College of the Great Smoky Mountains - Southwestern Community College, serving Jackson, Macon,  and Swain Counties and Cherokee/ Qually Boundary






 

 

 

 

 

 
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posted 11/7/08

Prerequsite/Corequisite Checking in Colleague

The Prerequsite/Corequisite Checking in Colleague will be active for Pre-Registration, starting November 17, 2008. Information on this feature is available here.

No Paper Registration or Drop/Add Forms Needed Until Classes Begin

The Registrar announced that paper registration forms and drop/add forms are no longer required prior to the first day of classes each semester. You may complete registrations and drop/adds in Colleague without paper documentation until classes begin.

Once classes begin, advisors are required to complete paper registration and drop/add forms. Completed, signed forms should be sent to the Registrar. Contact the Registrar for more information.

Degree Audit

The Degree Audit feature is available in Colleague. The Degree Audit feature allows Colleague users to check a student's progress in a major program and graduation readiness. Using Degree Audit Manual (.doc file).

Printing in Web Advisor

With a recent upgrade, you can use the print button within the frame in Web Advisor. Use this button to print, rather than the browser print button for best results. 

Physics 110 and Lab

Students registeringfor PHY 110 must also take PHY 110A. Students can not mix the online sections with the face-to-face sessions. Both classes have to have the same format.


posted 11/22/06
Best Practices in Advising:

The advising experience for SCC students is vast. Some students provide us with advising feedback that sings the praises of their advisors while other students look at us in puzzlement and ask, “What advisor?” or even worse, share experiences with advisor misinformation which have led to students missing academic opportunities or failing to meet graduation requirements on time.

On November 3, 2007, a group of SCC faculty and staff came together to discuss the goal of creating some form of consistency with regards to the advising experience, and to identify reasonable expectations for the advising folder.

Whether an electronic or hard copy advising folder is maintained, the expectation is that a folder exist for each advisee. The following information is a result of the meeting and is endorsed by all attendees as a “Best Practices” model for the SCC advising folder.

» more info
» Student Profile form


posted 6/26/06

Advanced Advising 401 ~ Developmental & Curriculum
Since open access has always been a pillar of the community college, it is up to advisors to best align students’ chances for success by focusing on an advising model which gives us the tools to better determine the true academic readiness of SCC students. Having a picture of our students’ academic strengths and weaknesses (in addition to understanding the on-going issues/barriers of the traditional community college student) gives us the foundation to say, “We are here to advise you and to do what we can to provide academic and personal resources for you to be successful.” >> read more


posted 5/22/06

Advising Talks ~ Spring 2006

The Learning College Quest and the waiving of class attendance. <view .pdf>

In the fall of 2004, faculty at SCC identified the top five factors for student success. To no surprise, “Participating in your learning experience” was identified as one of the top five student success factors.

A few weeks ago, we heard Sandy Shugart address the foundations of a Learning College and again, to no surprise, ENGAGEMENT was an important theme. To state it specifically, Sandy said, “The first minute of the first class should be a memorable teaching moment for the student.”

As SCC embarks on a quest to work towards the Principles of a Learning College, and as we frame our conversations around LEARNING and the CULTURE OF EVIDENCE to support learning, we must consider the impact engagement and participation will play on our students with disabilities. I am referring to the waiving/flexibility of class attendance/ENGAGEMENT as a reasonable accommodation. I think we all agree that missing class is NOT learning centered.

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has found that attendance can be an essential aspect of a course; however, OCR also states that we must evaluate each request on an individual basis. So, in the wake of moving towards a Learning College Culture, how do we make the decision that attending class is not an essential standard when participation and engagement are at the heart of a Learning College? Here are a few questions you can ask yourself when deciding if missing class is truly affecting learning or not. The questions were presented by Larry Sharp in Disability Compliance for Higher Education; vol. 11 issue, 10

1) Is the absence a direct result of the student’s disability?
2) Does the faculty member consider attendance essential to the course?
3) Is it reasonable to deny the attendance accommodation?
4) Is the attendance policy equally applied?


In determining the essential aspects of the class, consider the following questions:

1) Is there a substantial amount of classroom interaction between the instructor and students and among students?
2) Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
3) Does the fundamental nature of the course rely upon student participation as an essential method of learning?
4) To what degree does the student’s failure to attend constitute a significant loss to the instructional experience of other students in the class?
5) What does the course description or syllabus state?
6) What is the method by which the final course grade is calculated?
7) What are classroom practices and policies regarding attendance?

Regardless of the presence of a disability, the ultimate LEARNING COLLEGE question is, “If a student does not attend class, how is the attendance/ENGAGEMENT replicated?” In the presence of a disability, the important thing to remember is that your classroom policy surrounding attendance/ENGAGEMENT must be defendable but it may also need to be bendable.


. . posted 1/27/06

Academic Advising 101

The fall semester grades are in and now is an excellent time to see if any of your advisees qualify for Academic Forgiveness!

As a refresher - Students can submit a request for academic forgiveness if they meet the following criteria:
Must have experienced a lapse in enrollment at SCC for a minimum of 24 months or two academic terms; Upon returning, a minimum of twelve semester hours of curriculum courses must be completed with a GPA of 3.00 or greater; the request for forgiveness should be submitted during the subsequent semester (excluding summer) after the 12 semester hours have been completed. Requests should be submitted to Dr. Couch.



. . posted 12/8/05

Tribal Education Assistance to Cherokee students - effective Spring 2006
This is a 3-page summary of the changes and the impact these changes will have on students attending SCC. This summary was developed after two lengthy meetings with representatives from Tribal Ed.
1. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either Phil Weast or Jan Smith.
2. If you identify a Cherokee student having difficulties with the new guidelines, please refer them to either Phil Weast or Jan Smith.
Tribal Ed changes (.pdf)
Sept 30, 2005 - Advior Training - General thoughts about Crosswalk
  What you missed . .


. . posted 11/3/05

SACS has recently cleared up the question about introductory foreign language classes as HUM
  Answer: 'elementary' language courses can not count as first HUM requirement in a program . Higher level language classes could count (because they would incorporate more culture, history, literature, etc), but the 100-level classes are considered to be too skills-focused to be accepted as the only HUM in a program, i.e in all of our current AAS (not AA degrees) programs. If we ever were to have AAS programs that require two HUM electives, then language could count as the second course. SACS does encourage AAS programs to consider language courses, but they would need to be under "other required hours," not HUM.
Suggestions for improving your availability to students
 

Have you ever arrived at a local business and found the door locked and a note that reads, “Be back in 20 minutes.”? Are you frustrated because you don’t know when they left? Is the 20 minutes just starting, or is it about to be over? Or try this one—you go to the business and find the OPEN sign clearly being displayed, the door is locked and no explanatory sign? You will find suggestions below for improving your availability to students. Pick and choose among them as you see fit. (more info)

Updated information about what's new with the SAT Program
  check out - www.collegeboard.com/highered/ra/sat/sat.html
 
. . posted 3/31/03
Advising for Web-Centered Success - (March 31, 2003 training session
   

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Last updated 11/18/08


   
   
 
 
 
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