NACADA External Academic Advising Review University of Saskatchewan Submitted by Nancy King, Casey Self & Eric White
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NACADA External Academic Advising Review University of Saskatchewan Submitted by Nancy King, Casey Self & Eric White On March 10‐13, 2010 a team of the National Academic Advising Association consultants consisting of Eric White (Penn State University) Casey Self (Arizona State University) and Nancy King (Kennesaw State University) visited the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). The charge was to conduct a review of the entire University academic advising program and a review of advising in the College of Arts & Science (CAS) to make recommendations for improvement. Prior to the visit we were provided a great deal of information regarding the university and the advising program. This report will focus primarily on the University of Saskatchewan academic advising program in its entirely, though some of the comments made maybe very similar or the same to comments reflected in the report focusing specifically on the College of Arts & Science. During our visit focusing on the university‐wide academic advising program, we met with a wide representation of individuals including the President, Provost, and the Vice‐Provost for Teaching and Learning. We also met Associate and Assistant Deans, numerous department level and college level advisors, undergraduate program chairs, off‐campus coordinators and transition program coordinators, the University Learning Center, Aboriginal Student Centre, Disability Student Services, Student Central staff, Career Counseling and Student Employment, and the Student and Enrollment Services Division. In addition we met with several groups of students consisting of student leaders, first‐year students, upper level students, Aboriginal students, the Undergraduate Forum, a large group of Resident Assistants and an Open Forum for any students to come by and discuss advising at the university. As a result of the materials provided for us and the meetings with individuals who represented others from all across the campus structure, we gained an understanding of the campus culture. In a Terms of Reference document provided prior to our visit, the purpose of our review was identified as follows: This external review of the connectivity of the campus‐wide advising system will inform a report to the Provost and Vice‐President Academic describing the current state of undergraduate advising across campus, a business case for enhancing the current system and an outline of recommendations, including the challenges and opportunities of each, for an enhanced system. This report will recommend a campus vision for student advising, and will articulate the roles and responsibilities of various contributors to student advising, including faculty, professional advisors, student services administrative staff and senior students. Current State of Undergraduate Advising at University of Saskatchewan: We will identify the current state of undergraduate advising by indicating what areas of strengths we believe exist, as well as areas of concern/room for improvement at the University of Saskatchewan. The order of these strengths and areas of concern are not listed any specific priority or seriousness. Strengths: • The fact that the University of Saskatchewan has chosen to undergo this very thorough, intensive review during a conservative financial time is a testament to the dedication of this institution to improve the academic advising for students. We commend the University of Saskatchewan, and hope this process is beneficial and worthwhile. • Without exception, common words to describe the quality of people who serve academic advisors at the university were caring, concerned, and dedicated. • The Academic Advising Online Directory available at http://students.usask.ca/academic/advising/ is a strong resource and should be promoted more within the university community. Recommendations are to include this link under the “quick links” section of the university home page, as well as within the prospective student pages. Other possible strategies would be magnets, postcards, or flyers for staff and faculty across the campus at various locations to have easy access to this online academic advising directory. • We were impressed with the philosophy and concept behind your Commitment Leaders and the language of making commitments rather than setting goals. We believe this approach has already created many opportunities within the campus culture for collaborations in addressing student success. • In speaking with professional staff from various offices, statements regarding the quality and consistency at some of the smaller college advising offices. Specifically, the School of Business was singled out to have a good model. It was noted by the Associate Dean of this college that they have had creative financial opportunities to enhance their academic advising that other colleges do not have access to. • Professional Development –We were pleased and impressed that many academic advisors at the University of Saskatchewan were familiar with, and in many cases, members of NACADA. Most academic advisors stated they have access to professional development funds to attend NACADA conferences, webinars, etc. • After speaking with professional staff from a variety of student support offices, such as the Aboriginal Student Centre, Disability Services for Students, Student Employment and Career Centre, University Learning Centre, Student Central, etc., it was clearly evident these staff • • members are truly committed to student success at the university. These offices are also very committed to working with their academic advising counterparts in the colleges. Although initially confusing, the arrangement between the University of Saskatchewan and St. Thomas Moore appears to be a beneficial partnership. This unique relationship appears to benefit students in many ways, and essentially adds additional support for these students. The academic advising staff at St. Thomas Moore has a direct affect on student success at the University of Saskatchewan, and therefore, need to become more involved with the university academic advising community. The University Learning Centre environment is impressive. Students obviously utilize this space and services based on the entire space being packed on a Friday. We are also impressed with their current use of peer pal mentors. All academic advisors need to understand the benefit of this resource office for students. Areas of Concern/room for improvement: • There is a general concern for overall accessibility of academic advisors. Comments made in interviews indicate long wait times to see advisors especially during peak advising periods, some advisors only see students during registration, there are no advisors available summer months due to holidays, and students in transition (changing majors or exploring majors) are not helped until they declare a major. • Several comments were made regarding how the institution, as a whole, does not value the academic advising experience. In particular, campus leadership may not understand the value of good academic advising. One comment made by an academic advisor; “my dean told me directly that s/he does now know what I do on a daily basis.” Another comment by an advisor indicated her dean questioned her; “why there would ever be a conference related to academic advising issues, what on earth could there be to talk about.” Comments were also made by non‐ academic advisors supporting the under‐valuing of academic advising on campus. Many individuals used the phrase describing how advisors are perceived as “walking‐calendars”. • Recognition and rewarding of academic advisors appears to be limited. We understand that academic advisor salary levels are at the low end of a scale compared to others on campus. We did not hear about any formal award or reward structure that recognized academic advisors who perform at high levels. It is our understanding that faculty advisors are not rewarded for performing academic advising duties in the promotion and tenure process. • In general, students do not appear to have a good understanding of where they should go for academic advising, or the purpose to go see academic advisors. This most likely relates to the fact there is no requirement for any students to visit with academic advisors at any time. • Many comments were made by students and professional staff relating to students who are in academic crisis not having an understanding how academic advisors may be able to help them. Students who are not succeeding academically don’t think academic advisors are available to them to assist them. • • • • • • • • • • • Academic advising at a university level appears to be viewed as “average” and “not consistent” by many students and staff. These comments were more directed at availability and accessibility of academic advisors. Faculty advisors are perceived more as mentors and not really academic advisors. Several concerns were raised regarding faculty not providing holistic or developmental advising, and only focusing on curriculum issues, and sometimes career issues. There is a clear lack of First Year Experience activities at the University of Saskatchewan. The general sense is that students are pretty much on their own to figure things out and to succeed. There is also a strong sense that students are not confident they are registered for appropriate classes to meet graduation requirements. While there are some orientation programs available, they are too late in the summer, and do not include any assistance for registration for classes. Undecided/exploratory students are officially housed in the College of Arts & Science; however comments from several staff indicate these students are not receiving the assistance and structure they need to discover an appropriate major. The absence of an officially recognized academic advising council has resulted in a lack of a community of academic advisors and student success personnel. While there is apparently an informal group of advisors that meet on a monthly basis, we did not get a sense that this group is open to all individuals who perform academic advising functions on campus, or for others who are in student support roles on campus that interact with academic advisors frequently. Student comments indicated they believe many policies and procedures are created to benefit the academic departments, rather than their academic success. There is no consistency from college to college on how students are assisted. Once professional staff person commented that “U of S is a collection of autonomous colleges who basically do their own thing, with very few campus‐wide discussions about much of anything, especially advising.” Training for new academic advisors appears to not be structured at all from a university level. New advisors are hopefully taken under someone’s wing and helped to learn what they need to know. The term “advisor” is very common at the University of Saskatchewan. This was confusing to us as visitors to campus, and it appears to also be confusing to students. It is also not clear, according to student comments, who actually do academic advising. It appears that special populations of students (aboriginal students, students with disabilities, open studies students, students interested in study abroad programs, etc.) get lost in the shuffle many times and do not know who is available to assist them with academic issues. Some comments were made about the general lack of data sharing about graduation and retention successes, successful programs, etc. on campus. Various leaders on campus would like to know what activities on campus might be successful in assisting students, and how they can collaborate across campus to improve graduation and retention efforts. There is no evidence that the University of Saskatchewan is using technology to enhance academic advising. Specifically, there is no functioning electronic degree audit (we understand Degree Works is in progress). We are not clear if academic advising visits are documented in any formal structure for record keeping purposes. Business Case for Enhancing Current System: The University of Saskatchewan has demonstrated a desire to enhance the campus wide academic advising program simply by the time, energy, and finances allocated to this program review. The reading materials prepared for the reviewers prior to the campus visit was thorough and enlightening. The number of interviews with a variety of students, staff, faculty, and administrators during the visit was inclusive of the many stakeholders for academic advising at the U of S. As visitors to your campus, we are encouraged by the dedication and commitment observed by most everyone we met. Changing the campus environment to reflect a more positive, student oriented academic advising program will not be easy, and may not be perceived by everyone to be necessary. However we offer the following reasons for the University of Saskatchewan to continue the pursuit of improving the academic advising program at the university level. • Interviews with students indicate significant dissatisfaction with several components of the current academic advising system previously identified. Continued student dissatisfaction will eventually result in students choosing not to continue their education at the U of S, or possibly anywhere. The university is obligated to provide adequate academic support, in the form of academic advising, to all students. • Students need to be directed to participate in activities on campus that are known to increase retention and graduation rates. The fact that very few, if any, U of S students are required to meet with anyone prior to registration for their first semester on campus does not indicate a commitment to leading students to appropriate behaviors, including academic advising. Research and literature indicate students must be engaged on the campus, and participate in activities that are known to lead to successful behaviors. University administrators must take action and require students to participate in such activities. Leaving student engagement to chance will not result in the desired outcomes. • Students and parents are becoming much more involved in exploring their options for a degree in higher education. It is not uncommon for students and parents to ask specifically for data that supports the institution’s commitment to student success such as retention and graduation rates, specific academic support programs available on campus, and current student perceptions of the academic programs. Media outlets and government agencies have also become more interested in student success in higher education. Some government agencies are re‐evaluating funding sources for institutions of higher education, and considering moving towards funding based on graduation and student success rather than simple enrollment figures. • Finally, after having concluded this academic advising program review, and having been made aware of specific areas of concern, and the recommendations we are making below, it would be irresponsible to not move forward with making significant changes. Some of the underlying themes indicating student dissatisfaction with academic advising availability, confidence in the reliability of academic advice given to students, and leaving academic success to chance in general, need to be addressed can no longer go unnoticed by university administrators. We acknowledge that priorities will have to be indentified and that not everything may addressed immediately, however we hope you will consider the following recommendations in the spirit they are intended; increasing student success. Recommendations: 1. Mission Statement for University of Saskatchewan Academic Advising Program: The University of Saskatchewan must have a common vision and understanding of what academic advising is, and who provides academic advising at your institutions. The primary strategy to accomplish this is to have all primary stakeholders involved in campus‐wide discussions regarding the mission and purpose of academic advising at the University of Saskatchewan. Through these discussions you may also wish to specifically address the following issues: • Role clarification – there is confusion among students and other professionals across campus regarding who is actually responsible for providing academic advising. Some colleges provide more direction and clarity; however others are not as clear. Consistency of academic advising throughout the campus is also a perceived issue. While some smaller colleges appear to provide strong academic advising, other colleges do not provide consistent, reliable academic advising for their students. • Term “Advisor” Clarification – It was our observation that many individuals across campus use the term “advisor” to describe their role or position. While we recognize there are numerous individuals who provide advice to students on various topics, it is our suggestion that the term advisor be used specifically for those individuals who are responsible for academic advising duties. • Limited Academic Advising Personnel available – a common theme among students and professional staff interviewed was the significant lack of academic advising resources on campus. The perception is that there are not enough advisors at the university, and there are specific times of the year (i.e. summer) where academic advising is essentially non‐existent due to holiday schedules, etc. • Resources: o Examples of Mission Statements on NACADA Clearinghouse ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Mission‐Statements.htm o NACADA provides three key documents that further detail the importance of advising mission statements. CAS Standards ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Standards.htm#CAS Core Values ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Core‐ Values.htm o o Concept of Academic Advising ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Concept‐ Advising.htm NACADA Assessment Institute provides a structured experience for a group or individual to begin the process of creating a mission statement and creating an assessment plan to determine if learning objectives are being met ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/AssessmentInst/2010/index.htm Literature is available to enhance your understanding of appropriate academic advising case loads ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/advisorload.htm. 2. Develop an Advisor Training & Professional Development Curriculum: One key component to a strong academic advising program is a consistent, comprehensive training and development program which addresses the needs of academic advisors who are brand new to the profession, as well as those who continue in the profession for years. Regardless of who provides academic advising on campus (faculty, professional staff, peers, etc.), it should be an expectation that these individuals receive the training and continuous development needed to maintain high quality academic advising. There is no evidence of anything currently existing at the University of Saskatchewan regarding a structured training curriculum. Therefore the following strategies should be considered. • Develop a common training curriculum for anyone who will be performing academic advising functions. Assemble a group of individuals representing various colleges and critical offices to determine what the common, minimum expectations or standards are critical for anyone performing academic advising duties at the university. • Our recommendation is for the Assistant and Associate Deans group that already meets be heavily involved in this strategy, as this group appears to have established a strong rapport. Training and Development issues are critical for both professional advisors as well as faculty advisors at the university and this group would also be able to address the various types of advisors needing training and development support. • Training and development may be enhanced and supported by the creation of an advising handbook that are easily accessible to all academic advisors and consistently maintained for appropriate updates. • Academic Advisors need to have a clear understanding of the support services and roles of the various offices (University Learning Centre, Student Employment and Career Centre, Aboriginal Student Centre, Disability Services for Students, International Students Office, • Resources: o See Bens 2003 Report for specific issues related to University of Saskatchewan regarding training ideas as well as possible handbook contents o NACADA Clearinghouse provides various training models and outlines for review ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/adv_training.htm. o o o o o NACADA Commission on Advisor Training and Development provides web resources including a list serve ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Commissions/C17/index.htm. NACADA Clearinghouse provides resources for creating and maintaining model advisor handbooks ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/createhandbook.htm. NACADA Summer Institute could provide an individual or group of individuals who are interested in developing a common curriculum for advising training and development – http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Events/SummerInst/index.htm. NACADA Monograph on Advisor Training ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Monographs/M09.htm. NACADA Monograph on Peer Advising ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Monographs/M13.htm. 3. Freshmen Year Experience: As stated above, there does not appear to be a structured Freshmen Year Experience at the University of Saskatchewan, meaning there are not common, expected steps or procedures for new students entering your institution. The following are recommendations of changes to specifically address the experience of your new students. • First semester academic advising required – New students starting at the University of Saskatchewan should not be permitted to register for classes before meeting with an academic advisor in the student’s home college or unit. Additional mandatory advising requirements may be determined by each college/unit depending on student’s academic standing. The initial academic advising interaction may be part of a summer orientation/registration program, or meeting individually with an academic advisor. In addition to initial course registration, this advising experience should include: o Overview of academic support services at university available to student o Overview of academic requirements for graduation o Future expectations of student regarding academic advising interactions • Orientation – We recommend the University of Saskatchewan implement a summer orientation experience for student and family members. Interactions with academic advisors must be a key component of these programs. At the present time, the orientation program is lacking in the advising that is offered to new students. Additional literature and support is available at: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Orientation.htm. • First Year Seminar – Requiring new student participation in a First Year Seminar experience will allow the University of Saskatchewan to structure the new student experience through an academic classroom experience. Instructors for these seminar classes could range from faculty, professional staff, to peers. Indeed a combination of all three types of instructors is a valuable retention tool. Visit http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/First‐Year.htm for more information about first year support strategies, including first year seminar opportunities. • • • • Retention High Impact Activities – The University of Saskatchewan must identify which activities offered by the institution are “high impact” activities for retention and graduation purposes. Understanding which activities positively affect students towards graduation will assist in decision making regarding allocations of resources and programming efforts. This process is addressed in more detail in the new NACADA Pocket Guide – The Role of Academic Advising in Student Retention and Persistence. Visit http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Publications/pocketguide.htm#PG07 for more details on this resource. Educate students about value of academic advising – Students must be educated to understand the value of connecting with an academic advisor. This message must be consistent and supported at all levels of the institution. See Bens, 2003 Report for additional suggestions. Use of Peer Leaders ‐ The University of Saskatchewan already has strong models of using peers to assist students. There are numerous examples of institutions using peers for academic advising related activities. The Bens, 2003 Report outlines some suggestions, and the NACADA Monograph mentioned under recommendation #1 may also prove helpful. Learning Communities – The University of Saskatchewan has already begun to implement the concept of learning communities. We strongly support this endeavor, and encourage further development in learning communities. Visit http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/Links/Learning‐Communities.htm for additional resources and perspectives. 4. Central Academic Advising Center: Due to the decentralized nature of the University of Saskatchewan, it is clear to our team that several student populations are not being provided adequate academic advising resources. Several statements were made by students and professional staff interviewed regarding the lack of attention to exploratory/undecided students, as well as students seeking general assistance when their college/department advisors are not available or accessible. Therefore our recommendation is to create a central academic advising unit. This unit should be placed organizationally under academic affairs, and should have standard operating procedures and policies as all other colleges/academic units. Academic advisors in this unit should be full time professional advisors with the same academic credentials as other college/department advisors. Based on our observation of the university environment, we suggest this unit be co‐located in the Learning Commons, with a reporting line to the Vice‐Provost. This unit has several other key academic support systems in place, and a robust peer mentor model. The University Learning Centre is already quite popular with students, and centralized academic advising in this unit/location would complement the overall services currently offered. Student populations we recommend to receive their academic advising from this central advising center are: • Undecided/Exploratory Students – These students should be the primary student population housed in this central advising unit. Exploratory/undecided students need intentional, specific • • • • assistance to help them explore their academic major and career options at the university. Moving this population out of the College of Arts & Science will allow advisors in that college to focus on their declared majors. o Resources for working with Exploratory/undecided majors: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/adv_undeclared.htm ‐ NACADA Clearinghouse information http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Commissions/C13/index.htm ‐ NACADA Commission on Undecided/Exploratory Students http://uc.asu.edu/advising/ ‐ University College at Arizona State University http://www.bsu.edu/web/adandd/index.html ‐ Association of Deans and Directors of University Colleges and Undergraduate Studies – most of these members have advising centers that focus on exploratory/undecided students Open Studies Students – Currently your Open Studies students are not housed in an academic unit. We recommend the services currently available for these students be placed in this central academic advising unit. General Advising assistance – This advising unit should provide basic, general assistance for any student, however, should not overlap to replicate academic advising responsibilities of the colleges/departments. Pre‐Major students – It may be beneficial to consider placing all “pre‐majors” in this unit. These are students who are not technically admitted into the major of their choice. Aboriginal Student focus – When visiting with the Aboriginal Student Centre staff, the need for a specific advisor to provide general academic advising for aboriginal students was expressed. Perhaps a partnership between this advising unit and the Aboriginal Student Centre could be arranged. 5. Technology: • Degree Works – We understand the University of Saskatchewan has already made progress in the purchase of Degree Works, however, there was no clear understanding of when this degree audit technology will be available to students and academic advisors. As Eric White communicated in our final meetings on Friday afternoon, until the University of Saskatchewan has a fully functional degree audit system, you are functioning as a 20th century institution in the 21st century. Completion of your Degree Works project must become a very high priority. o Graduation Audit – Once Degree Works is functional, the university should strongly consider moving the graduation process to a centralized system, with Degree Works being the official record of graduation. • PAWS Resources – Students should have clear, direct access through their PAWS account to all academic resources pertaining to their major such as: assigned academic advisor and contact information, degree works audit for their program, online graduation information for their program, etc. • Advisor notes accessible across institution – It was unclear if academic advisors in all areas of the university have access to meeting notes, etc. from academic advising appointments. This type of record keeping and information would be most helpful in helping academic advisors to know what has previously been discussed with students, and will also help students feel a sense of consistency when visiting different advising offices. 6. Accessibility and Accurate Information: Through our interviews with students and staff, a common issues raised was general accessibility to academic advisors throughout the academic year, and during summer months. Many of the students we spoke with were particularly concerned that advisors are not available during the times that they wish to see them. Indeed the “window” for advising appears to be quite narrow. Specific comments included: • Students can only see some academic advisors during registration periods. • Students are not confident they are registered for correct courses to graduate. • Students are not confident they receive accurate, consistent information when visiting some advising offices. • Policies and procedures appear to benefit the academic college rather than student success. For example, the hours that advising is available in some offices seem to be planned around the convenience of the staff rather than accessibility to students. While certainly it is important for staff to have lunch breaks and time for holidays, it is essential that these times be staggered so that there is always someone available to advise students. • Rhetoric utilized to promote the university communicates students will be supported and assisted when they arrive, but in reality, the university does not implement procedures that mandate students receive academic advising. • Academic advising for students at a distance appears to be lacking. 7. Registration Timeline Issues: Currently registration for the fall semester does not occur until June. This results in students leaving campus for summer break before they have registered for the next semester. We recommend the University of Saskatchewan begin the process to registration for fall semester to occur during your winter semester while students are still on campus, and students can consult with academic advisors regarding their schedule. Potential benefits to moving your registration to earlier months are: • Students are confident prior to leaving campus for the summer they have the classes they need for the fall semester. • Registration for new freshmen students could also then occur earlier in the spring and/or summer as part of organized campus orientation programs. • Earlier registration allows colleges/departments to make needed changes in course offerings based on earlier registration patterns. • Staggering when students may register (seniors first, then juniors, then sophomores, etc.) will allow for less students using the system at once, resulting in no or fewer computer system crashes during registration. 8. Formal Academic Advising Council/Network Formal and informal communication among university academic advisors, and those who support academic advising efforts, must occur in a consistent, continuous manner. We recommend the University of Saskatchewan create a formal, university recognized council or network that meets minimally on a monthly basis. This group should have a formal process for electing leadership which then may serve on other critical university committees. We were made aware of an informal group of academic advisors who meeting occasionally; however the impression we received is that this group is more restricted to specific individuals. All members of the university environment who serve in any academic advising capacity, or role that supports academic advising, should be included as members. Resources • See Bens 2003 Report for suggested model at University of Saskatchewan • http://caa.asu.edu/ ‐ Arizona State University Council of Academic Advisors • http://www.psu.edu/dus/uac/ ‐ Penn State University Advising Council • http://advising.arizona.edu/advisors_professional_resources ‐ University of Arizona Advising Council 9. Aboriginal Student/St. Thomas Moore contributions Academic Advising Through interviews with staff members from The Aboriginal Student Centre and St. Thomas Moore, we believe the University of Saskatchewan has an opportunity to enhance the existing partnerships to specifically support academic advising. • Aboriginal Student Centre – Currently partnerships already exist for Aboriginal students to receive support from the Centre, as well as specific individuals in academic advising units (Arts & Sciences). Through our conversations, it appears there may be funding through the Aboriginal Student Centre to increase academic advisors who specifically serve Aboriginal student populations. While we do not support removing any formal academic advising procedures from the academic units, we do see an opportunity to hire staff that may be designated to provide general academic advising for Aboriginal students. As mentioned above, an appropriate home/location for this service may be in the centralized advising centre where the advisor(s) are part of a formal academic advising unit. • St. Thomas Moore academic advisors are clearly advising College of Arts & Science students. The current staff does not feel neglected or restricted from critical information, and they believe they are able to make positive impacts for their students who are completing degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. However it is a challenge for St. Thomas Moore advisors to keep up with changes in the College of Arts & Science. While these academic advisors have other duties besides academic advising, they spend much of their time meeting directly with students. St. Thomas Moore academic advisors need to participate in any formalized University of Saskatchewan advisor training & professional development when developed, and should also become formal members of the advising council to have access to continuous updates. In the current model, St. Thomas Moore academic advisors should specifically be a part of the College of Arts & Science staff meetings and other college advisor activities, since in essence, St. Thomas Moore advisors are College of Arts & Science academic advisors. 10. Transfer Student Issues Transfer student processes and procedures need to be revisited and improved. Through student interviews it was clear that students are not comfortable with the current system, and believe they were treated unfairly in many cases. The University of Saskatchewan must identify an individual or office which is specifically responsible for these processes and procedures, and begin to make changes that are more student friendly. Academic departments must also participate in this process so that when students arrive in their units, there are no gaps between what is happening at the institution level (articulation agreements, etc.) and at the college/department level. The process to evaluate transcripts was specifically communicated as a problem area. There appears to be a considerable “lag time” in evaluating transfer students’ transcripts and having that information available for them. As a result, transfer students are frequently confused over what classes they should be taking at the university. Several students mentioned to us that they had transferred from institutions where advising was far more accessible than is the case at the U of S. As a result, they are understandably frustrated by what they perceive to be a lack of advising assistance. 11. Assessment of Academic Advising – Learning Outcomes: We were provided excellent preparation materials prior to our arrival on campus, which included several sources of data indicating levels of student satisfaction regarding academic advising. However, as the University of Saskatchewan develops a mission statement for academic advising, and also identifies specific learning outcomes which students will achieve as a result of their academic advising experience, your assessment activities will need to change. With learning outcomes identified, assessment activities will need to focus on how well students are achieving these outcomes. While student satisfaction surveys will never completely be eliminated, assessing your learning outcomes will become the primary source of evaluating academic advising efforts. Resources: • • • • NACADA Assessment Institute provides a structured experience for a group or individual to begin the process of creating a mission statement and creating an assessment plan to determine if learning objectives are being met ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/AssessmentInst/2010/index.htm NACADA Commission on Assessment of Academic Advising ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Commissions/C32/index.htm NACADA Clearinghouse Resources ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/Links/assessment.htm Guide to Assessment of Academic Advising CD ‐ http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Monographs/M23.htm 12. Accountability for Academic Advising: The decentralized organization at the University of Saskatchewan is not uncommon for institutions of higher education. However, in such settings, it becomes even more critical that specifically identified leadership is established to answer the following basic question. Who is responsible for academic advising at the University of Saskatchewan? Once this question is answered, we believe this individual or office will then be able to clearly articulate the specific expectations, goals and outcomes of all academic advising units at the university. We are not suggesting that academic advising be completely centralized and removed from the individual academic units. This is not necessary, however there does need to be a centralized message of university expectations regarding academic advising efforts at the institution. This will result in more consistent, responsible academic advising, and with appropriate continuous assessment, will result in much higher student satisfaction, as well an increase in retention and graduation rates. Also, in an ideal setting, every student enrolled at the university would have an assigned academic advisor (specific person) who is responsible for their case load of students until the student declares/changes majors or graduates. This would create an environment and message that students really are the valued members of the university, and someone will be watching out for them in their path to success at the university. 13. Major Declaration Requirement: Currently there is no policy or procedure that limits University of Saskatchewan students to have to declare a major by a certain point in their academic career. We believe this results in students being permitted to “hang out” at the university without having to make progress towards graduation. It is our strong recommendation that the University of Saskatchewan create a credit hour limit (45‐60 hours) for how long students may be undecided/exploratory. Academic advising and registration holds should be placed on students who have not declared their major by this designated limit. 14. General Studies Degree Option: The University of Saskatchewan may benefit by considering the possibility of some sort of a general studies degree option for students who have accumulated many credit hours and, yet, not successfully declaring a major. There are many models for a general studies degree that have strong structures, yet allow for credit hours from a variety of departments to meet graduation requirements. Online degree completion is another consideration for students who have stopped out of the university, yet wish to complete a degree Possible Resources: • http://sls.asu.edu/gs/index.html ‐ Arizona State University Bachelor of General Studies (new as of one year ago). • http://sls.asu.edu/ls/index.html ‐ Arizona State University Bachelor of Liberal Studies (online degree completion program).
