AUK

Academic, Research & Training > Academic Services > Undergraduate Advising

• Essentials of Effective Advising
• Respecting Confidentiality
• Tips for Promoting Academic Success
• Advising Students with Unsatisfactory Academic Performance
• Developmental Aspects
  

Every AUK student has an assigned advisor at RIT’s Center for Multidisciplinary Studies (CMS), the division of RIT that administers the AUK programs as well as an assigned advisor at AUK.  If you are not aware of who your advisor is, check with Academic Services. 

Advisors and the Advisor Guarantee

Our goal at is to enable students to derive the greatest possible benefit from their educational experience by making academic advising a continuous, active process involving the student, advisor, and institute. 

Why Contact your Advisor?

Upon entering the RIT Academic Program at AUK, each student is assigned an advisor from the RIT campus in the USA or the onsite advisors in Kosovo.  Contact us if you have questions about:

• Dropping or withdrawing from a course.
• Calculating your GPA
• Transferring credit
• Determining how many classes you have left in your degree
• Substituting one course for another course that you have taken or would like to take. 
• Seeking information and advice about any other issue related to your academic course of study.

Advisor Response Time:

Our academic advising role is to act as a mentor and advocate for you, as well as help you successfully complete your degree requirements.  To that end, we are committed to responding to you in a timely and effective manner.  You may contact us by phone, email, during office hours or you can make an appointment.

You can meet with the academic advisors by making an appointment or you can walk in during the office hours posted on the door.

M/W: T/Th: F:

10:00-12:00 10:00-12:00 & 13:00-17:00 By appointment

Essentials of Effective Advising

It has been shown that students who develop a good relationship with their advisors are more likely to persist and graduate. An advisor helps to promote student growth and development, and assists students in assessing their interests and abilities, examining their educational goals, and developing short-term and long-range plans to meet their objectives. Advisors provide information on general education and major requirements, clarify policies and procedures, discuss educational and career options, monitor academic progress, and direct students to other resources when necessary. Both students and advisors must assume equal responsibility in the advising process.

Students have the responsibility to:

• read the bulletin carefully;
• be familiar with degree programs and requirements at the university;
• seek out answers to their questions;
• develop self-awareness;
• keep scheduled appointments;
• follow through on advisor recommendations;
• accept ultimate responsibility for their decisions; and
• make use of all resources on campus.

Advisor responsibilities include:

• being knowledgeable about university and departmental requirements, policies and procedures;
• maintaining adequate office hours throughout the quarter;
• providing a respectful, supportive atmosphere;
• keeping accurate records;
• ensuring that students are provided access to services on a fair basis;
• avoiding any personal conflict of interest as well as the appearance of a conflict;
• refusing to participate in any form of sexual harassment;
• discouraging students from circumventing institutional policies or regulations; and when confronted with situations in which students have violated policies, addressing the issues and referring students to the appropriated agency;
• recognizing the limitations of their positions and being familiar with university resources in order to make appropriate referrals; and
• maintaining confidentiality according to established standards.

Respecting Confidentiality

Because our programs are provided and managed by RIT, their policy regarding educational records is the controlling one, and comes under the Buckley Amendment, (The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or 1974).  For a complete review of that policy, please check the RIT web site.
AUK students have the right to inspect, review and challenge the accuracy of their official educational records. Students are also accorded the right to receive a formal hearing if dissatisfied with responses to questions regarding the content of the record.
AUK policy ensures that only proper use is made of such records. Therefore, with the exception of copies made for internal use (those provided to faculty and staff who have a legitimate need to know their contents), in most cases no copy of a student’s academic record (transcript) or other nonpublic information from student records will be released to anyone without the student’s written authorization. The determination of those who have a “legitimate need to know” (e.g., academic advisers, government officials with lawful subpoenas, etc.) is controlled by the Buckley Amendment and will be made by the person responsible for the maintenance of the record. This determination will be made carefully, in order to respect the student whose record is involved. If an employer, for example, requests a transcript, he or she will have to obtain a written request from the current or former student.

Tips for Promoting Academic Success

These tips could be useful wfor every student.

• Go to every class.
• Buy a planner and use it. Learning to manage time is one of the most important skills a student needs to master.
• Know what campus resources are available and use them.
• Get involved and have fun. You can also learn a lot by getting involved in student organizations, volunteering, and meeting people from a variety of different backgrounds.
• Get to know your professors. They all post office hours and take the opportunity to meet them.
• Balance your class schedule. Try to find one class each semester which you know you'll enjoy and do well.
• Balance social life and school work. If you are working more than 20 hours outside of school, take the minimum credit hours to be full time.
• Get plenty of sleep, exercise, and eat well.

These sound like logical "common sense" hints, but hearing it from a staff or faculty member may make a significant impression on the student.

Advising Students with Unsatisfactory Academic Performance

An unfortunate fact of academic life is that some students, for various reasons, have poor academic performance. Academic advisors often must advise students who are on warning, probation, or suspension. In some instances, the circumstances leading to unsatisfactory performance in a given semester are attributable to transitory, situational problems that will not have an impact on subsequent performance. For some students, unsatisfactory performance reflects certain types of problems that are often long-standing and, if not given attention, may persist and result in further academic difficulties. Reasons for unsatisfactory performance include:

• poor study habits;
• too many hours of work and/or a work schedule that conflicts with the school schedule;
• unrealistic course choices in view of interests and abilities;
• lack of direction;
• exam anxiety and/or poor exam-taking techniques;
• personal and/or family problems;
• lack of preparation to perform college-level work (freshmen); and
• lack of motivation.

Some suggestions for students with unsatisfactory performance are as follows:

• Students should meet with their advisors to review their previous records to determine if there is a long-standing history of poor performance and if a significant number of unsatisfactory credits have been accumulated.
• Students should meet with their advisors to discuss the past or present unsatisfactory performance and the possible outcome of continued unsatisfactory grades.
• Advisors should convey to students your concern about their academic performance and encourage them to meet on regular basis.
• Advisors should assist students in making appropriate course selections in view of their past performance or suggest taking a reduced course load.
• Advisors should work with students to determine the reasons for unsatisfactory grades and help them to determine the types of changes that need to occur.

Very often, concerned advisors can influence students' academic careers and also may contribute to improved student retention. Students do not always recognize the consequences of unsatisfactory performance, and through early intervention, advisors may help students avert continued academic difficulties.

Student Developmental Aspects

Advising is a process which links students' needs and educational experiences from freshman through senior years and beyond. This process evolves gradually within the framework of the degree program and the student's level of maturation. Where students are in this progression helps to determine what kind of assistance they need from advisors. The following chart identifies these stages, provides examples of some academic and personal issues within each stage, and gives examples of how advisors may respond.

	Academic	Personal	Advisor's Role
Freshmen	Fearful of failing Unsure of requirements Confused or unrealistic expectations New academic demands Vague career goals	Managing emotions Finding a social fit Exposure to new values Increased financial worries Possible separation from family Adjusting to life changes Anxious/vulnerable	Be accessible Be a good listener Provide support Give information on requirements, courses Be nonjudgmental Make referrals
Sophomore	More aware of expectations Tired of school Impatient to get into major Pressure to find a major	Mixed confidence level Increased self-awareness Developing support systems Campus involvement More relaxed	Encourage further exploration Help with assessment of skills Focus options on realistic choices
Junior	Settled into a major or desperately seeking one Looking for enhancements (e.g., minor or double major) Developing faculty relations Application of learning	Balance of work, study, and free time More confident Looking beyond college Leadership roles in organizations Romantic involvement	Begin mentor relationship Encourage responsibilities Provide information on graduate school/careers Encourage creativity to enhance degree
Senior	Winding down Applying and integrating knowledge Commencing job search/preparing for grad school Graduation audit	Nervous Stressed Unsure of future Transition to independent adult	Assist with graduation audit Prepare student to make transition Continue discussion of career Continue mentor relationship Write recommendations