Talking with Students about Advising

Talking with Students about Advising

Data on the experiences of first year students at UO highlight that meeting with academic advisors has a strong benefit for students. Students meeting with advisors in their first year or term have higher GPAs than those who do not (often through helping them identify other support on campus). These students are also more likely to persist into their second year. 

Instructors can help inform students about advising, either through general announcements or suggesting specific students chat with an advisor if they are considering dropping it. TEP partnered with UESS to develop this resource for faculty to refer students to and inform students about advising.

 

Key Advising Information for Instructors

  1. Know key dates and remind students of them as students often struggle to know key academic dates - drop deadlines and registration for next term. You can do this in your syllabus, on your Canvas course calendar and in announcements.
  2. Time higher-stakes assignments with the drop deadline in mind, which is the Sunday after week 7.  For example, scheduling the midterm after the deadline to drop the course leaves students without critical information they need to make a decision about their enrollment or grading options. A higher-stakes assignment during or before week 4 is great as it gives you time to grade them and return results to students, and it gives students time to reflect on their success (or not) in your course so far.
  3. Weeks 2-5 are best time for students to see an advisor about long-term planning. In week 5, course information about next term becomes available leading to advising appointments rapidly filling up and most units switching to drop-in availability only.  If you give announcements to remind students about advising, aim for before week 6. 
  4. If you are concerned about a student’s ability to successfully complete a course, please let them know and encourage them to see an advisor to discuss their options. It may not always be in a student’s best interest to drop a course, as dropping a course may have implications for students’ major and degree progression or post-graduation plans. Advisors are best suited to discuss these options and impacts on individual students.
  5. Help students identify their advisor when giving reminders or referring a student to advising. 

If you are concerned about a student who has not been attending or engaging in a course (either never attended or stopped attending during the term):

  • Please reach out to the student directly.
  • If you get no response and you have no additional information about the student’s circumstances, complete the Faculty & Staff Referral Outreach Form. This form will assign an advisor to reach out to the student as well. 
  • If you get no response and you have reason to suspect the student is in crisis, or if there are concerns about the students behavior in class, those concerns should be reported to the Dean of Students office for follow-up, using the Report a Concern form. Find additional information and guidance on the Dean of Students website.

 

Making Effective Referrals

If you’re concerned about a student’s ability to successfully complete a course, please let them know and encourage them to see an advisor to discuss their options (it is not always in a student’s best interest to drop a course or change to pass/no pass). 

Landscape of Advising at UO

UO has a decentralized advising landscape.

  • Students are served mainly in professional advising units embedded in Schools/Colleges (College of Arts & Sciences, Lundquist College of Business, School of Journalism & Communication, College of Design, College of Education, School of Music & Dance). 
  • Students who are exploring majors or who have Exploring as their declared major are served by Exploring Advising in Oregon Hall. 
  • Students who are also part of the Clark Honors College have additional advising support located in the Honors College. 
  • Some students are also connected to advising units that support students who are part of a scholarship or grant-funded program (PathwayOregon, Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence, TRIO Student Support Services).

How to Provide Referrals

If you’re providing a general reminder to your class to access advising (especially during weeks 2-6): encourage students to see the advising unit they last connected with. If they can’t remember, encourage them to identify which school/college their major is in and use the Find An Advisor page (or Google advising for that school/college) for scheduling information with advisors there. 

If you’re making a specific referral: ask the student if they know which advising unit they normally see (if they know, recommend they start there). If they’re not sure, help them identify their school/college based on their major or Honors College status and look up their advising unit’s contact information. Exploring students should be directed to Exploring Advising in Oregon Hall.

If students are connected to PathwayOregon, CMAE, or TRIO SSS, they usually know. You can reaffirm that these are great units to start with. 

 

Advising and the Academic Calendar

Review the list below and include critical university deadlines or processes in your syllabus, course calendar, or make announcements at relevant times during the term. Advising units and the Office of the Registrar do additional outreach to students around these deadlines and processes, but reinforcing this timeline in your class helps ensure more equitable access to support.

Week 1

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Saturday after week 1: Last day to drop a course without a W

Advising Information

  • Students still considering schedule adjustments can talk with advising about their plans. 

Week 2

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Monday of week 2: Last day to add a course in Duckweb. Last day to add a course and have it count for Financial Aid 

Advising Information

  • Weeks 2-5 are the best time for students to schedule meetings with an advisor for advanced planning, major/minor exploration, integrated academic and career conversations. 

Week 3

University Deadlines & Processes

Advising Information

  • Weeks 2-5 are the best time for students to schedule meetings with an advisor for advanced planning, major/minor exploration, integrated academic and career conversations. 

Week 4

University Deadlines & Processes

Advising Information

  • Weeks 2-5 are the best time for students to schedule meetings with an advisor for advanced planning, major/minor exploration, integrated academic and career conversations. 
  • Instructors: During week 4, or before it, is a good time for a major assessment of students. This gives time to grade and return results to students so they have this critical information about their progress if they are considering dropping your course or changing how they are graded.

Week 5

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Next term’s class schedule goes live (Fall, Winter, Spring)

Advising Information

  • Weeks 2-5 are the best time for students to schedule meetings with an advisor for advanced planning, major/minor exploration, integrated academic and career conversations. 

Week 6

University Deadlines & Processes

 

Advising Information

  • Because the next term's schedule is available, registration advising picks up and scheduled appointment availability fills up. 
  • This is a key time for students to talk with an advisor about current term decisions (dropping courses and changing pass/no pass options).

Week 7

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Sunday after week 7: Last day to drop a class with a W

Advising Information

  • Weeks 7-9 are peak times for advising around next term registration. Scheduled appointment availability is often full.
  • This is a key time for students to talk with an advisor about current term decisions (dropping courses and changing pass/no pass options) before the drop deadline on Sunday.
  • Instructors: Because the drop deadline is Sunday, any grades students get back after Sunday cannot be used to help students make decisions about enrollment. 
    • During a term, try to return outstanding work before the deadline. Make sure students have clear grade information on Canvas before the deadline.
    • As you prep for a term, consider what assignments happen after or around this deadline. 

Week 8

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Priority registration period begins for next term enrollment (priority groups, Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores with more credit)

Advising Information

  • Weeks 7-9 are peak times for advising around next term registration. Scheduled appointment availability is often full.
  • Most advising units shift to drop-in availability only.

Week 9

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Priority registration period begins for next term enrollment (Freshmen)

Advising Information

  • Weeks 7-9 are peak times for advising around next term registration. Scheduled appointment availability is often full.
  • Most advising units shift to drop-in availability only.

Week 10

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Friday of week 10: Last day to change a grading option to Pass/No Pass
  • Enrollment outreach begins for currently enrolled students who have not yet registered next term.

Advising Information

  • Registration advising continues for students
  • Advising meetings about current term pass/no pass decisions pick up.

Finals Week

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Friday of Finals Week: Last day for students to request an Incomplete. Students must do so with the Incomplete Request form.

Advising Information

 

Week After Finals

University Deadlines & Processes

  • Grades are Due (Tuesday for Fall & Spring, Monday for Winter)
  • Academic Standing and First Term Grade Forgiveness are processed with all reported grades.

Advising Information

  • After grades are processed, students below Good Academic Standing and students on the Deans List are notified.