Academic advising to offer summer workshops

The Office of Academic Services is offering free workshops during July for University advisors on a variety of topics. Prospective participants can complete an online form for session(s) they plan to attend.

The first three workshops, scheduled for Monday, July 14, in Colvard Building, Room 4103, are:

• “Understanding the Basics of Advising” from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Karina Dusenbury, director of undergraduate advising for the Belk College of Business, and Henrietta Thomas, director of the University Advising Center, will lead this session that defines what good academic advising should be, and how advising fits into the institutional mission of the University
• “Developing a Working Knowledge of Academic Services and Referral Processes” will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Cynthia Wolf Johnson, associate provost for academic services; Shonta Le Master, director of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Advising Center; and Howard Simms, associate director for transfer students, University Advising Center, will lead this workshop that explores resources available to students and how to refer them effectively so students are motivated to take action
• “Learning About Academic Policy Changes and Their Impact on Advising” will be from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Kathy Asala, undergraduate coordinator in the Chemistry Department, and Leslie Zenk, assistant provost in the Office of Academic Affairs, will provide advisors with an overview of the academic policy creation and revision process, as well as highlight relevant policies used frequently in advising. The session also will show advisors where to find policy information to assist in their advising responsibilities and will highlight new policies and recent policy changes that are applicable to their work

Three more workshops will be offered on Wednesday, July 16; they are:

• “Efficient Use of Banner By Knowing What You Need: Advisor Forms, Reports” at 9 a.m. in Colvard Building, Room 4103. Henrietta Thomas and Elizabeth Mullis from the Registrar’s Office will facilitate this session on reports available in Banner
• “Understanding Transfer Credit” will be at 10 a.m. in the Colvard Building, Room 4103. Barbara Seyter, senior associate director of admisssions, and Howard Simms will lead this workshop that aims to clarify UNC Charlotte policies regarding the intake and use of transfer credit. It will provide faculty and staff advisors with a better understanding of how transfer credit is accepted, processed, interpreted and used for general education and majors. It also will describe the method(s) for processing transfer credit-related appeals
• “Getting the Most Out of Niner Advisor” is from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Colvard Building, Room 5095. LeeFredrick Bowen, academic advisor in the University Advising Center, and Roy Fielding, senior lecturer in the Kinesiology Department, will facilitate this session, which is an introduction to the University-wide, online, appointment-scheduling and advising notes database. Attendees will learn to schedule advising appointments, record advising notes, upload documents into student files and access advising notes and documents from the student’s previous advising sessions

On Monday, July 21, academic services will hold three more summer workshops in Colvard Building, Room 4103; they are:

• “Prospect for Success” will be from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Carla Eastis, assessment director for Prospect for Success, and Donald Blackmon, a lecturer and advisor in the Lee College of Engineering, will introduce advisors to the goals of Prospect for Success (PFS), detail the expectations for incoming freshmen in each college and show how advisors can build on the activities found in PFS courses
• “Advising Students on Academic Probation” will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Richard Lejk, an associate professor in the College of Computing and Informatics, and Carolyn Blattner, associate director for student success in the University Center for Academic Excellence, will lead this workshop that addresses factors that contribute to academic probation and strategies for working with these students
• “CAPP Degree Audit” will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Kathy Asala and Elizabeth Mullis will lead this hands-on session that will teach advisors how to read and interpret the CAPP degree evaluation for both major/minor requirements and general education requirements. They will show examples of how CAPP can be used during student advising appointments as well as when completing graduation audits. It is suggested that attendees bring five student ID numbers to this session as test examples