Education Planning
A fundamental component of the advising process (and an expectation established by the University) is educational planning: working with advisees to clarify personal goals and values, and discern and develop educational and professional objectives that suit their interests and abilities. Academic Advisors especially can aid students in identifying the relationships between coursework, enrichment opportunities, and career paths.
The first meeting: a conversation about goal-setting and long-term planning
If you have more than a few new advisees, the advising period prior to registration may not allow enough time for a focused discussion about educational plans. Schedule advisee meetings across the first four to five weeks of the quarter. Use these meetings to initiate a conversation that places course scheduling into the broader framework of goal discernment and long-term planning. A briefer follow-up meeting during the scheduled advising period would then focus on course scheduling for the coming quarter.
Tools to aid in planning
Student Profile forms: Ask advisees to get their completed profile form to you before your first advising session. You can find the freshman profile form here the premajor profile formhere the business major's profile form here, and the transfer student profile form here.
Educational Planning Worksheet: Set the expectation that advisees will share and discuss their responses on the Educational Planning Worksheet with you at your sessions together during the year. By winter quarter they should have begun to develop their educational plan.
Core Curriculum Worksheet: Ask new advisees to use this worksheet to help them identify the Core courses they will need to plan into their quarterly class schedules. They should bring it with them to their advising session prior to registration.
Using Planning Materials at Your First Meeting: a three minute video demonstration Within a 20 to 30 minute meeting, view how an advisor can introduce an advisee to the materials they should use to assist them in creating an educational plan.
Use Advising Notes on SUOnline
(see details) The Advising Notes application allows you to maintain an easy-to-use online record of advising notes for each of your advisees. You can store, retrieve and share advising notes. It may also be used by other faculty and staff with authorized "advisor" access to add advising-related comments. You can access the Advising Notes screen on the same drop down menu on which you access an advisee's program evaluation, transcript and profile. View a screen shot of the drop down menu on the My Advisees page on SUonline and the Advising Notes Screen.
Tips for Advisees as they engage in educational planning:
- Research, explore and gather relevant decision-making information Freshmen and sophomores especially should consider this discernment process an essential component or their education and career goal setting.
- Get involved in campus activities These experiences can lead to the discovery of new interests, abilities and passions that will help in identifying goals. This is an essential first year process and sets the foundation for a full and rich educational experience.
- Learn more about themselves through self-assessment Career Services provides a number of self assessment instruments to students interested in discovering or clarifying values interests, aptitudes, abilities, personal traits, or lifestyle preferences. Assessment methods include Discover, a comprehensive career and education guidance program, the Myers Briggs type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory.
- Take responsibility for the all practical aspects of planning Students need to know the university requirements, relevant policies, procedures and due dates that apply to them. The advising and registration process in the second third of each quarter is key to the practical planning that supports the larger discovery process.
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