Academics at IWU
Dr. Jonathan Green, Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Chandra Shipley, MSEd, Director of Academic Advising
& Coordinator of Disability Services
A brief agenda
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The student-teacher relationship
Academic expectations
Academic resources
Some advice for parents
First-year advising program
Graduation requirement overview
Questions and responses
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
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
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
Academic Resources
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Professors
Advisors
Academic Advising Center
Academic Skills Series
Writing Center
Language Resource Center
Departmental Tutors
Library Faculty
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)
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.
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
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)
Role of the Student
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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
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
Process Overview
Summer 2014
• 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
Fall 2014/Spring 2015
• Required individual
appointments for
Spring/May Term 2015 and
Fall 2015 Registration
• Individual appointments as
needed
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.
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
Graduation Requirements
The Basics
• Major
• Minor (Optional)
• General Education
Requirements
• Electives (varies)
• 2.0/4.0 GPA
• +/- Grading system
UNITS
The unit:
Required to graduate:
• 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
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BA = 32 units
BS = 32 units
BSN = 32 units
BFA = 32 units
BM = 35 units
BME = 36 units
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.
Sample Schedules
Biology
Business
Class
Units
Class
Units
Gateway
1
Gateway
1
Biology 101
1.25
Economics 100
1
Chemistry 201
1.25
Math 110
1
History 151
1
French 101
1
TOTAL 4.5
Nursing
TOTAL 4
Psychology
Class
Units
Class
Units
Gateway
1
Psychology 100
1
Biology 107
1.25
Biology 107
1.25
Chemistry 110
1.25
English 101
1
Human Nutrition 230
1
Spanish 201
1
TOTAL
4.5
TOTAL 4.25
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
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
advising@iwu.edu
110 Holmes Hall
309-556-3231
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
Summer Reading Program
Questions?*
* yes, everything is fair game