Academic Advising & Career Services at UWSP New Faculty and Staff Seminar Series Julie Schneider and Sue Kissinger Academic & Career Advising Center Student Academic Advising Center Mission: To provide academic advising for undeclared majors, students questioning their choice of major, and students in transition from one major to another. Other Services: • Major alternatives advising • Associate Degree advising • Prior Learning Assessment • Advising Resources Did you know that 20-25% of every first-year class is undeclared? Redefining the Classroom: The Concept of “Advising As Teaching” Academic advising, based in the teaching and learning mission of higher education, is a series of intentional interactions with a curriculum, a pedagogy, and a set of student learning outcomes. Academic advising synthesizes and contextualizes students' educational experiences within the frameworks of their aspirations, abilities and lives to extend learning beyond campus boundaries and timeframes. (NACADA) Example: Student Academic Advising Center • Pedagogy: Developmental><Prescriptive • Curriculum: 3 Semester Plan • Learning Outcomes: SAAC Syllabus • Assessment: Current Advisee Satisfaction and Declared Advisee Exit Surveys Teaching/Scholarship/Service • Counts for Service GENERAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICE General educational service is the acceptance and fulfillment of professional responsibilities outside the classroom, e.g., academic advising, extracurricular advising, participation in organizations related to the discipline, acceptance of professional responsibilities within the university or community, etc. (The Handbook describes the responsibilities for advising, which is considered an aspect of service, in Chapter 5, Section 3.) UWSP Advising Policy ADVISING POLICY PARTICIPATING IN THE ADVISING PROCESS. Students' Responsibilities. Students are responsible for • determining a course of study that satisfies the requirements defined for the appropriate degree in the UWSP catalog; • scheduling and appearing promptly for appointments with the adviser when necessary (at least once each semester); • preparing for an advising session by having the necessary forms available and a list of questions and courses (and alternatives) needed; • being knowledgeable about policies, procedures, and requirements as published; • being prepared to discuss personal values and goals as they relate to academic and career-related needs; • following through with appropriate action after the advising meeting; and • accepting responsibility for the academic decisions to be made. Advisers' Responsibilities. Faculty and academic staff who serve as advisers are responsible for • providing timely and accurate advising on academic and career matters; • making advising readily available; • maintaining necessary files on advisees for monitoring progress toward advisee's educational goals; • conveying information on academic requirements, policies, and procedures; • assisting the student in identifying and pursuing educational goals and objectives and in securing information about career opportunities; • helping the student • examine course offerings in the major; • relate these to courses in the student's broader field of study; and • understand the graduation requirements for the chosen curriculum; • tailoring the advising approach to individual students and making referrals appropriate to their needs and interests; • being responsive to discussions of students' personal values and goals as they relate to academic and career-related needs; and • being sensitive to issues relating to the student's retention at UWSP, and making appropriate referrals when necessary/possible. DELIVERING ADVISING SERVICES Departments. Autonomy Departments shall have autonomy in structuring their advising procedures within the limits set by these guidelines. (For example, a department may choose to have only a part of its faculty, or part of the faculty and academic staff, assigned to advising.) Responsibility Individual departments shall have primary responsibility for providing timely and accurate advising to their majors and minors, and to students in related disciplines assigned to that department for advising. While peer advising may be provided in units where it is appropriate and workable, it shall not replace faculty or academic staff advising. Policies Departments and functional equivalent units, in consultation with appropriate students, shall establish policies and procedures to support commitment to and assessment of individual advising. Where appropriate, departments shall specifically include advising as a component of departmental and university service in merit considerations at times. Current State of Academic Advising at UWSP • Undeclared students are advised by SAAC • Departmental Advising: • Professional + Faculty advisors: • COFAC (Communication) • CLS (Biology) • CNR (all) • CPS (Business and Economics, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Education, Health Care Professions, Health Promotion/Human Development) • Faculty only: most CLS dept. • Peer Advisors: CNR, Business and Economics, SAAC,…. Preparing to Advise Step One: Getting Ready a. Learn your department procedures/policies/advising format b. Learn your department curricula c. Learn the General Education Program d. Access online resources 1. UWSP Catalog (GEP, major requirements, etc) 2. Department webpage 3. Office of the Registrar 4. Enrollment Services 5. Academic Affairs 6. SAAC Step Two: Working with Advisees a. Don’t expect new freshman/transfers to know anything about the advising/registration process b. Contacting advisees: adv-Schneider, Julie-UG c. myPoint (Academics tab) d. Reading a DPR Hints/Tips/Tricks a. b. c. d. e. f. Students’ responsibility Scheduling times to meet Rigor of courses in and related to curricula Major/General Education overlap Specific course/requirement tips (unique to departments at times) Keep in mind that there are financial aid implications to drop/add/withdrawal recommendations Don’t guess – ask for assistance from your colleagues or professional advisors on campus Ask advisees questions beyond course selection such as: g. h. • • • • i. What are your goals for your education? Why do you want to major in X? What knowledge and skills are you gaining/hope to gain? What careers are you considering? Consider joining SPACADA (meet once/month) Career Services Mission: To provide comprehensive career/life planning and job search services linking education and the world of work for UWSP students and alumni Other programs: Title III Grant Noel Compass Scholars program Honors Intern program Reaching Across Generations Mentoring Great Lakes Internship Grant (new) Did you know that our office serves a broad range of constituents including students, faculty, staff, employers, and alumni? Career Services – meet the staff! What We Provide Students We can assist students with: • Career Exploration: Career counseling, career assessments, CareerLocker, Follow-Up Studies • Job Search Preparation: Assistance with resumes and cover letters, interview preparation - InterviewStream, Candid Career Videos • Internships & Experience /Employment: CareerPoint online system, job fairs, Going Global • Graduate/Professional Schools: Identifying programs, preparing for exams What We Provide Faculty & Staff • Classroom presentations & ‘Don’t cancel your class’ coverage • Career workshops and events • Resources and staff to support programs for your student groups • Connections to employers interested in supporting classroom activity • Follow-up Studies of recent UWSP graduates in your discipline Online Resources http://www.uwsp.edu/career/ [See Faculty & Staff link on left] Questions? Thanks for attending!