Policies

Revised Policy on Undergraduate Academic Advising

Overview

In order to comply with ABET accreditation guidelines; the CEIE Department is instituting a new advising policy. The new policy will affect all CEIE undergraduate students. Beginning in spring 2008, every undergraduate student is required to seek advising at least once a year. To facilitate this, a hold will be placed on student registration, which will not be lifted until advising is completed. Formal advising is offered either during the spring semester (for fall registration) or during the fall semester (for spring registration). Students are required to talk to a faculty adviser about your degree progress and plan of study. Following the advising session, the adviser will lift the hold and the student will be allowed to register.

For advising purposes, students are split into two groups with one half of students receiving advising in the spring and the other half receiving advising in the fall.

• For fall registration, academic advising is required for freshman, sophomores, and juniors whose last name starts with letters A through L.
• For spring registration, academic advising is required for freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniorswhose last name starts with letters M through Z.
• Advising for graduating seniors and graduate students is available, but not required.

Students will not be able to register for courses unless the applicable advising hold is lifted. Each of the CEIE faculty is available for advising during the 2 weeks prior to the commencement of the registration period. For fall 2008, advising begins on March 31. On average each student is expected to need 15 min for advising. Each of the regular CEIE faculty (Drs. Arciszewski, Bronzini, Casey, deMonasabert, Flannery, Urgessa, and Venigalla) will post an advising appointment sheet on his/her door. Please sign-up at your convenient time with any of these advisers.

Students are warned not to procrastinate or neglect the advising requirement. You may not able to register for the section and timing of your preference. Worse, the classes may even be full. If you have any questions in this regard, contact your adviser.

Student Advising Files

Each past and present BSCIE student has an advising file which is kept in the CEIE Department main office. This advising file is a permanent record which includes a plan of study, records of advising sessions between student and adviser, and any supporting documentation (transcripts, waivers, substitutions, etc.) relevant to the student.

At the advising session, the faculty adviser will discuss the student’s progress in the BSCIE program and document any changes to the plan of study. Following the session, the faculty member will return the student’s file to the CEIE main office. At that time, the Department administrative assistant will lift the advising hold for the student. Please allow 24-48 hours for the access to be granted and for the PatriotWeb system to update.

What to bring to an advising session

Students must bring two items with them to the advising session. These items are mandatory. The adviser may refuse to see the student without these items:

1. Printed copy of unofficial transcript printed from PatriotWeb self-service.
2. Detailed Degree Evaluation printed from PatriotWeb self-service.

If you are unsure of how to print these items, please contact the ITU Support Center at 703-993- 8870.

Student Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Q: Why this change? What happened to the old advising policy?
   A: The old advising policy (2007) linked advising to certain "milestone" classes in the CEIE program. Unfortunately, that system did not enforce all the pre-requisites listed in the catalog and did not ensure advising on a regular schedule. The new policy is designed to make sure that all students see an adviser at least once a year and to keep students on track in the program.
   
2. Q: What is a hold?
   A: A hold is a block to all registration activity managed by the registrar. Holds may be placed for a number of reasons including academic advising, parking fines, student accounts, health immunizations, etc. Even if a student receives mandatory advising, there may still be other holds on their record that the CEIE department does not control. The student is ultimately responsible for meeting all their obligations so that registration holds may be lifted.
3. Q: When can I seek advising?
4. A: Advising is available anytime of the year by appointment. Formal advising is offered either during the spring semester (for fall registration) or during the fall semester (for spring registration). Students are required to receive advising once per year.
5. Q: I want to register for a summer course but there is an Academic Advising Hold on my record. What do I do?
   A: A hold, whether academic or another kind, blocks all registration activity. If you are considering taking a summer class, please see a CEIE adviser to discuss your summer and fall registration plans. At that time, the hold can be lifted for both summer and fall registration.
6. Q: How do I access my transcript?
   A: Your unofficial academic transcript is available through PatriotWeb self-service. You must print a copy of this before meeting with an adviser. It should list both past and in-progress grades.
7. Q: What is a degree evaluation?
   A: A degree evaluation is a software function in PatriotWeb that allows students to compare their course work to date with the degree requirements of their program. It will clearly show which requirements have and have not been met. A “Detailed Degree Evaluation” must be generated and printed before meeting with a CEIE adviser.
8. Q: Who is my adviser?
   A: The CEIE Department does not assign specific advisers to students. The student is free to pick an adviser with whom they feel comfortable or one with similar interest areas. Advising will generally be provided during faculty office hours. Students may also seek advising from faculty members who are available at a time convenient to their schedule. 9.
9. Q: Should I schedule an appointment?
   A: Yes. Faculty will post “sign-up sheets” on their doors where students can request advising appointments during the fall and spring formal advising periods. You may send email to faculty to request an appointment or to arrange a time in person or by phone. Do not leave advising to the last minute. The seeking of advising in a timely manner is your responsibility.
10. Q: One of my professors told me that I could register for the class if I just send him/her an email. Does this meet the advising requirement?
    A: No. Only in-person advising sessions are allowed with regular faculty members (Arciszewski, Bronzini, Casey, deMonsabert, Flannery, Houck, Urgessa, or Venigalla).
11. Q: Can I see the contents of my advising file?
    A: Yes. The advising file is your permanent record in the CEIE Department. It is used to track your progress through the BSCIE program and will be used during the degree audit process in your senior year. You are encouraged to be aware of its contents and to make sure it contains any documentation needed to support transfers, waivers, substitutions, etc.
12. Q: I attended my advising session. How long does it take for the academic advising hold to be lifted?
    A: The hold should be lifted in 1-2 business days after advising is complete.