2014-2015 Advising Information
Helpful resources:
• Undergraduate Catalog (can be found under “current students” on homepage)
• University College website http://uncw.edu/uc/
• University Studies website http://uncw.edu/universitystudies/
• Registrar’s Office website
• School of Social Work website
• BSW Suggested Four Year Plan
http://www.uncw.edu/oss/documents/SSW/BSW%204%20Year%20Plan.pdf
• Extension Education website
• Link to set up advising times via the online system
http://csbapp.uncw.edu/ucAdvising/nursinglogin.aspx
2014-2015 Advisor Task Checklist
Note: It is a university requirement that advisors post office hours either electronically or on your
door in paper form.
1.
Meet with advisees during scheduled pre-registration periods during fall and spring
semester.
At this meeting, advisors should:
a.
review advisee’s folder contents in WebNow, including notes from prior
meetings, documentation regarding advisee’s courses scheduled for current
semester, and any other materials. (If student is PSWK, advisor should ensure
advisee is on track for SWK application submission.)
b.
review degree audit, including:
1.
current GPA
2.
number of hours completed toward graduation (needs 124)
3.
number of hours completed toward major
4.
number of hours completed toward second major/minor/cluster
5.
number of hours completed toward university studies/basic studies
required hours
6.
number of hours currently enrolled
7.
currently enrolled courses
8.
status of meeting University Studies/Basic Studies requirements
9.
status of meeting collateral course requirements
10.
status of meeting SWK core course requirements
11.
status of meeting SWK elective requirements
12.
readiness for next sequence of SWK courses
13.
status of work toward second major or minor
14.
any transfer course issues
15.
any course substitution/waiver issues
c.
discuss advisee’s action plan for upcoming semester
d.
discuss long range plans with advisee regarding course sequences
e.
if the advisee is eligible for Honors work, discuss this option
http://www.uncw.edu/honors/academics/departmental.html
f.
if advisee wishes to undertake DIS or study abroad, discuss
g.
if advisee wishes to undertake more than 18 credit hours, check advisee’s
qualifications to do so, and complete required paperwork for Dean’s approval
h.
afford advisee opportunity to discuss any other academic (or non-academic)
issue(s) that are appropriate to advisor role.
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i.
j.
2.
complete, with advisee, all paperwork required for registration, including course
plan for upcoming semester, PIN, etc.
document results of discussion in advising form and submit to advisee folder
Advising meeting follow-up
If forms for substitutions/waivers, transfer issues, or other documentation needs to be
completed and submitted to Director, Dean and Registrar, advisor should do so promptly
after meeting with advisee.
If there are GPA issues or other concerns that warrant attention of Director, BSW
Program Coordinator, or field faculty, the appropriate faculty member should be
informed of student’s issues (example – a student whose GPA does not meet admission
into field program).
3.
Graduation checkout
Each semester the registrar’s office provides advisors with a list of his/her advisees who
have applied for graduation at the end of that semester. Advisors are responsible for:
a.
reviewing graduating advisees’ degree audits to ensure all graduation
requirements have been met.
b.
If requirements have not been met, meet again with advisee to determine
advisee’s plan of action for meeting requirements.
c.
Inform Registrar and BSW Coordinator of advisee graduation issues.
4.
Tasks specific to transfer students
a.
Although a student may hold a two-year degree from a school with which
UNCW has an articulation agreement, students often are missing required
departmental collaborative courses (usually biology and political science), and
advisors should pay close attention to a student having met those requirements,
as they may prohibit a student from graduating in two years.
b.
Transfer students often are not given transfer credit for courses that could match
a required UNCW university/basic studies course, and advisors should attend to
this issue by checking the General Electives at the end of the degree audit report.
Transfer students who come into the BSW program already having completed
some SWK courses at another institution may need course substitution/waiver,
which sometimes requires student to submit syllabi for review. This also may
put a student out of course sequence, and advisors should work with students to
address these needs.
c.
Transfer students sometimes have taken courses that appear to meet a
university/basic studies requirement in another department, and advisor needs to
direct student through the procedure for appealing registrar’s decision in this
matter.
5.
Mentoring advisees
a.
Advisors are often asked for letters of reference for field placements, graduate
program admission, and employment applications.
b.
Advisors also should foster academic excellence by mentoring students who are
eligible for DIS and Honors studies.
c.
Advisors also should be available to meet with students planning study abroad.
6.
Students with special circumstances
Student athletes, students with special needs and/or disabilities, or extenuating
circumstances may require additional advising to meet these students’ needs.
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Undergraduate Advising Responsibilities
According to the UNCW Faculty Handbook:
“Advising is one of a faculty member's most important duties, one that faculty should take
seriously because every student has a right to concerned, competent, informed advising and
because errors in advising may prevent a student from graduating on schedule or may result in a
student paying a surcharge.
Every enrolled student is assigned a faculty or professional advisor, and the university considers
academic advising responsibilities to be a regular part of teaching responsibilities. Advisors are
expected to:
• be available for conferences at appropriate times and places;
• provide accurate information about academic regulations, procedures and deadlines,
course prerequisites, and graduation requirements;
• assist students in planning academic programs suited to their interests, abilities and career
objectives; and make appropriate referrals as needed.
Students have the primary responsibility for planning their programs and for meeting the
graduation requirements.”
Below is a list of advisor responsibilities according to the faculty handbook (see handbook on
UNCW website) and university catalog. I have added explanations of the tasks required for
each area of responsibility.
Advanced placement
This category refers to students enrolling in the university while still attending high
school, or who place in certain course levels after receiving a score in a placement test
(such as foreign language or math).
Auditing
Advisors should be familiar with catalog requirements if a student wishes to audit a
course, either in SWK or in another department. http://uncw.edu/reg/registrationaudit.htm
University Studies/Basic Studies requirements
Advisors need to have an in-depth knowledge of University Studies/Basic Studies
requirements, including:
categories, required number of credit hours in each category, and the
courses in each university department that meet these requirements. This is a
particular issue when advising transfer students who need transfer credits from
other schools substituted for UNCW requirements. Advisors also need to be
knowledgeable about which courses are most relevant for social work.
Classification of students
Advisors need to know how many hours are required for freshman, sophomore, junior
and senior status. It also refers to issues related to transfer, non-traditional military
status, financial aid status and other student classifications.
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Declaring or changing majors/minors/clusters
Advisors need to know BSW requirements for declaring SWK as a major. Students
should apply to be PreSWK majors using the SeaNet system Once a student has acquired
45 credit hours and a minimum 2.5 GPA, then they should complete the BSW application
to become a BSW major. There are declaration deadlines with the registrar’s office
students must meet, and advisors need to be aware of these deadlines. Advisors also
must attend to issues related to students who declare double majors, minors and clusters,
as doing so often delays a student’s graduation date. All students who are BSW majors
will need to declare the Human Behavior cluster.
Degree Audits
This is perhaps THE most important task an advisor undertakes. The degree audit
(DARS) document is a record of exactly what credits are on file in the Registrar’s system
regarding a student’s academic undertakings. It contains all work attempted at UNCW,
any work completed at other institutions and accepted by UNCW, and what category of
study those courses are placed in by UNCW. It contains the catalog number under which
the student graduates, the student’s grades, number of hours completed toward both the
departmental hours requirements and graduation hours, GPA and much more
information. It is an exact record of what the student needs to complete to reach
graduation. It can be a confusing and seemingly disorganized document unless the
advisor is trained properly to read and interpret it. It also is a part of the advisor’s job to
help students learn to read the degree audit.
Departmental Honors study
Advisors should encourage advisees to undertake departmental honors study, if the
student meets academic requirements to do so. Working with the advisee and the
University Honors Scholars Program, advisors should guide qualified students toward
decisions regarding areas of study interest, and to the appropriate faculty advisor for an
honors project. This task obviously requires advisors to know their advisees, their
capabilities and their interests. http://uncw.edu/honors/academics/departmental.html
Directed Individual Study (DIS)
As noted in the Departmental Honors section above, advisors should encourage their
advisees who are appropriate candidates for DIS projects to do so, and to work with
advisees to identify an appropriate faculty mentor.
Drop/add and late registration
For a variety of reasons, students often drop and add courses and sometimes register for
courses late. Advisors need to be aware of related deadlines, and be able to explain to
advisees potential consequences of their choices regarding course enrollment.
Fast-track program
This program allows a student to graduate in three years instead of four. Advisors whose
advisees wish to pursue this option need to be able to assist the student through this
process in collaboration with University College Advising and the Registrar’s Office.
Graduate courses for undergraduates
UNCW allows students to undertake certain courses in various graduate programs, some
of which may be used toward graduation, others of which may be applied toward credit if
a student chooses graduate work later in that particular graduate program. Advisors need
to be able to collaborate with the student, Director of School of Social Work, Dean, and
Dean of Graduate College.
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Graduation requirements and application
Advisors should understand graduation requirements for SWK majors, and the
application process and deadlines for students planning graduation the following
semester. This task also includes advisors being able to advise students who have double
majors/minors, and who have extenuating circumstances that impact graduation.
Honors program
Advisors should have a working knowledge of the UNCW Honors Scholars Program and
be able to direct eligible students to this program. It is critical that advisors closely
monitor academic progress of PSWK students in this regard, as this is the time in his/her
academic career in which a student must decide if s/he wishes to enroll in the Honors
Scholar Program
International students
There are special programs and services available at UNCW for international students,
and advisors must be familiar with these services, and the special needs of international
students, both academically and in terms of their adjustment to UNCW life.
Internships
This category is listed in the faculty handbook as an advisor’s responsibility. Obviously,
in SWK this task primarily falls to the field faculty. However, advisees often discuss
internship aspirations with advisors.
Minors/Clusters
Advisors need a working knowledge of requirements for a student undertaking a minor in
another department. Often a component of this task includes working with students to
determine areas of interest and a good fit with their SWK major.
Oral communication competency
UNCW requires graduating students to complete a course that measures their ability to
speak in public. We have designated assignments that meet this requirement in SWK
321, and advisors need to explain this university requirement to advisees.
Permanent records
Advisors are responsible for keeping records of their interactions with students. The
WebNow system is set up to hold all pertinent advising forms and records for our
students. Keeping such a record of interactions with students is helpful in planning a
student’s course of study, and acts as a record of advisor and advisee actions in the event
of a dispute. Also, completed forms regarding student plans for course enrollment, any
waiver/substitution forms, admission forms and letters, and all other pertinent student
information are maintained in the student’s folder. Additionally, records of students’
academic progress are kept in the Registrar’s Office in the form of the DARS and official
transcripts. Additionally, field faculty maintain field placement records for several years
(this is particularly critical if a student chooses to enroll in graduate students some years
after completion of BSW).
Pre-registration and registration
University Studies/Basic studies requirements
GPA requirements
Collateral courses required
Core course requirements
Oral and computer competency requirements
Transfer credits
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The above pre-registration and registration tasks are the ones that are most often
considered advising responsibilities in their entirety (which obviously is not correct!).
This set of tasks refers to an advisor’s ability to read, understand, and communicate to an
advisee departmental and graduation requirements. See individual categories below for
required advisor responsibilities regarding this section.
Registrar’s office communication
While this section is not listed on the faculty handbook list, it is one of the most crucial
components of advising. The university assumes a lock-step procedure that a student
undertakes to reach graduation. Such is not always the case, particularly with transfer
and non-traditional students. Having a good working relationship with the appropriate
persons in the registrar’s office is critical to accurate student advising. Questions
frequently arise to which an advisor has no answer, and knowing who to call in the
registrar’s office is helpful. Noell typically communicates with Naamah Noble, who is
immensely helpful from the Office of the Registrar.
Repeating courses
Advisors must be familiar with university policies regarding repeating a course, and the
credit a student receives for doing so.
Residency requirement
Advisor understanding of student residency requirements has implications for working
with students who have tuition and financial aid issues. Contact Freeman Whitney in the
Registrar’s Office with questions.
Retention, dismissal and readmission
Advisor knowledge of university and department policies regarding retention, dismissal
and readmission (whether for academic or other reasons) is important in guiding advisees
who may be on academic or student affairs probation, or who may be in the process of
dismissal, or who are applying for readmission.
Student athletes – academic support and eligibility requirements
The university provides special services and dispensations for student athletes, and
advisors need to be aware of these services and faculty responsibility toward athletes.
Transcripts
Advisors need to be able to read transcripts from both UNCW and other institutions, and
assist advisees in understanding them. This is particularly important with transfer
students who have two-year degrees from school with which UNCW has articulation
agreements.
Transient Study
Both UNCW students wishing to enroll in courses at other institutions and students
enrolled in other institutions wishing enroll in UNCW courses must complete Transient
Study forms http://uncw.edu/reg/transfercredit-transStudy.htm and be accepted to
undertake study. Advisors need to know the regulations for doing so and how to assist
advisees in completing the forms.
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Transfer of credit
Advising transfer students is sometimes quite difficult, particularly when the advisee has
attended several institutions. Working with the student and the Registrar’s Office to
obtain accurate course equivalents can be challenging. This task requires an in-depth
knowledge of the UNCW course catalog, and the procedure for assisting students in
substitution/waiver processes. Often, this task requires collaboration with faculty in other
departments and, sometimes, at other institutions.
Tuition surcharge for excess hours
Students who have undertaken hours in a certain number of excess hours over the
required 124 for graduation must pay a tuition surcharge. This situation often arises with
transfer students and/or students who have changed majors several times. Students need
to be advised of this university policy and plan course work accordingly, if possible.
Tutoring
Advisors need to be aware of academic services on campus that will assist students
needing special academic attention. This category also includes services such as the
Writing Center, workshops and other programs offered by Randall Library and
organizations located in Westside Hall.
Study abroad
Advisors are responsible for working with advisees wishing to study abroad to ensure
that course equivalents are met at the host institution. They also must assist the advisee
in determining how studying abroad may impact his/her advancement though our
curriculum (for example, students often are required to stay an extra year to undertake a
field placement when they return). Additionally, advisors should be familiar with
required documentation and procedures through the Office of International Programs
http://uncw.edu/international/.
Undergraduate Catalog
A comprehensive working knowledge of the UNCW Undergraduate Catalog is the
OTHER major responsibility of a faculty advisor. A student’s academic career and
requirements for graduation are determined by the catalog under which s/he enrolled in
the university. All of the details for a student’s process through the university can be
found in this document.
Withdrawal from classes
There are very specific deadlines and requirements for a student who wishes to withdraw
from a given course, from the department, and from the university. Advisors need to
know these requirements and deadlines in order to assist students in decision-making and
the process of doing so.
Forms and paperwork
While this task is not specifically spelled out in the faculty handbook, it is vital that an
advisor know what forms are required for which advising tasks, for communication with
the Dean’s office, the Registrar’s office, and other university entities, when those forms
must be submitted, and how to do so (via hand-delivery, campus mail, or electronically).
Non-academic responsibilities
Advisors also act as mentors and role models for students. When an advisee meets with
his/her advisor regarding non-academic issues and situations, the advisor should know
available campus and community resources, and should make appropriate referrals.
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