Advising Syllabus
College of Applied Arts
Undergraduate Advising Syllabus
Texas State University-San Marcos
Academic Advisors: Rebecca Swindal, Advising Center Director (AG 201)
Michelle Moreno – Agriculture (AG 201)
Sean Stevens – Occupational Education (PED 102)
Lisa Ramos – Social Work (HPB 235E)
Charles Evers– Family and Child Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, Fashion Merchandising (FCS 101)
Jim Gray– Interior Design and Nutrition (FCS 101)
Ginger Passmore– Criminal Justice (Hines 108)
Office: Agriculture Building, room 201
Hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Advising is by appointment only.
Phone: 512-245-1490
Fax: 512-245-1627
Academic Advising: Academic advising is conducted by appointment only. Advising appointments must be scheduled through the Applied Arts Advising Center Office. Please call 512-245-1490 or come by Ag 201 to schedule an appointment.
Text/Materials: Undergraduate Catalog
Degree Audit Report
Academic Calendar
Financial Aid - http://www.finaid.txstate.edu/
SLAC - http://www.txstate.edu/slac/
Writing Center - http://www.writingcenter.txstate.edu/
Math Tutoring Lab - http://www.math.txstate.edu/resources/lab.html
Undergraduate Academic Advising Mission:
As an integral part of teaching and learning at Texas State, advising is a student-centered, collaborative process that engages students in educational planning to promote academic, personal, and professional development, while considering diverse interests, abilities, and goals.
College of Applied Arts Advising Center Mission:
The mission of the College of Applied Arts Academic Advising Center is to provide quality academic advising in a caring and positive environment; ensuring students reach their goals as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Academic Advising Definition and Philosophy:
At Texas State, academic advising provides students with the opportunity to meet with an advisor for the purpose of gaining assistance in planning their educational career, in learning the skills needed for academic success, and in learning how to access the variety of resources and services available to them on the Texas State campus.
Academic advising is an educational process that, by intention and design, facilitates students’ understanding of the meaning and purpose of higher education and fosters their intellectual and personal development toward academic success and lifelong learning (National Academic Advising Association, 2004).
As academic advisors in the College of Applied Arts, we adhere to key principles provided by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) when developing our advising philosophies. “Academic advising is a collaborative educational process whereby students and their advisors are partners in meeting the essential learning outcomes, ensuring student academic success, and outlining the steps for achievement of the students’ personal, academic, and career goals. This advisor/student partnership requires participation and involvement of both the advisor and the student as it is built over the student’s entire educational experience at the University. Both the student and the advisor have clear responsibilities for ensuring the advising partnership is successful” (NACADA).
Advisee Responsibilities – What You Are Expected To Do:
As an advisee, you have clear responsibilities in the advising partnership in order to be successful. Advisees are expected to:
· Advising is an interactive experience. Come prepared to participate.
· You are expected to arrive on time to your scheduled appointment. If you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment, you are expected to call the Advising Center to either cancel or reschedule prior to the start of your scheduled appointment.
· Prior to your advising appointment, turn off all electronic devices and refrain from using them during your advising appointment.
· Create an advising folder to keep all documents associated with New Student Orientation, academic advising appointments, and copies of correspondence between you and your advisor, program coordinator, or other faculty or staff.
· Utilize your advising folder as a personal record of your progress toward meeting your goals.
· Know the requirements of your degree program and make sure that you are taking the courses your program requires for graduation.
· Ensure compliance with all University and College policies, procedures, and deadlines.
· Utilize all relevant decision-making information (i.e.: deadlines, prerequisites, policies).
· Schedule timely appointments with advisor as needed.
· Come prepared and be on time to each appointment.
· Bring questions for discussion to your appointment.
· Ask questions if you do not understand an issue, have a specific concern, or need further clarification.
· Follow through with recommendations discussed during your advising appointment (ex. visit SLAC, re-read your course syllabus, schedule an appointment with Career Services for career counseling).
· Adhere to the Texas State honor code when interacting with others.
Advisor Responsibilities – What You Can Expect:
Advisors are expected to:
· Assist students in utilizing academic resources (ex. Undergraduate Catalog, Degreeworks) to facilitate their educational plans.
· Support and guide students as they develop and refine realistic academic and career goals.
· Maintain confidentiality.
· Understand and effectively communicate degree requirements to students.
· Understand and effectively communicate university and college policies and procedures to students.
· Provide students with information for using the available resources and services on campus.
· Document students’ progress toward meeting their goals.
Student Objectives (Learning Outcomes) for the Academic Advising Experience:
By the completion of your degree plan, you should be able to:
· Generate a degree audit report (Degreeworks).
· Read and comprehend the undergraduate catalog.
· Read and understand your degree audit report.
· Identify student resources available on campus.
· Know how to contact your major advisor.
· Know how to schedule an advising appointment.
· Identify academic policies and procedures.
· Understand minimum degree requirements needed for graduation.
· Demonstrate knowledge, use, and applications of Self Service Banner.
· Schedule and register for appropriate courses that fulfill degree requirements.
· Understand specific academic policies unique to your undergraduate major and/or minor.
· Know how to calculate your grade point average (GPA).
· Demonstrate appropriate and professional behavior during an advising appointment.
· Demonstrate an understanding of your responsibilities as a Texas State student.
· Identify appropriate academic support services available to the student.
· Be able to find the academic calendar online and pinpoint important dates.
· Find, identify, and utilize individualized registration access times.
Assessment of Student Objectives:
The College of Applied Arts conducts assessments of student progress using a set of direct and indirect measures. This assessment is conducted on an annual basis. The results of the assessment are used to examine the Advising Center practices.
Email Policy:
All currently enrolled College of Applied Arts students are required to have an active Texas State email address and check it regularly. Information on setting up an email address may be found at http://www.tr.txstate.edu/get-started/e-mail-setup.html. The College of Applied Arts uses the email address for important announcements and correspondence. Additionally, currently enrolled students are required to use their Texas State email address when corresponding with an advisor or other university employees. Emails sent using email addresses other than the Texas State email will not be acknowledged. All correspondence with an advisor must also include the student's Texas State ID number (ex. A012345678). At his or her discretion, the advisor may require that some questions submitted on email be addressed during a scheduled appointment due to the complexity of some questions. For Applied Arts and Science majors (BAAS – Occupational Education), advising can be conducted via email by contacting Sean Stevens at ss31@txstate.edu.
No Show Policy:
A “no show” is a scheduled appointment which is missed without a cancellation notice. A cancellation notice after the scheduled appointment time has begun also counts as a “no show.” If you need to cancel your appointment with an advisor, please call 512-245-1490 or go to Ag 201 before the scheduled time. The Applied Arts Academic Advising Center requires you to be on time to your scheduled advising appointment. Failure to arrive on time may result in you having to reschedule your appointment. If you do not show up for your scheduled appointment and do not call the Advising Center to cancel or reschedule prior to your appointment time three times in one semester, you may lose the privilege to schedule advising appointments for the remainder of the semester.
Academic Probation:
Student must familiarize themselves with the Texas State policy and must comply with those requirements in order to remain at the University. If a student’s Texas State GPA falls below 2.0, they are placed on academic probation by Texas State. Academic probation is an indicator that a student is not meeting the minimum academic standards set by Texas State. Students receive a letter from the Dean of the College of Applied Arts notifying them of their probation status and are expected to follow all procedures outlined in the letter to have the probation hold lifted. All students in the College of Applied Arts are required to complete the Partners in Academic Student Success (PASS) Program each long semester that their Texas State GPA is below a 2.0. Students will be blocked from registering for future semesters until all requirements of the PASS Program have been satisfied. Students will be notified of the PASS Program requirements via Texas State email accounts and a TRACS site after the 12th class day of each long semester.
Planning Ahead – Suggested Advising Activities Calendar for 1 Academic Year:
| Date | Activities |
| After initial registration | • Confirm payment/apply financial aid. Print a copy of the confirmation page for your records. Print a copy of your course schedule. If you need to make schedule changes, do so in your allotted registration access time. • Check the Registrar’s website for the academic calendar. Familiarize yourself with the calendar for the upcoming semester. Specifically, look for any upcoming payment deadlines, drop/withdrawal from course dates, and schedule change access periods. |
| 1st day of classes | • If you are graduating this semester, the first day of classes is when you should apply for graduation via self-service banner and complete tuition rebate application if eligible. |
| September | • This is a great time to begin planning ahead. You can utilize your degree audit report to begin planning your schedule for the upcoming semester. If any questions or concerns arise, please schedule an appointment with your advisor. |
| October | • Registration for the spring semester typically begins this month. You should have a list of classes prepared and be aware of your registration access period. Log on to CATSWEB and then Self-Service Banner to check registration status to see eligibility for any holds and registration times. Registration times are also available on the Registrar’s website. Check your course prerequisites and be sure nothing will prevent you from registering for your courses in the next fall. • If you are taking classes over the summer at another institution be sure to verify the courses will transfer using the “Transfer Course Information” feature on CATSWEB. |
| November | • You should have registered for the spring semester. November is a good month to focus on the future and think about your goals. Schedule an appointment with Career Services to discuss your long-term career plans. Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to discuss your long-term academic plans. |
| December | • Review next semester’s selection of courses and determine if any changes need to be made to your schedule. • Check the Registrar’s website for the academic calendar. Familiarize yourself with the calendar for the upcoming semester. Specifically, look for any upcoming payment deadlines, drop/withdrawal from course dates, and schedule change access periods. |
| January | • If you are graduating this semester, the first day of classes is when you should apply for graduation via CATSWEB. |
| February | • This is a great time to begin planning ahead. You can utilize your degree audit report to begin planning your schedule for the upcoming semester. If any questions or concerns arise, please schedule an appointment with your advisor. |
| March | • Registration for the summer terms typically begins this month. You should have a list of classes prepared and be aware of your registration access period. Log on to CATSWEB and Self-Service Banner or check the Registrar’s website for registration times. Check your course prerequisites and be sure nothing will prevent you from registering for your courses in the next fall. • If you are taking classes over the summer at another institution be sure to verify the courses will transfer using the “Transfer Course Information” feature on CATSWEB. |
| April | • Registration for the fall semester typically begins this month. You should have already met with your advisor, prepared a list of classes, and become aware of your registration access period. Log onto CATSWEB or check the Registrar’s website for registration times. Check your course prerequisites and be sure nothing will prevent you from registering for your courses in the next fall. • Be aware of all payment deadlines for registration for fall and summer courses. |