The Action plan of academic advisor:
The first procedural steps followed by the academic advisor may include:
- Identifying the academic advising student's list from your academic page on the university website.
- Preparing the student file: the academic advisor must prepare a file for each student showing student’s name and number, and issue a copy of the personal information, for inclusion with a copy of the registration form of the academic session.
- Explaining to the new students know the study system, courses and tests, as well as how to maintain the necessary adaptation to university study, and inform them about their rights and duties.
- Getting the new student's schedules from the office of Student’s Affairs.
- Listing of semester's courses that the student is studying.
- Preparing a copy of the transcript for each semester the student has studied.
- Maintaining administrative documents (Form of deletion, addition, apology .... etc).
- Preparing a schedule for individual advising sessions for students.
Explain the academic regulations for students:
- Following up of revealed student's academic mode.
Explaining the academic regulations for students:
- Selection of materials in accordance with the student’s cumulative rate, tendency, capacity and ability.
- Adding and deleting courses: the advisor should distribute a special form to the students who wish to make modifications to their original selections or choices during the period of deletion and addition in the semester (according to the regulations).
3. Absence: important clarification is highly required).
A. The control of students' absence is the function of the course teacher, where she must notify the advisor about the absence of a student if her absence is for two successive lectures.
B. It is necessary to justify student’s absence, and a valid excuse must be submitted within a week of absence. If it is not delivered within the specified period, it will be accepted only if the reasons are compelling.
C. Clarify how to calculate the student's absence.
D. Giving the student three warnings in case of the absence and pre-deprivation (the first warning, the second warning, third warning, depriving)
Y. Absence from the exam is not acceptable unless the excuse is due to one of the following reasons:
- Surgery.
- Event of the death of the first degree.
- Births (for female).
- Problematic disease.
4. Withdrawal: clarify the mechanism and conditions of withdrawal of a student for limited period of time (semester - or two semesters maximum), with pledging to return after the completion of the period of apology, by providing a form of apology signed by the advisor and submitted to the educational affairs administration.
5. Delay: the postponement of the study before the start of a semester for a valid excuse is acceptable, but shall not exceed a period of deferral two consecutive semesters or three non-consecutive semesters.
6. Holidays: holidays that may be granted to a student and its duration, such as: marriage leave - birth - disease - death.
7. Withdrawal from college: a permanent leave without return may be accepted in rare cases determined by college management.
8. Course schedule: the advisor should make sure that students know the time and place of lectures, and to make sure that there is no discrepancy or contradiction in the dates of student academic schedule.
9. Explanation of subject estimates and the cumulative estimate: the academic advisor shall explain to students the minimum and maximum estimates (weak - very weak - acceptable - good - very good - excellent), as well as how to calculate the cumulative estimate for each year of the study. Also, it is essential that the academic advisor shall inform the students about the division of subjects grades (practical - oral – course work of the year – theoretical- final exam).
10. Student warning: the student should be warned if her average is less than 2, and assistance in solving the problem is required.
11. Problem Solving: the academic advisor can lend a helping hand to the students in the face of difficulties related to their study, through identification of the causes of the problem and proposing appropriate solutions for them.
A. Management of curriculum: - dealing with any part of the curriculum that requires most attention? How to spend time for studying the course? Dose the student well organized in doing her homework?
B. Time Management: are students aware of the time required for their study? Do they waste their time? What are their priorities? How do they distribute the corresponding time among the curriculum?
C. The relationship between faculty members and students:- Are students facing difficulties with article or lecturer of the course?
D. The skills and study habits: Do the students revise their lessons? How and when? And where? With the presentation of proposals for improving their revision.
E. Special skills for examinations: Do your students suffer from exams anxiety, and how do they deal with it? Do they have the basic skills to prepare themselves for exam performance?
F. Selection of optional subject: the student should determine the optional subject that is suitable for her capabilities; the advisor helps her by clarifying the required optional requirements regarding elective subjects to complete their graduation requirements.
12. Guidance: the advisor should help the student in analyzing her situation and guide her to the appropriate steps she may follow in the face of problem before her study will be greatly affected. In some cases the student fail to adapt herself/himself and becomes vulnerable to psychological or social challenges.
13. Encouraging: A few words of encouragement may improve the level of the student performance and help her to solve a problem she faces. Usually, problems may lead to frustration or hinder academic performance.
14. Job-related decisions: the advisor should participate with student in thinking about career opportunities available to college graduates in coordination with the relevant authorities, as well as to encourage excellent students to complete their postgraduate studies..
ii. Duties of academic advisor in case of social and psychological advising:
i. Continues to be an academic advisor to the student.
ii. Explain to students that meeting psychological and social advisor does not mean that the student is psychologically or mentally ill. Also, the academic advisor should reassure the student regarding the privacy and confidentiality of the subject.
iii. The academic advisor provides the psychological and social advisor with brief information on the status of the student.
iv. Maintain the maximum degree of secrecy in the organizing the guidance sessions.
16. The student should meet her academic advisor at least once a week whether she has a problem or not.
Work features of a successful academic adviser:
- Meeting and defining herself to students, and to identify them.
- Building a good relationship with the students.
- Tell the students that your job is to provide help and assistance to them.
- Promoting awareness of the academic regulations and help the students to understand the lesson plans.
- Telling the students that this system is conducted fo their benefit.
- Distributing of papers and publications identifying the system.
- Emphasizing the importance of attendance and discipline during their studies.
- Introducing to the academic advisor’s plan to work with them.
- Announcing the timing of office hours and stressing on the importance of communicating with the academic adivsor.
- Answering students’ inquiries and welcome their visits.
- Explaining the connection between the academic specialization and the labor market needs and prospective of future career.
- Engaging the student in school building plan.
- Assisting the student in the distribution of study materials to the classroom or semesters.
- Giving priority for the distribution of subjects with many levels, and subjects with scientific nature.
- Providing students with a copy of the study plan prepared by her.
- Preparing a statistical model to confine the student’s needs of the curriculum.
- Meeting with students to determine their needs according to study plans.
- Overseeing the final student's registration schedule and its adoption.
- Developing a mechanism to communicate with students when needed.
- Preparing a list of students in arrears curriculum and arrange for a meeting with them, and avoid mocking or rebuking them. You may persuade them with the impact of their situation on their future academic backwardness and work out a questionnaire about it. Ask them to fill in the questionnaire with stating of the reason, and let them to share in the development of a plan to address the problem.
- The advisor shall watch for the outstanding students, and prepare a list with their names and locations of their study, and plans to honor them in cooperation with the academic advising unit.
- Monitoring the impact of psychological and social situation on the academic performance of the student.
- Studying the of the effect of academic environment on the academic performance of the student (laboratories, library, transportation......)