Advising Students

There's no single best way to advise students, the situations in which advice is appropriate vary too much as do the participants.  What follows therefore is one individual's take on some common situations and resources.

When in doubt - Ask Advice Yourself

Since advising is an area with consequences for mistakes, my first recommendation is:  When in doubt, ask.  Depending on the situation here are some of the resources that might be useful:

Situation	Resources	Comment
Course Content	Your colleagues Subject librarians	Self-evident, but worth remembering
Academic Advising	Departmental Advisors Student Resource Center (SRC)	Most departments have both faculty and/or staff members assigned to advising.  They're invaluable. The SRC has lists of advisors as well as many general advising resources and forms.
Teaching & Learning	Drexel Center for Academic Excellence (DCAE)	This resource is for faculty, not students, but you can get advice on handling many student issues there.
Student Personal Problems	Student Life Services	Many, many services to which you can refer students - It's amazing how many students aren't aware of the services - almost all of which are "free". I generally refer students rather than deal with tough situations.  In crises I've physically walked a student to the specific resource - e.g. counseling center.
Financial Problems	Financial Aid	Drexel goes a long way to try and help in the many situations in which students find themselves.  I generally refer students rather than try to give specific advice on this very complex area.
Judicial Problems	Office of Student Conduct	This is the office that becomes involved in cases of academic dishonesty and serious behavioral problems.  They can help you determine what the right steps might be.

 

Student Privacy

Remember that under federal law students are essentially regarded as adults with full privacy rights.  These rights and the policies that address them are mostly determined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy (FERPA) Policy. 

My (emphatically non-official) summary is don't communicate with anyone outside the university about a student without prior written permission from the student.  This specifically includes not talking to families, however concerned they may be.  It is, however, OK to discuss academic issues with colleagues and advising staff.  There are refinements to this, so ask before committing. 

Jim Mitchell