Faculty Handbook

TEACHING

Academic Advising Policy

The College of Arts and Architecture has adopted the following advising policy based on the University Faculty Senate policy 32.

32-00 Advising Policy

The policies of Section 32-00 define the goals and purposes of the university's academic advising program.

The basic tasks of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote intellectual discovery, to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities, and to become self-directed learners and decision makers.

32-10 The University's Advising Program

The policies of Section 32-10 describe the structure of the University's advising program.

Oversight of the university's academic advising program rests with the University Advising Council. This council will be chaired by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and International Programs, and will consist of two faculty who are members of the senate committee on undergraduate education, two students, two academic advisers, and two administrators appointed by the chair of the council. The council will have sufficient authority to aid all academic units in improving the delivery of their advising systems in accordance with the criteria for effective advising listed below. The council will guide the following policies and assess the quality of the university's advising program.

32-20 The Nature of the University Advising Program

The policies of Section 32-20 delineate the responsibilities of the various academic advising systems adopted throughout the University. Each academic unit will establish an academic advising system designed to meet the goals set forth in 32-00. An effective academic advising system possesses the following elements:

1.   POLICY. An advising policy stating the system's philosophy and practice and what students can expect from the advising system.

2.      STRUCTURE. An organizational model for the delivery of effective advising.

3.      SUPPORT. Appropriate information, resources, and electronic systems to work effectively with students. Units will provide files to advisers for their assigned advisees.

4.      TRAINING. On-going training for all advisers within a comprehensive development program.

5.      DELIVERY. Strategies to accommodate the specific advising needs of the unit's advisees.

6.   FIRST YEAR STUDENTS. Assurance that all students in their first two semesters of study at the university, including all transfer students, will consult with an academic adviser. Advisers need to inform students of the nature and intensity of programs in the Arts. The discipline and commitment demanded by programs in the Arts need to be understood by the first-year students as part of the advising process.

7.      FREQUENCY OF CONSULTATIONS. Workable guidelines concerning the ratio of advisees to adviser and the frequency with which they should consult. The unit head  establishes  a reasonable number of advisees per faculty member so that a meaningful and on-going relationship can exist between the two.

8.      RECOGNITION AND REWARD. Recognition of the place of advising in the general rewards structure. Advising responsibilities (including outcomes) should be a part of the year end faculty review process.

9.      ASSESSMENT. Acomprehensive assessment program to measure the effectiveness of the advising system. Arts and Architecture will survey the students at least every three years to measure the effectiveness of the advising system.

32-30 Responsibilities of Advisers and Advisees

The policies of section 32-30 delineate the responsibilities of advisers and advisees within each of the various university advising systems.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources. The college or department also will monitor the progress of its advisees towards satisfactory completion of all graduation requirements and inform students of their status each semester. Advisees in turn will routinely contact their advisers each semester and will assume final responsibility for course scheduling, program planning, and the successful completion of graduation requirements.

A. Responsibilities of Advisers

The Academic Adviser's Role is to:

• Help the advisee to understand the academic and administrative processes of the university and the nature of its academic programs. The adviser also seeks to understand each advisee's particular concerns affecting academic progress. The adviser neither grants nor denies administrative approval for particular academic actions.
• Help the advisee to understand the expected standards of achievement and likelihood of success in certain areas of study. Arts students come to Penn State with more specific expectations than other students and thus may be surprised by life in their discipline. Arts advisers need to be particularly adept at establishing understanding and reasonable expectations early in the students’ career and at helping students to adjust their expectations as necessary during the course of their matriculation.
• Discuss the educational and career objectives suited to the advisee's demonstrated abilities and expressed interests. The adviser helps the advisee to understand the relationships among the courses, programs, undergraduate research opportunities, internships, study abroad programs, and other academic experiences provided by the university.  Professional career counseling should be an important part of the adviser-advisee relationship.
• Help the advisee to plan a course of study and give advice about courses and the adjustment of course loads. The adviser will inform the advisee about the prerequisites for subsequent courses in the advisee's program.
• Refer advisees to other resources when appropriate.
• Participate in the adviser training sessions provided by each college or department to keep informed and current.
• Keep records that include such records as degree audits, copies of correspondence, curricular petitions, and notes of advising contacts. Notes should be kept for assigned advisees as well as other students with whom they have advising contacts.

B. Responsibilities of Advisees

The Advisee's Role in the Academic Advising Process is to:

1.   Acquire the information needed to assume final responsibility for course scheduling, program planning, and the successful completion of all graduation requirements.

2.   Seek the academic and career information needed to meet educational goals.

3.   Become knowledgeable about the relevant policies, procedures, and rules of the university, college, and academic program.

4.   Be prepared with accurate information and relevant materials when contacting the adviser.

5.   Consult with the adviser at least once a semester to decide on courses, review the accuracy of the audit, check progress towards graduation, and discuss the suitability of other educational opportunities provided by the university.

32-40 Assignment of Adviser

1.   Degree Candidates - Advising responsibility for every student with degree status rests with the college in which the student is enrolled or with the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division.

2.   Provisional Students - Advising responsibility for every student with provisional status rests with the Division of Undergraduate Studies in consultation with the respective college to which the student seeks admission.

3.   Nondegree Conditional Students - Advising responsibility for nondegree conditional students rests with the college to which the student seeks reinstatement and re-enrollment.

4.   Nondegree Regular Students and Nondegree Conditional Students who have never been in degree status at Penn State--these students act as their own advisers.

32-50 Audit of Unfulfilled Requirements

The degree audit report is an important advising tool that specifically tracks progress to completion of degree requirements. The degree audit report combines the official academic record with the student's declared academic program to identify those program requirements that are completed and those program requirements that are unfulfilled. Each undergraduate degree candidate (Baccalaureate or Associate) must have access to a current copy of that student's degree audit report each semester the candidate is enrolled.

Adopted by Arts and Architecture Executive Council April 2004