A Navigate U Phased Project
Academic Advising for Students-in-Transition
Overview
The phases below outline the steps that academic advising can implement to support students transitioning from one degree program to another. An intentional plan will enable the University to ensure that students are effectively and efficiently served as they navigate their degrees—holistically, this means that every student meets with an advisor each semester from start to finish. This guide will enable all advising units on campus to collaborate and break down silos that students often encounter when switching from one program to another. By clarifying and structuring this process, we are removing barriers that frequently impede a student's pathway to completion.
Phase I - by September 1, 2024
- Navigate U will provide a structured workflow for departmental advisors to refer students to another major. This workflow will include a detailed referral from the sending major to the receiving major, an outreach from the receiving major to the student, and the opportunity for the student to book a transition appointment with an advisor representing the new major.
- The Academic Advising Standards Council (AASC) will share standards for the referral process and identify topics for ongoing advisor trainings.
Phase II – check in point to validate plan by March 3, 2025; full launch by July 1, 2025
- Based on guidance from the AASC, the Academic Advising Center will enhance campus-wide training to address transition advising, parallel planning, managing difficult conversations, and decision-making theory.
- Within 4-year plans, develop degree milestones or success markers to track students’ progress and viability in their degree program. Navigate U will be used to identify and connect with students who miss these success markers and are at risk of not succeeding in the major.
- Through cross-campus collaboration, Colleges/Schools will implement, research-based practices to improve the student experience when rejected from a (closed) major.
- Institutional data and ongoing analyses will continue to shape policy revisions (e.g., declaration of major, etc.), enhanced support, or reduction of other barriers during major transition
Resources
How Late is Too Late?: Myths and Facts About the Consequences of Switching College Majors