REQUIRED PREREGISTRATION SCHEDULE PLANNING 

• Schedule planning meetings are required for all first year freshmen and all first semester transfer students.

•  Students who have a grade point average below 2.00 are also required to meet with their advisors.

• Students who are advised in some special services programs (LAP) are also required to meet with their advisors prior to registration.

You can use the time to learn more about the student and to help the student define areas of interest. Remember, even Core Curriculum courses are specified in many majors so undecided students have valid reasons to feel that they have no idea what Core courses to take. 

When working with these students take time to really listen to what they are saying. Many students need your assistance to help them focus on potential majors. You know a great deal more about the University than they do, and you can suggest places where they can get information and give them names of people who can talk to them about specific majors. 

It may take an additional appointment to complete the student's schedule. You may even want to set aside extra time to discuss what they've discovered in their search for information. Your role is to help them narrow their choices and to help them see how certain choices will fit into specific proposed plans. 

  
MEETINGS UNRELATED TO SCHEDULE PLANNING 

Although students may not be required to meet with you there are many times that students will want to come. Some of the reasons students visit their advisor are: 
 
 

As a developmental advisor, your goal should be to develop a relationship with advisees that is based on mutual respect and trust. You are the person they turn to for help in deciding the direction of their life and career. You will be viewed as a person they can depend on if you maintain a positive, helpful attitude when working with advisees. 
 
 

• Greet your advisees cheerfully. They do not know if you have already had a million questions that day. Their question is just as important as the first one you were asked.

• Be willing to spend time with your advisees. If you cannot meet with them right at the time they ask, schedule a future appointment or call the student back.

• Help the student get necessary information by recommending resources, even it if means you must make a call to clarify an issue.

• Don't send students away from your office just because they don't have a plan of courses. Students look to you for help and sometimes they need to talk with you before they can even think of planning classes.

• Be willing to say, "I don't know." Follow up that statement by being willing to find the information and let the student know.

• LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN! You should not have a set plan in your mind when the student walks in the door. Keep an open mind and listen carefully to what the student says. You might just find out something that had never occurred to you.

Shortly after the semester begins all new students are sent a letter from their advisor asking them to come in for an appointment. You do not need to prepare this letter. It will be sent automatically, and will have your signature on it (you’ll sign a paper, so that the computer center has your signature on file). 

This first appointment is a time for you to get to know your advisees and to hear about their concerns, interests, dreams and hopes. You and your advisee should also begin the career exploration process, and set the stage for the pre-registration advising appointment. If the student already has a clear idea about a major, it is not too early to begin long-term academic planning at this meeting and to begin teaching the student how to use the available tools (ASU bulletin, schedule of classes, major checksheets, etc.) to make decisions about course selection. If the student is undecided about a major, it is important to give the student suggestions on ways to gather information that will help in the decision-making process (visits to Peer Career, visits to various academic departments, talking with people and faculty representing different majors, Life and Career Planning class). 

You will be asked by the Academic Advising Center office staff to indicate the times you are available for appointments, and then students will come to the advising center to sign up for a time to see you. You can have your appointments in your office or in the Academic Advising Center. If you choose to have your appointments in your office, you will come and pick up the students' folders in the morning, and return them at the end of each day after your appointments are over. 

Because advising is not required for many students after the freshman year, it is very important that advisors use each meeting with freshmen to teach the student how to plan effectively on his or her own. General Studies advising is required only for students in the following categories: first year freshmen, first semester transfer students, continuing students who have below a C average and some selected students in special categories. All other students in General Studies are still assigned an advisor and can meet with him or her whenever necessary. 

The first appointment is also a good time to review placement test scores and to begin long-term academic planning. 
 
 

  
It's a good idea to go over placement test results with students during the first appointment. While you already reviewed them during orientation, students are often distracted during orientation and much of what you said isn't remembered later. 

  
ENGLISH 

Students who placed in ENG 0900 need to be reminded that the course does not count toward the hours required for graduation. They will still need ENG 1000 and ENG 1100. While students who have not had ENG 1000 & 1100 can take either of the P&R literature courses for their humanities, it might be a good idea if they wait until they've at least had ENG 1000. 

  
MATH 
 
Students in 0010 need to be reminded that the course will not count in the hours required for graduation. Determining the next math to take is very dependent upon major choice. Some students in 0010 may be planning a science major and may want to take 1025 after 0010. This is a BIG leap, and could be more than they expected. Encourage students to talk with their 0010 teacher about this. By the time the student is ready to register for the next semester, his/her math teacher will have a pretty good idea about what is appropriate. Students can easily get discouraged with the number of math courses they need to get prepared for calculus and beyond. You can help them understand that a solid foundation is critical in the math and science areas, and even if it means taking summer school courses or taking longer to get into the science requirements, their good grades will make it worth the time spent. 

  
FOREIGN LANGUAGE 

Students may take the foreign language placement test on the morning of the second day of orientation. Test results should be available before the student registers for classes later that day. 

The results of the foreign language placement test indicate the level where a student should start. Students may elect to start the language at a lower level than indicated on the test scores. Sometimes students want to start at a higher level than indicated. They should go to the foreign language department to talk this over before they register for a course. 

Remember, students seeking the BA degree will normally need two years to complete their language requirement if they start at the entry level. Accelerated courses are offered in French, German and Spanish which combine both semesters of the beginning level (1030 is a combination of 1010 and 1020) or both semesters of the intermediate level (1060 is a combination of 1040 and 1050). These are very fast-paced courses, but may be appropriate options for students getting a late start on the foreign language requirement. 

Students planning to pursue a major or minor in a foreign language should be made aware of the importance of early planning since foreign language courses require careful sequencing. The Foreign Language Department would like to talk with all students planning to take courses at the 2000 level or above. 
 
 

ACADEMIC CONCERNS  

Students who have questions about academic requirements can be directed to the specific department if you don't have the information in your advising tools. 

Often students are reluctant to go to a department for information. You can assure them that this is a normal procedure, and, in fact, the departments are eager for them to come and learn what is offered. In some cases you will want to call the department yourself while the student is in your office to get the answer to a specific question. 

Students who need academic help or indicate that they have some type of learning problem can be referred to the Learning Assistance Program (LAP) in D.D. Dougherty. Many students will use the services of LAP during their college career and it's a good idea to encourage students to take advantage of those services right away when trouble is spotted. 

The LAP has an extensive tutoring program covering Core Curriculum courses as well as other upper level courses when there is enough demand. Students who have special situations (such as a learning disability, physical handicap, athletic involvement, also need to be referred to LAP). 

Academic departments also provide students with assistance in labs. Students can attend: 
 
   
the Writing Lab in the English department  
203B Sanford  
Phone: 262-3144 (call for an appointment) 

the Math lab in the math department  
303 Walker 
Phone: 262-3050 
 

CAREER / MAJOR EXPLORATION 

Students who are undecided about their major plans can be referred to the Peer Career Center (Student Union - 2nd floor) where they will be assisted in taking interest inventories and learning how to use career planning materials. 

Generally, the first step in using the Career centers on campus is for students to start at Peer Career. At Peer Career, students explore their own values, interests and work preferences. After a major has been chosen and the student is seeking information about internships and career opportunities the student will want to go to the Career Development Center in Thomas Hall where information and assistance about starting a job search, resume writing, interviewing and career-planning can be obtained. 
 

CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES 

The Center for Student Involvement and Leadership in the Student Union will assist the student in finding just the right role in campus activities. 

 
PERSONAL ISSUES 

There are times when students may disclose personal problems and the advisor is unsure how to handle the information. It is best if such information is not placed in the student's academic folder, since that would violate the student's privacy. Desk notes that an advisor keeps in his/her own office are fine, since no one else would have access to them. If you feel that your conversation with a student is progressing to a point at which you feel uncomfortable you might want to bring up the subject of counseling. Ask the student if he/she is aware of the services of the Counseling Center (in the post office building), and suggest that there is nothing wrong with wanting to talk to someone. 

The Counseling Center will see students immediately if you feel the situation is an emergency. If you can accompany the student to the Counseling Center, this is the best way to handle it. While it would not typically come up, you may see a student in a situation where you suspect the student might be suicidal. If you think this, call someone at the Counseling Center. Don't attempt to deal with the situation yourself. Excuse yourself from the office for a minute if you must, and make the call. 
 

Some typical things that advisors do during the preregistration advising appointment: 

• Review Core courses.

• Review special designator requirements.

• Explain how the four humanities courses need to be distributed.

• Point out which courses required for the major will also count toward the Core.

• Remind students that Core courses do not need to be completed prior to taking major courses.

• Encourage students to choose courses that will help them explore areas of interest.

• For students who have decided on a major, begin the four-year planning process.

• Point out the time scheduled for their registration and let them know that they can call at that time - or anytime after, but they should not cut class to register.

• Encourage students to plan their actual time-of-day calendar the night before they go to register. Tell them about checking courses on computer by typing CLASSES at the $ prompt.

Jan Watson in HLES wants to see all Physical Education - Teaching majors, and she will help them to select appropriate courses. 

The Art Department and the Music Department also want to have their students see a departmental advisor. Most of these students have already been placed with a General Studies advisor who specializes on one of these areas, but occasionally you will find a student in your caseload who plans a major in art or music. 

Using a Schedule Planning Form and keeping accurate, thorough, notes will help when students have follow-up questions or another advisor needs to see the student and wants some background information. You can get a supply of Schedule Planning Forms in the Academic Advising Center prior to each registration period for use when you see the students at schedule planning appointments. 

The Planning Form is on three sheets of pressure sensitive paper. You can give the student onecopy while you retain the one and keep one in the student's folder top part of the form is used to record the courses that have been completed in the Core Curriculum. 

It is helpful to the student if you review his/her progress in the Core by checking off which courses are completed and which are still needed. You can do this while the student is in your office during the schedule planning meeting each semester. 

Appropriate courses for the student to take can then be listed on the form, along with alternates, and the student can use the calendar on the bottom of the form just prior to his/her registration time to plan a schedule. Many students take their Schedule Planning Form with them to the registration center. 
 
How you use the part of the form which you retain is a matter of personal choice. Some advisors keep the sheets in a notebook and use them to check (by looking on SIS) after registration and see if the courses selected by the student match the courses listed on the planning form (and contact the students if they don’t). Other advisors put their copy of the planning form in the students’ folders for future reference if questions arise. 

  

It is important to record in the students’ folders what was discussed at advising appointments. After you see a student, write brief notes about what the student has said relevant to his/her academic program and any recommendations you’ve made. Students sometimes fail to remember what you’ve told them and it helps if you can reflect back by looking at your notes. 

There is no specific method for making folder notes and there are as many styles as there are advisors. You can eliminate any potential problems about who said what, and whether you gave accurate advice if you keep good notes. 

When you make recommendations about courses the student should take, forms the student should fill out, people the student should see, or any other specific items, make a note of what you advised. The notes should reflect your academic advice and should not have personal observations about the student, his/her appearance, social life, confidential problems etc. 

If a student stops you on campus or calls you on the phone it is helpful to jot down a note about what you discussed. Practically speaking, many advisors don’t have quick access to the students’ records since they are kept in the Academic Advising Center, so you may want to keep office notes. 

It is okay to keep office notes that contain information beyond what you put in the academic folder. These are your private notes. If you have these notes and also your copy of the student's Schedule Planning Form, you’ll be able to handle many questions without having the actual folder. 

  

	The Bare Minimum:  We know when the advisor met with the student - but little else.		Adequate:  These notes tell us something about what was discussed, but are not thorough.  Personal comment should not be included.		Accurate and Complete:  We know what was discussed and recommended, and we can spot potential problem areas with this student.
9/14/97	First mtg.		Likes it here - from Statesville		Enjoying classes, problems with math - recommended LAP, thinking of SOC or CJ major. Reviewed special designators.
10/26/97	o.k.		Advised in full - gave permit		Advised Sp. 95. Says she’ll fail math. Reviewed repeat/probation. Planned HIS 1102, MAT 1020 (R), ENG 1100 + 2 humanities. Now thinks history major.
11/15/97			Reviewed schedule on SIS		Reviewed schedule on SIS. Why 17 hours? Sent note.
11/17/97			Phone call. Will drop to 14 hrs.		Phone call. Will drop one class when sem. begins. Unsure @ grades at this point.
1/16/98	On probation		Called about grades - asked her to come in		Called about grades. Told her about repeat form for math and CJ. Made appt. for contract signing.
1/20/98	Contract ok. Two repeats		Signed contract. Hates math. Repeating it and CJ.		Signed contract. Needs 1.92 if 14 hrs. Reviewed probation/repeats. Reports that parents require 2.5 this sem. Will drop P&R 1000 - worried @ difficulty. Repeats: MAT 1020 & CJ 1100. Reminded her about repeat form. Plans history major.

  

The following planning worksheet and step-by-step directions are helpful when working with students on long-term planning. 
 

• Decide what major(s) you are going to plan. Write it at the top of the planning page.

• Obtain a checksheet(s) from the Academic Advising Center, 107 D. D. Dougherty.

• On the side of the planning page, write down any AP credit, placement testing credit, or other previous college credit that you have. List your current courses in the appropriate term block.

• Look at the major requirements. Are there any that you must do this year? Will any of them count for both the Core Curriculum and the major?

• Fill in the major requirements. Make sure you check for the following:

• Do you need a minor with this major? If so, find the phrase in the General Bulletin that tells about minor requirements and then fill in courses for your minor

• Is an internship required? What about student teaching? Be sure you plan these

• Using the checksheet, fill in your Core Curriculum courses. Remember that you do not need to have these completed prior to working on your major so spread them out

• Total the hours you’ve planned. You will need a minimum of 122 to graduate. If you do not have enough hours on your plan, you will need to fill in with electives

• Look at all the courses you have listed. Have you met the Special Designator requirements? If not, go back to your plan and change courses where you can.

  

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