Advising process gets advice
Andy Matarrese
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: News
"What we think is more important is the mentoring," he said.
Baasten explained that the desire for an advising approach that would help map professional and educational goals, for all students, came down from the president and the provost.
"Faculty members are much more comfortable mentoring than scheduling," Baasten said. "We love talking about academic ideas, your journey, where you want to end up, what your goals are."
Letting advisers play to their strengths and assist students with less tangible things than scheduling classes creates a more valuable relationship, according to Baasten.
"Without a relationship, advising doesn't work on any level, scheduling or mentoring," he said.
By next semester, Baasten hopes to set up a Web site with centralized scheduling and degree progress information along with frequently asked questions about transfer credits, studying abroad and faculty contacts.
The site, designed for students and advisers, will be more user-friendly than leafing through the Bulletin. To assist in advising, faculty will begin mentor training next semester.
Baasten also hopes that the same kind of registration session hosted by CAS and its student advisory committee on Nov. 5 for freshmen will be repeated yearly.
He explained that by changing the dynamic of the advising process, students will not only have better guidance with educational and professional development - possibly with letters of recommendation, meetings with alumni of similar majors or grad school advice - but that being better acquainted with each other will also help ensure against any scheduling mistakes.
Professional development
The Pamplin School of Business is also changing the way it advises, according to Program Coordinator Gwynn Klobes and Program Assistant Erica Jones.
While faculty advisers have traditionally helped students with scheduling, Klobes and Jones are now shouldering more of that responsibility and meeting with students to make sure they are on track.
Baasten explained that the desire for an advising approach that would help map professional and educational goals, for all students, came down from the president and the provost.
"Faculty members are much more comfortable mentoring than scheduling," Baasten said. "We love talking about academic ideas, your journey, where you want to end up, what your goals are."
Letting advisers play to their strengths and assist students with less tangible things than scheduling classes creates a more valuable relationship, according to Baasten.
"Without a relationship, advising doesn't work on any level, scheduling or mentoring," he said.
By next semester, Baasten hopes to set up a Web site with centralized scheduling and degree progress information along with frequently asked questions about transfer credits, studying abroad and faculty contacts.
The site, designed for students and advisers, will be more user-friendly than leafing through the Bulletin. To assist in advising, faculty will begin mentor training next semester.
Baasten also hopes that the same kind of registration session hosted by CAS and its student advisory committee on Nov. 5 for freshmen will be repeated yearly.
He explained that by changing the dynamic of the advising process, students will not only have better guidance with educational and professional development - possibly with letters of recommendation, meetings with alumni of similar majors or grad school advice - but that being better acquainted with each other will also help ensure against any scheduling mistakes.
Professional development
The Pamplin School of Business is also changing the way it advises, according to Program Coordinator Gwynn Klobes and Program Assistant Erica Jones.
While faculty advisers have traditionally helped students with scheduling, Klobes and Jones are now shouldering more of that responsibility and meeting with students to make sure they are on track.
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