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.” >>
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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. |
