A.PROCEDURE

Beginning Advising Sessions

Before the student enters your office for an advising session, take a few minutes to review the student’s personal information sheet, course schedule, or notes taken during your last meeting. This will position you to greet the student with direct eye contact and begin the meeting with a personal conversation-as opposed to fumbling through the student’s folder or trying to retrieve advising information from your computer while the student is sitting in front of you.

1. Focus on connecting personally with the student. Greet the student in a friendly manner using

the student’s name.

1. Share a little bit about yourself such as your personal and professional background.

1. Gather information about the student using open-ended questions to gain a full understanding

of the student’s academic and career goals and outside responsibilities.

1. Clarify your role as a coach/advisor and the student’s role as advisee (through a discussion of

the advising syllabus and frequent touchpoints).

1. Review the student’s academic records, progress, and any challenges they are facing.

1. Introduce the concept of Guided Pathways embedded in the academic plan, and explain how it aligns with their goals. See https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/lessons-two-major- evaluations-guided-pathways.pdf

Registering Students for Classes

1. As early as possible in the student’s academic career, develop and customize an academic plan that is that is based on the term in which the student starts, the student’s goals, and the number of credits that the student can take each term. Revise the plan if the student’s situation changes.

1. Follow the customized plan that provides a path from the first term through completion of the degree/certificate.

1. Emphasize year-round attendance (including summer sessions).
2. Strongly encourage students to follow their academic plan in scheduling courses-FYEX, gateway Mathematics and English, program courses (especially those that are prerequisites for courses in subsequent semesters).

1. Help the student to consider factors that might affect success in scheduled courses:

• Be mindful of what the student’s total workload will be for all courses combined-for example, the cumulative amount of reading and writing across the courses in which the student would be enrolled.

• Be mindful of the student’s employment, familial, and other responsibilities.

Conducting Ongoing Advising Sessions

1. If a student isn’t doing well in a particular course, ask focused questions to identify whether the struggles are related to:
   • Skills (Do you think your low performance is due to inadequate background preparation in reading, writing, or math skills?)

• Motivation (Do you think you need to put in more time and effort?)
• Strategy (Do you think you have the skills to do well, are putting in the time and effort to do well, but still not learning effectively or not demonstrating what you’ve learned on tests and assignments?)

1. Use the principles of Grit (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8) and Growth Mindset (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ) to encourage students when they struggle with setbacks.

1. Acknowledge students’ educational and personal progress. For instance, send a congratulatory email when a student rebounds from academic difficulties (e.g., recovers from academic probation), reaches educational milestones (e.g., completes the first year or the 20-credit or English/Mathematics completion milestones), or experiences personal milestones (e.g., has a birthday).

1. When registering students in the spring for the fall term of the following academic year, check to be sure that they not only have their classes planned, but they have a plan for financing their education (e.g., financial aid, work study, and/or employment plans are in place).

1. Try to have an encouraging personal conversation with your advisees near the end of the academic year-i.e., before the summer intervening between fall and spring terms- because most college attrition occurs between the end of spring term and the start of the following fall term (a.k.a. “summer melt”).

Providing Holistic Support

Use these holistic advising considerations and techniques:

1. Personal Connection–Maintain a personal connection with the student by using open- ended questions that check on how students are doing:

• Academically (How are classes? Grades? Work load? What learning habits or strategies are working well for you right now? What changes do you think you may need to make?
• Socially (Have you made interpersonal connections with people on campus?)
• Emotionally (How’s your stress level?)
• Physically (Are you feeling well?)
• Collegiately (Are you comfortable here? Is it what you expected it to be? Have you encountered any challenges or obstacles that you didn’t anticipate?

1. Proactive Outreach–Continue to reach out to students who appear unresponsive (even going to find them before or after their classes) since seemingly less motivated students may need the most help and often do not have anyone except their coaches/advisors to encourage them to stay engaged in college.

1. Personal Guidance– Address non-academic concerns that may impact their academic success, such as time management or personal challenges.

1. Progress–Acknowledge and record student’s progress in Retention notes. Use early alerts/early momentum grades and student’s own self-reports of accomplishments or setbacks.

1. Resource Connection–Connect students with services that they need in their academic journey and document in Retention notes:
   • Academic Support Services: Inform students about tutoring services, study skills workshops, and academic resources.
   • Career Counseling: Discuss career pathways related to the student’s academic program and provide information on internships or job placements.
   • Financial Aid Guidance: Advise students on applying for financial aid, scholarships, and managing educational expenses.
   • Referral to Support Services: Direct students to campus resources for mental health support, disability services, or other specialized assistance.

1. Follow-up–At the end of each session, schedule follow-up appointments/contact to monitor student’s progress and address new concerns. Record the scheduled follow-up in Retention notes.

Using Advising Notes and Maintaining FERPA Compliance

1. Documentation: Maintain accurate records of advising sessions and student progress. Document advising sessions right away by possibly building in 10-15 minutes at the end of sessions for transcribing notes into the Retention system but certainly within a reasonable time (2 business days).

1. Sharing and restricting access: Share information only with those with a specific need-to- know-college employees with a legitimate educational interest, that is a need to review a student record to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the college, for example faculty and support staff providing services to this student. Do not share with the student’s family members unless the student has signed a FERPA waiver.

1. Sensitive Information: Avoid recording sensitive personal information unrelated to academic advising.

1. Secure Storage: Store advising notes securely in compliance with college policies and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations.

• Student Access: Inform students of their right to review their advising notes upon request, in accordance with FERPA guidelines.
• Training and Awareness: Stay informed about FERPA requirements through ongoing training and updates provided by the college administration.
• Note-Taking Guidelines: Take concise and relevant notes during advising sessions to document discussions about academic progress, goals, and challenges.

Do’s and Don’ts for Advising Notes

1. DO: Include notes that will help the student and ‘jog’ the coach’s/advisor’s memory. For

example:

• “Student should take math placement exam before registering for spring semester.”
• “Requested that student make a list of at least 5 possible courses to take next semester, and bring them to next appointment”
• “Reminded student to request transcripts from their transfer school and send to the Admissions Office as soon as possible to avoid a graduation hold or duplicate classes.”
• “Student did not come to scheduled appointment due to a work conflict. Will need to reschedule as soon as possible.”
• “Discussed importance of repeating ENGL 1500 in spring semester.”
• “Explained general education courses and special requirements for EDUC students.”
• “Student intends to go to Ohio University for nursing. Is only taking prerequisite courses to get admitted there.”

1. DO: Include notes that will facilitate the relationship with the student. For example:

• “Encouraged student to make an appointment to come see me after mid-term grades are posted.”
• “Reminded student to make appointment well in advance of her registration date for spring.”
• “We agreed to meet once a month during the spring semester to monitor progress.”
• “Commended student for grades last semester.”

1. DO: Include possible consequences of not following advice given. For example:

• “Discussed need to take MATH 1340 during the spring semester so MATH 2150 can be taken in fall. Explained how this will impact the student’s 2-year plan.”
• “Student wants to enroll into 18 credits hours. Caution shared regarding the heavy academic load.”
• “Reminded student to finish 30 hours for the academic year in order to graduate in 2 years.”

1. DO: Include comments that help you in future interactions with student. For example:

• “Student was well-prepared for advising session. Had tentative schedule already

worked out.”

• “Student requested letter of recommendation for scholarship. I will put it on my calendar to complete.”

1. DO: Include referrals. For example:

• “Encouraged student to make appointment with Career Services.”
• “Student is interested in becoming a Peer Mentor: referred to appropriate office to begin the process.”
• “Shared contact information about TRIO.”

1. DON’T: Be careless in noting ADA (The American with Disabilities Act) issues and other sensitive areas. For example:

• Never suggest a student might have a disability to the student or another staff member.
• Never place disability information in J1 notes.
• If a student self-discloses, make the appropriate referral. You may put the referral

in the notes ONLY: “Referred to Accessibility Services Success Coach.”

• Never include: “Referred student to the Accessibility Success Coach for testing since I suspect a learning disability.”
• Never state: “Asked student to confer with the Accessibility Success Coach about difficulty getting accommodations for visual disability.”
• Never: “Student will see the Title IX Coordinator about experiences of being stalked by an ‘ex.’”