Outline for

Faculty Advising Workshop

Jay A. Puckett and Thomas Edgar

October 21, 2005

 

  1. Resources
    1. Web page (http://wwweng.uwyo.edu/civil/curriculum)
    2. Ask (Members of the Curriculum Committee, the Department Head, the Associate Dean, Susan)
    3. File folders
    4. Hole in the wall (http://matilda.uwyo.edu/holeinthewall)
  2. Student folders
    1. Maintained by CAE staff

                                                               i.      OnCourse (From Hole-in-the-Wall)

                                                             ii.      Mid term reports

                                                            iii.      Final grade report

                                                           iv.      PIN/PERC numbers are filed each semester on a card prior to advising week

                                                             v.      Student folders stay in CAE office, except when advisor needs them.

                                                           vi.      Do not permit students to take their files

    1. OnCourse

                                                               i.      Menu is self evident

                                                             ii.      OnCourse can have errors

                                                            iii.      Report errors to Susan via email

                                                           iv.      OnCourse reports provide confirmation, do not advise off of them

  1. Suggested advising documentation
    1. Use degree check form (Example Degree Check)
    2. Mark courses advised to take with semester (i.e., F05, S06)
    3. Replace date with grades
    4. Use either spreadsheet or hand marked degree checks.
    5. For final degree: check submissions, use typed spreadsheets
    6. Prerequisites
      • "C" or better is required for all prerequisites in the Engineering Science and Civil and Architectural Engineering Programs.
      • If a student receives a "D" or an "F" on a prerequisite course, they should retake the course as soon as possible.
    7. Be aware of privacy issues when working with Social Security Numbers.
  2. Degree check process
    1. Advisor check
    2. Student check
    3. Department check (JP at present), Sherry or you include OnCourse summary.
    4. Include all petitions
    5. Use notes as necessary.
    6. Dean’s review (likely RJS)
    7. Email tracking of process:

                                                               i.      Sherry emails student and advisor when degree check passes to the Dean’s office

                                                             ii.      She again emails when it is completed

    1. Complete degree check when approximate 50 hours are remaining
    2. DO NOT procrastinate until the last semester
  1. Planning Comprehensive Design Experience
    1. CDE is a “check off”, see web page (http://wwweng.uwyo.edu/civil/curriculum/design.html) for CDE information
    2. Some courses carry CDE experiences, there are several options
    3. Many CDE carry a number of prerequisite courses
    4. Because some courses are offered one per year, the CDE must be planned at least a year in advance.
    5. Start with the target CDE (offered once per year) and work backwards!

                                                               i.      This is the most common error in advising students, i.e., they can not take the CDE they desire because they do not have prerequisites.

                                                             ii.      Some CDEs span two semesters!  (transportation, environmental)

                                                            iii.      Please, please plan ahead with your advisee.

  1. Internships credit is available, see (http://wwweng.uwyo.edu/civil/curriculum and click on Internships in the table)
  2. International engineer (http://wwweng.uwyo.edu/civil/curriculum/international)
    1. Encourage this
    2. The earlier they start, the easier it is to get into the program and utilize the credit savings availbable. Freshman year is a GREAT time to start.
    3. Dr. Schmidt, the Associate Dean, is the primary contact with this
  3. Advisors/advisee assignments
    1. Sherry assigns rather arbitrarily
    2. Number of advisees is assigned per job description
    3. We have ~ 1.2 FTE for advising (changes with assignments/descriptions)
    4. Most advising loads are 4-5%, most common is 5%
    5. Some ARE faculty have more percent assigned to advising
    6. Structural faculty advise both CE and ARE students
    7. The Architectural Engineering Faculty advise only ARE students
    8. We get many students from other departments – head usually recommends anyone coming from ChE to an environmental advisor
    9. Some faculty (very few) do not have any undergraduate advisees
    10. Advising keeps faculty all abreast of the curriculum and where/how your specific course fit into the curricula.
    11. If a student requests an advisor change, we just do it.  We do not worry as to why this request was made.  In rare cases, the faculty might request a change.
  4. Advising week
    1. Send out an email prior to advising week (download from OnCourse)
    2. Advising does not have to happen during advising week
    3. Degree checks are good to do early in the semester after grades are posted.
    4. After degree checks are filed and approved, the student should know what to take.
    5. Some advises chose not to see you.  They should not be able to get their PERC ## to register.
  5.   Petitions
    1. Exception to the rule
    2. The Form is located in the Academic Forms section of the Curriculum Page. Please use these forms as they are up-to-date and have the appropriate signature information.
      Academic Forms
    3. Give the completed form to the Departmental Execuative Secretary, who will make copies.
    4. It is reviewed by the Civil or Architectural Head of the Curriculum Committee)
    5. Precedent/easy petitions are decided and forwarded to the head
    6. More complex (uncertain) petitions are discussed by the CTLC and then forwarded to the head.
    7. The Department Head seldom over turns the CTLC decisions unless it missed something with regulations or other rules.
    8. Same for Dean’s review.
  6.   Curriculum and Policies
    1. Issues associated with the curriculum and course content are controlled by the faculty.
    2. Head’s role is to provide leadership, opportunities for change, and support
    3. Ditto Dean
  7. Transfer issues
    1. See COE advising seminar
  8. All COE requirements
    1. See COE advising seminar
  9. Mathematics testing
    1. See COE advising seminar
  10.  General issues
    1. Students can not always enroll in the course that you recommend
    2. Advise two or three semesters in advance
    3. Students can retake courses and the first grade is not counted in the GPA.
    4. Fill in the target CDE semester asap.
    5. You do not have to help the student schedule the course that you recommend, i.e., work out conflicts, etc.
    6. Students may ask about recommended instructors, your call.
    7. 2000-level courses should generally be taken during the second or third year, i.e., do not postpone circuits unless the last semester.
    8. Calculus and Statics are on the beginning student’s critical path; make sure they understand what that means.
    9. 3000-level course may be taken in any order, let the students take their best shot at preferences and take those first.
    10. Prerequisite of junior standing means just that.  Consent of instructor is required, but please respect the reason for having the prerequisite.
    11. Prerequisites may be waived by instructor (for the most part, some).
    12. Strongly encourage your students to come in prepared, i.e., a blank or no tentative schedule is unacceptable.
    13. Students now pay by the hour
    14. Full-time undergraduate is 12 hours. ????
    15. See COE about AP and testing out.
    16. If a student is not cutting it, consider a heart-to-heart talk about engineering.
    17. Send students leaving department to Sherry, they are interviewed in Dean’s office.
    18. We loose very few (only one comes to mind) to other engineering departments.
    19. We gain several each year from other departments
    20. We loose students to outside COE departments
    21. Few of our students leave because of academic reasons.
    22. COE has the best students based upon ACT and HS gpas.
    23. COE has lowest GPA of the colleges.
  11. Questions?