Advising Syllabus

BGSU Honors advisors strive to challenge and support students to become independent and engaged citizens who are able to take responsibility for achieving lifelong educational, personal, and career goals.

The Role of Advising**

Effective advising fosters critical thinking and informed decision making which supports meaningful living in a global society. Like teaching, advising is a learning-centered process that challenges students to:

• clarify attainable goals;
• create effective strategies to realize personal, academic, and career expectations;
• foster independence and accountability that results from accessing and utilizing accurate information.

**Adapted from NACADA resources

Students generally have at least two advisors their first year - an Honors Advisor and an Academic Advisor. Students should meet with their Academic Advisor (Faculty Mentor for upperclass students) to discuss semester schedules, register for classes, adjust graduation plans, and change major or minors.

Students meet with an Honors Advisor for questions about graduating with University Honors, including:

• searching for Honors classes;
• Locating and completing the experiential learning opportunity process;
• planning the Honors Project (i.e., registration, topic choice, and selecting faculty advisors);
• completing mid-term HNRS 4980 and HNRS 4990 checkpoints;
• developing strategies for successfully completing Honors requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes for the Honors Advising Experience

Through the advising experience in the Honors College:

• Students will demonstrate the ability to make independent and effective decisions concerning their degree and career goals.
• Students will take ownership to develop an educational plan for successfully achieving their goals and select courses each semester to progress toward fulfilling that educational plan.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the value of the general education requirements.
• Students will utilize the resources and services on campus to assist them in achieving their academic, personal, and career goals.
• Students will make use of referrals to campus resources as needed. This includes developing relationships with academic advisors, faculty mentors, and other campus offices.
• Students will be able to accurately read and effectively utilize DARS Reports, a degree audit system, in their educational planning.
• Students will graduate in a timely manner based on their educational plan.

Advisee Responsibilities

As an advisee, you have clear responsibilities in the advising partnership in order to be successful:

• Schedule regular appointments or make regular contact with both your Academic Advisor and Honors Advisor each semester;
• Attend each appointment prepared with questions or material for discussion;
• Be an active learner by participating fully in the advising experience;
• Keep a personal record of your progress toward meeting your goals;
• Organize official documents in a way that enables you to easily access when needed;
• Complete all recommendations from your advising team;
• Gather all relevant decision-making information;
• Clarify personal values and goals, and provide advisor with accurate information regarding your interests and abilities;
• Become knowledgeable about college programs, policies, and procedures;
• Become your own self-advocate;
• Invest completely in the educational process;
• Accept responsibility for your decisions.

Advisor Responsibilities

As an advisor, I will be expected to:

• Understand and effectively communicate the requirements to graduate with University Honors;
• Encourage and support students as they gain the skills to develop clear and attainable educational plans;
• Provide students with information about and strategies for utilizing the available resources and services on campus;
• Assist students in understanding the purposes and goals of higher education and its effects on their lives and personal goals;
• Be accessible for meeting with advisees via phone, email, or teleconference access;
• Assist students in developing a plan for completing their Honors Project;
• Maintain confidentiality.