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“At my institution (where most advising is by faculty) we've recently switched to Web-based registration (so no more forms for advisers to sign) and we're on the verge of implementing a computerized degree audit that students will be able to access on line. The upshot is, the role of the adviser in discussing what courses the student needs to take is going to shrink. In all too many cases, that's the main thing advisers have always done – so what's left for them? The answer should be, thank goodness we got rid of that busy work, now we'll have time to do something interesting. Our faculty advisers are well situated to do advising-as-teaching. Specifically, I picture them engaging each student in a challenging dialogue about the meaning of his or her curriculum, how it all fits together, the reason why each set of courses is included. Such a discussion will enhance the impact upon the student of each course taken, since the context and relation to other courses will be better understood. When we started our current general education structure over 20 years ago faculty said that each instructor would start his/her course by explaining its role in the overall curriculum, but on the whole they rarely do that any more. This is a vacuum that advisers can fill. But not just by TELLING students – rather, forcing students to think it through for themselves. Compare a student who fulfills your gen ed requirements with another student who also does so, perhaps with the same GPA, but who also understands and can articulate the transferrable liberal arts skills that he/she has derived from those courses, and how they'll be useful in the workplace. Who's better off? The latter student is likely to have figured this out with the help of his or her adviser. And that contribution is invaluable.” ~ Marc Lowenstein, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, January 31 The Mentor is published by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |
