Academic Advisers should:

• Be familiar with college policies and requirements as outlined in the catalog, Schedule of Courses, relevant departmental materials, and the online advising manual; know what is required for students to maintain good academic standing
• Maintain a reasonable number of office hours as outlined in the faculty handbook
• Help students explore a variety of possible majors and make appropriate major choices
• Help students plan their academic programs
• Provide honest, realistic, sensitive feedback on students’ performance
• Offer students information on curricular options
• Help students evaluate graduate school and career choices
• Know about and make referrals to support services as appropriate
• Maintain accurate records of meetings with advisees  

Advisers, together with the Registrars Office, exercise all possible care in checking students’ records for graduation. However, it is the sole responsibility of the student to fulfill all requirements for a degree. Advisers may provide advice and referrals related to academic, career, and life concerns. The Academic Resource Center (ARC), located in the Vogel Library, top floor, provides information on working effectively with your academic adviser and on support services.

Academic Advising Tools for Faculty

Academic Success Workshops
The Academic Resource Center will be offering new specialized workshops this year in order to assist faculty and staff with providing valuable information and resources to our students. These workshops can be scheduled for classes or specific groups of students that faculty and staff feel can benefit from the selected information. The Academic Resource Center is also offering flexible times and locations where these workshops can be presented if needed. The Academic Resource Center will be offering multiple workshops, with the option of creating specialized workshops at the request of faculty and staff. 

ARC Overview
The ARC Overview, success session will inform students, faculty, and staff about the services that are being offered by the Academic Resource Center (ARC). The purpose of this workshop is to pass the information on to participants about the faculty and staff on campus that have valuable resources to offer. This workshop not only talks about the services that are available within the ARC, but also throughout campus. By the end of the session participants will know the current contact points for numerous resources that can assist students with success at Wartburg College.

Academic Writing
The Academic Writing, success session will educate students on the basic information required to begin the process of submitting college level, academic, writing materials. The information offered will include topics like writing, organization, research, citations, bibliographies, etc. By the conclusion of the workshop or session students will gain valuable information, tips, and resources that will assist them in beginning the steps to becoming a better academic writer.

Working in Groups (Teamwork)
The Working in groups (Teamwork), success session will examine the value of teamwork and effectively working with other students during group work and class projects. This workshop will focus on the guidelines of working in groups, as well as the benefits of teamwork and students working together to achieve a common goal. By the end of this workshop, students will begin the process of understanding the benefits of teamwork and working in groups academically.

Time Management
The Time Management success session will provide students with skills to jumpstart their ability to manage their time within their academic career. This session will focus on topics such as prioritization, organization, planning, communication, reliability, and motivational strategies as well as emphasizing the importance of self-care. Following this session students will be able to identify the best time management technique for them, prioritize what is important in their schedules, and identify their procrastination behaviors as well as strategies to avoid these behaviors.

Note Taking
The Note Taking success session will provide students with the proper note-taking skills depending on the type of course they are involved in. This session will focus on specific note-taking systems, how to identify important topics, and how to structure notes for effective learning. Following this session students will be able to identify what note taking strategy works best for their learning style, connect information to their way of thinking and how to structure their notes for the best outcome.

Stress Management
The Stress Management success session will provide students with skills to effectively manage their stress. This session will focus on topics such as recognizing positive and negative stress, coping mechanisms, mindfulness and how to prioritize self-care as well as avoiding procrastination. Following this session students will be able to identify positive and negative stress, utilize proper coping mechanisms, create stress management goals, and practice mindfulness.

Other Workshop Topics

• Goal setting
• Test performance
• Speech

Wartburg College provides reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities in order to provide equal access to programs, housing, services and opportunities offered by the college.  Accommodations are individualized, confidential and based upon both the nature of the disability and the classroom or program requirements.  To receive accommodations, students must provide valid and current documentation supporting such disability.

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an internationally recognized academic success program. SI is a voluntary program that offers free, regularly scheduled study sessions for traditionally difficult courses. SI sessions are lead by current Wartburg undergraduate students who have successfully completed the course.

Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions are offered ONLY with the support of the course’s instructor. The following is expected of the faculty member in support of SI sessions for their course:

• Cooperate with the SI Supervisor in selecting candidates for SI Leader positions
• Provide a copy of the course roster to the SI Leader or SI Supervisor
• Work with academic department to provide SI Leader access to textbook and other appropriate course materials as needed
• Allow the SI Leader time to connect with the class at the beginning of the term and end of the term regarding scheduling and surveys, as well as an allowance to make any other necessary announcements
• Meet briefly with your SI Leader once a week. The purpose of these meetings is to provide mutual communication regarding:– Items you want him/her to work on with those attending SI sessions– Sharing study session plans and going over copies of review materials– Providing feedback on the quality of his/her study materials and/or activities
• Let SI Leaders know whether or not you have old exams or study guides he/she may want to use for developing review materials and/or session strategies/activities—these should only be used to help develop session materials and logistics
• Expect the SI Leader to act as a model student in the class (not a teaching assistant)
• Avoid suggesting that only those who do poorly will benefit from the SI sessions

Testing space is reserved for students who have qualified for accommodations (determined by ARC staff), or where English is not the primary language of the student (determined by faculty). All efforts will be made to accommodate every student’s testing needs. There is no guarantee that testing space will be available at the exact time it is requested. Therefore, advance notification is essential if ARC is to be utilized for test administration.