Seattle, Washington
June 28, 1998
June 28, 1998
July 1, 1998
2153-5965
4
3.561.1 - 3.561.4
10.18260/1-2--7160
https://peer.asee.org/7160
407
Session 1532
The HiTech Web Advising System
J. R. Cogdell, Anju Bhagat, Agustinus Darmawan, Xiaomin Li, Chitra Phadke, Vasiliki Tzovla, Minaz Vastani, Li Yu
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Texas at Austin.
I. Problem Description
The University of Texas mandates a one-week period to advise students before registration for the upcoming semester. Many of the components of the university allow students to self advise, but the College of Engineering requires students to be advised in their resident departments and an electronic “bar” is placed on the student’s access to the registration system until the advising is completed.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) has an inadequate number of trained advising specialists to accomplish this task, so we must conscript the entire faculty and seek assistance from volunteer student advisors from a student honor/service organization. The result is poor quality control: some faculty and peer advisors are conscientious and well informed while others will approve any proposed courses without reviewing the student's past performance, checking prerequisites or observing any such precautions.
It is hard to fault the temporary advisors, because even with the best of intentions it is difficult to keep up with all the factors that might bear on a student's course selections. Let us mention a few categories of relevant information required:
• Catalog requirements are revised every two years. • Prerequisites exist for most courses, and these change over time as well. • The ECE Department requires a 2.5 GPA on core freshman and sophomore courses (basic sequence)for students to advance to junior-level courses (major sequence). Freshmen and sophomore students who are not performing above this standard need special attention. • Electives must satisfy ABET, university, and departmental requirements. • All ECE students must take twelve semester hours toward the degree and fourteen hours overall. Advisors musts ensure these limits are met with legitimate courses. • Advising information is found in the Course Schedule issued each semester, the University General Information Bulletin issued every year, the College of Engineering Catalog revised every two years, and departmental policy statements. The most important information is extracted and organized in a "Notes for ECE Advisors" every semester. In principle all this information is available to students and advisors, but in practice only the trained advisors attempt to keep up with these details.
Li, X., & Tzovla, V., & Vastani, M., & Yu, L., & Cogdell, J. R., & Phadke, C., & Bhagat, A., & Darmawan, A. (1998, June), The Hi Tech Web Advising System Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7160
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