academic advising unit
Duties and responsibilities of members of the Academic Advising Unit
Definition of academic advising:
It is the activity carried out by college academic advisors to introduce students to the academic rules and regulations and help them in academic progress and overcome the social, psychological, health, or academic problems and difficulties they encounter.
Objectives of the academic advising process in the college:
1- Providing academic information to students and introducing them to the study systems and regulations at the beginning of their enrollment in the college
2- Encouraging and supporting outstanding and talented people
3- Helping those who stumble in confronting the causes of stumbling and solving social and academic problems
4- Developing the student’s own abilities to solve his problems and correct his academic career.
5- Encouraging the student to play a positive role in the educational process and participate in extracurricular activities.
Duties of the head of the academic advising unit:
1- Managing and organizing the academic advising process in the college according to the approved mechanisms.
2- Distributing students to faculty members in the university’s internal system.
3- Organizing a meeting on the orientation day for new students to provide students with the necessary information about the university stage and the study system, and to introduce students to the importance of referring to university regulations during their academic career and the necessity of communicating with their academic advisor.
4- Holding a workshop for new faculty members to inform them of the college’s study system and the college’s counseling mechanism.
5- A periodic meeting is organized with the guidance coordinators to follow up on the progress of the guidance process in the college.
6- Managing and organizing advising reports from unit coordinators, studying opinions on developing the academic advising process in the college, and coordinating with the college’s deanship for academic affairs in addressing advising obstacles.
7- Prepares periodical reports on the counseling process in the college.
8-Follow up with the guidance coordinators by following up on the implementation of guidance mechanisms in the college
Duties of the academic advisor:
The tasks of the academic advisor in general are many and varied, but there are specific tasks for academic advisors in light of the different specializations of students. Below we define the tasks assigned to the academic advisor in the college.
A- Tasks related to guidance aspects for students, which are as follows:
1- Preparing the student file
The academic advisor prepares a special file for each request from the students whom he is entrusted with the task of supervising. The file contains the following:
• Student data form
• List of courses for the student’s specialization
•Registration Form
• A recent copy of the academic record and transcript
• Other administrative documents...etc
2- Course registration process:
The academic advisor studies the student’s advising record and follows up on all the student’s registered courses on the system at the beginning of each semester.
B - Tasks related to the scientific and educational aspects of students, which are as follows:
1- Following up on the student academically to overcome the problems students face in studying the courses.
2- Encouraging students to engage in academic activities to improve their academic level and activate self-learning procedures.
3- Following up on students who excelled academically and helping them maintain their excellence.
C - Tasks related to the social and behavioral aspects of students, which are as follows:
1- Positive support for the student’s behavior and helping him adapt to his social environment through periodic meetings with him and directing him towards the values of group interaction.
2- Providing psychological counseling by meeting with students in the academic advisor’s office.
3- Holding group meetings with students to consolidate social and human relations and bring about rapprochement between students.
- Academic support for students within the college and university by facilitating their communication with the college and university administration.
The role of the student in the academic advising process
The student is considered the main focus in the academic advising process, and the student’s role can be detailed in the following points:
1- Getting to know the academic advisor and strengthening the relationship with him
2- Attending academic advising sessions regularly and preparing in advance with the necessary papers and forms
3- Full knowledge of college and university requirements for graduation.
4- Go to the academic advisor to request assistance and receive a copy of the study plans and all academic requirements
5- Full knowledge of the academic calendar and dates for registration, deletion, addition, and exams
Methods for dealing with outstanding students
An outstanding student is one who has high academic abilities that enable him to achieve a high average of no less than excellence in his field of study.
1- The top three in each academic year are selected according to the average and honored certificates of excellence
2- The responsibility for determining the names of outstanding students in the college lies with the College’s Study and Examinations Unit
3- The outstanding student is given a congratulatory document in the name of the college dean, which is delivered to him at an honoring ceremony
4- The names of the outstanding students are announced on a college honor board that contains the names and photos of the outstanding top students.
5- A celebration is held in the first or second week of each semester to honor distinguished students in each academic year and award them with certificates of appreciation and cash or material prizes.
6- Priority will be given to the top three outstanding students in attending the training programs offered by the College’s Continuing Medical Education Unit.
7- Sending an invitation to the top three students in each academic year to attend scientific lectures and seminars.
8- Priority will be given to inviting the top three students to participate in free or subsidized trips organized by the Deanship of Student Affairs.
Methods for dealing with underachieving students
1- The responsibility for identifying struggling students lies with the College’s Study and Examinations Unit
2- Each academic advisor prepares a report on cases of failure in the group he is advising, and identifies the reasons for failure.
3- The faltering reports are studied by the unit’s academic advising coordinators and the head of the college’s advising unit, and the needs of faltering students are determined.
4- The head of the academic advising unit at the college coordinates with the dean of the college to identify and hold appropriate courses to address the causes of faltering, especially in developing the self-abilities of faltering students.
5- The college is informed of the necessity of holding strengthening courses in courses in which failure is common, at the end of the semester, with two lectures for each course presented by the subject’s professor.
6- Immediately after announcing the exam results, each academic advisor follows up on the improvement in the level of achievement of these students and submits a report thereon to the guidance unit.
7- Students who have overcome their stumbling will be honored.