Fall 2014 semester or after, they would
follow the 2014 LAC guide. For information on the 2014 LAC Advising
Guide, click here!
ALEKS Math Placement Assessment
Before a student can be registered for a Mathematics Department course, the
student must take the ALEKS Math placement test. ALEKS is helpful for placing students in appropriate math or physics courses. If a student doesn’t score
high enough for placement in a class they wanted, they have the opportunity
to re-take the test for a better placement score. Students should set aside 1-2
hours to complete the assessment. The assessment will adapt to student’s answers to gauge what they have learned and see what they still need to learn.
Click here for more information on ALEKS.
Meet a Peer Academic Advisor in Residence
Meet Derek! He’s the Hagemann Hall PAIR and a Sophomore
in Family Services!
Favorite aspect of being a PAIR?
“I really enjoy guiding students to what they hope to achieve by the end of their college
journey. We are here to help them realize what they truly want to do and provide them
with resources they need to be successful.”
Any recommendations for students who feel like they are struggling?
“My best advice is that you should not be scared to ask for help. There is always
someone on campus that is more than willing to help you. Everyone on campus, even
your peers, wants nothing more than for you to have an amazing college experience.”
Contact Derek at HagemannPAIR@uni.edu!
Did you know about these classes??
sadfD
HPELS 1059: Dimensions of Wellbeing (DWB): a combination of 2 courses including a special topic lecture/discussion
and a special topic lab for a total of 2 credit hours. This satisfies the LAC category 1D requirement.
Studies in Health Promotion: Exploring Health Promotion Careers is a new class being offered through the Division of
Health Promotion and Education. It is designed to give students a better understanding of professions in areas like
women’s health, global health, and environmental health. Contact Sherry Hester at sherry.hester@uni.edu for more
information!
English 4765/5765, Workplace Communication: looks at non-hypothetical experience for on-the-job communication
styles. English 4785/5785: Projects & Careers looks at non-hypothetical practice in leadership and management skills
required for on-the-job communication. For more information on these courses and pre-requisite information, contact
lamberti@uni.edu!
POSTSEC 3159: The Student Affairs Profession: explore the history of the student affairs field, professional and ethical standards, functions of student affairs in higher education, student learning development theory and much more!
Contact Lauren Wypiszynski (lauren.wypiszynski@uni.edu) or Mark Rowe-Barth (mark.rowe-barth@uni.edu) for more
information!
Important Dates
11/9 Registration begins for Sophomores
11/13 Registration begins for Freshmen
11/13 Panther Open House
11/18 Registration begins for Unclassified Students
11/20 Panther Open House
11/23-11/27 Thanksgiving Break
11/26 Thanksgiving Day
Deadlines
11/13 Last Day to Drop a Second Half-Semester Course Without an “F”
Contact Us
Office of Academic Advising
102 Gilchrist
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0389
Phone: 319-273-3406
Fax: 319-273-7515
Email: advising-services@uni.edu
Advisor Contacts by College
Stay up-to-date on everything advising by
visiting the Advisor Handbook at:
http://www.uni.edu/advisorhandbook/
Content by Ashley Jones, Graduate Assistant