Suggestions for Using iAdvise

iAdvise contains a comments section which allows an advisor the opportunity to provide notes to document significant interactions and communications with a student.

Notes in iAdvise are intended to create a comprehensive perspective on a student’s interests, degree pursuit questions and concerns by documenting the advice and support various faculty and staff have provided in addressing those concerns. The comments section of iAdvise can be used for notes summarizing face-to-face meetings as well as emails.

Most routine interactions can be effectively documented with a few specifically worded sentences. This applies to registration meetings and other conversations regarding degree pursuit. Notes are especially helpful when they include:

• Specific courses recommended for registration (HIS124 rather than F4)
• Specific recommendations for dealing with academic issues raised in progress reports
• Cautionary advice about avoiding course(s) that may be too difficult or avoiding extremely challenging schedule designs( E.g., six course loads)
• Recommendations to meet with other faculty or staff including the names of those who the student has been told to contact
• Instructions involving deadlines or dates
• Suggestions for further advisement such as seeing a chair or program director for another major or minor
• Recommendations for using the tutoring center, the Griff Center, the mentoring program
• Conversations regarding courses at another college

Non-routine interactions may require more cautiously detailed notes. It admittedly can be challenging to determine language to use in sensitive situations. It certainly is reasonable to use language which can be somewhat broadly interpreted if you believe that you are representing information the student may not want shared with everyone who has access. (Jason is dealing with “some significant personal issues” rather than “the loss of his best friend to cancer”.)

Emails can be very helpful when added to iAdvise. A high percentage of our interactions with students occur via email and these exchanges are as important as summaries of face to face meetings. In cases where you are adding an email to iAdvise it is helpful to include the email heading with date/time stamp. Lengthy email exchanges can be made more readable if each email is pasted into an individual window.

iAdvise Griff Center Review

Jennifer Herrmann, Associate Dean for Student Success, and Tracy Callaghan Associate Dean for Academic Success