Advising Essentials: Academic Reviews
As a faculty adviser, completing an academic review for each of your advisees can have a great impact. According to Academic Advising Approaches :

“Between semesters is the…critical time [to reach out to students] because underprepared or at-risk students may have a higher tendency of dropping out of college, making advisor contact especially important between terms. Poor grades, family responsibilities, financial obligations, and lack of contact with the university might lead to feelings of isolation and losing sight of college plans. Contact with an advisor could keep the relationship strong while the student is off campus”
(Varney, 148).

Not only do academic reviews increase student connectedness and retention, they also allow advisers to check on the academic progress their advisees are making. The adviser can look at a student's record and ask: Is this student on-track for their intended major? What information does this student need to know prior to the next semester? How can I better support this student?

This issue of the Advising Essentials will answer:

  • What should an academic review look like?
  • What information should be included in an academic review?
  • What tools are used to create an academic review?
What does an academic review look like?
Academic reviews can take many forms; how you create your academic review will depend on your advising style and the needs of your students.

Generally, academic reviews consist of five sections: salutation, review of grades, review of next semester's schedule, recommendations/reminders, and adviser contact information.

  • Salutation: In this section, you have the opportunity to set the tone with a friendly greeting. This is also a great place to introduce the concept of an academic review and why the student should view it as important.

  • Review of grades: Use LionPATH to view the student's grades from the previous semester and make a comment about them. If the grades are above average, a congratulations message will provide the student with support and encouragement. If the grades are not on-par for the major the student is considering, this is an opportunity to let the student know that they will need to make improvements for future semesters.

  • Review of next semester's schedule: Use LionPATH to view the courses the student has scheduled for the next semester. Are they appropriate for the major the student is considering? If you think a student needs to make scheduling adjustments, describe them in detail so the student can make those changes as soon as possible.

  • Recommendations/reminders: This section can provide the student with any additional information that you feel the student needs to know. Possible topics could include: entrance to major information and/or reminder to declare their major, notification of academic warning status, referrals to appropriate resources, explanation of graduation requirements, language deficiency, date reminders for the upcoming semester (ex: drop/add dates, late drop deadline, etc.).

  • Adviser contact information: Providing contact information in this section allows the student to follow up if necessary. This could be based on your preferences for student communication and your availability between semesters.

To ensure your academic reviews are thorough and efficient, it is helpful to create a check sheet and email templates for common scenarios. The DUS advisers created a check sheet and templates that they use, which can be found here . Feel free to use them in their entirety or alter them based on the needs of your students.
Using LionPATH to complete an academic review
To review a student's grades and upcoming schedule, you can use the Advisor Center in LionPATH.

Once in the Advisor Center, select the student you are completing an academic review for. This will take you to the student's Advisee Student Center. On this homescreen, be sure to check if the student has any holds on the righthand side; they will be listed in the "Holds" box. If a student has a hold on their account, you can include that in your academic review and provide information on how they can resolve that hold.

Once you have checked the student's holds, select the academics tab at the top of the page as seen here:
The Academics tab will default to the next semester's information. Be sure to select "Fall 2018" on the lefthand side to view the student's grades for the fall semester. This will give you the student's grade in each class, their semester GPA, and their cumulative GPA.

Once you have reviewed their performance from the previous semester, select "Spring 2019" from the list on the left. This will list all of the courses the student is currently enrolled in or has wait listed. It will also calculate the number of credits the student has scheduled for the spring semester. From this screen, you are able to assess the student's coursework and determine if it is appropriate for their goals.

Other information can be found in LionPATH that you might include in the academic review. To find this information, you might use: Degree Audit (What-If Report or Academic Requirements), Academic Background, Transfer Credit Report, Course History, etc. For tutorials on how to access and use this information, please use the link below.
Using Starfish to complete an academic review
Academic reviews should be sent to students via Starfish. Sending it though Starfish makes the academic review part of the student's official record and it can be referenced in the future.

Starfish has two options for communicating with students: messages and notes. If you send a student a message, that message is only viewable in the student's record by you. If you send a student a note, anyone can view that information in the student's record. For the purpose of academic reviews, it is best practice to send the student a note.

Sending a note is similar to sending an email: there is a subject line and content in the body of the note. When sending the student a note, it is imperative to click the box next to "Send Copy of Note to Student." If this box is not clicked, the note will remain in the student's Starfish record but it will not send it to them in an email. Selecting the box will ensure that the student will receive an email from Starfish Solutions that contains your message.

Please use the links below for additional information.
The DUS advisers in the ACPC are happy to answer any questions you have about academic reviews.

Please call the ACPC (814-898-6164) to speak with an adviser. The advisers will be available Monday through Friday from 8am until 5pm, excluding the week of campus closure from Dec. 24 - Jan. 1.

Thank you,

The ACPC Advisers