Academic Reviews: A Case Study
The end of the fall semester is right around the corner and it's the perfect time to check in with your advisees. One of the most effective ways of doing so is with an academic review. This edition of the Advising Essentials will describe the importance of academic reviews, provide instructions for how you can create them in Starfish, and review a case study.

If you are interested in more training on this topic, the DUS advisers have two training opportunities that you can attend.
  • December 17 from 3:30-4:30pm in Hammermill 143: Attend this session to learn how to review students' grades and schedules in order to proactively address issues/concerns. Sign up here.
  • January 8 between 10am and noon in Burke 176: Stop by any time you are able and stay as long as you'd like! During this open lab time, we will assist you with locating the information in LionPATH, creating the review in Starfish, and working through the specific scenarios your students are in. This is a great time to complete the academic reviews for your students. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP here.
What is an Academic Review?
In your advising role, you might work with students who are at the beginning of their Penn State journey, at the end, or anywhere in between. To meet the needs of your advisees and ensure they are all making progress toward their goals, you can complete an academic review.

The main purpose of an academic review is to give the adviser an opportunity to check in on each advisee. Doing so will allow the adviser to assess the student's progress and provide recommendations for future academic planning. In the case of a student who is doing well, receiving an academic review from their adviser can serve as extra validation that they are on the right track to meet their goals. For students who might not be doing well, this provides the adviser with an opportunity to intervene and help the student recover from any missteps.

An academic review can check:
  • Academic standing (good standing, academic warning, academic suspension, etc)
  • Progress toward completing entrance to major requirements
  • Repeated course maximums
  • Pre-requisites
  • Graduation requirements
  • Progress toward general education requirements
  • Transfer credits
  • Upcoming schedule

Academic reviews are a great way to ensure students are working toward their goals in an effective manner, which will help with retention and overall student success.
Creating an Academic Review in Starfish
Starfish has a specific academic review function. This allows you to create a note in the student's academic record that is visible to you and other University personnel. If you are new to using Starfish, there are video tutorials and step-by-step guides here . To create an academic review in Starfish:
A Case Study
The best way to understand an academic review is by doing one. Below is an example student with information from LionPATH. If you are unsure of how to access this information or how to use LionPATH for an academic review, the DUS advisers are more than happy to provide assistance.
While an academic review can touch on many topics, there should be three basic sections for each: a review of the previous semester, a review of the student's upcoming schedule, and a review of their progress toward their goals (entrance to major, graduation, etc.).

Alex is in her third semester. She is currently in the Behrend business pre-major, but based on your conversations with her this semester you know she is planning on majoring in Business Economics. When reviewing her performance from this past semester, you notice that she earned a 3.15 GPA and did well in her classes. You notice that her upcoming schedule is only 12 credits. While this is technically the minimum number of credits needed to be a full-time student, students are encouraged to take between 15 and 17 credits each semester to work toward a timely graduation. A review of her entrance to major requirements reveals that she only has one class left before she can declare her major: ACCTG 211. This would be an excellent addition to her spring schedule.

An academic review for Alex could look something like this:

Hi Alex,

As your academic adviser, I review your grades and progress each semester. I hope that the assessments and recommendations I have provided in the Academic Review below will assist you in making decisions and taking appropriate actions for the upcoming semester.

Grades: Great job this fall!

Schedule: You currently have scheduled: CAS 100B, THEA 100, METEO 5, ECON 302. This is an appropriate schedule based on your goal of majoring in Business Economics, but it is only 12 credits.

Recommendations: I would recommend adding ACCTG 211 to your spring schedule because it is your last entrance to major requirement and it will bring you up to 16 credits. Let's meet early in the semester to discuss your timeline for declaring your major.

Hope you are having a great break! Please feel free to reach out to me to discuss your goals and the recommendations I provided.

Sincerely,
Adviser


For a comprehensive checksheet of what you could include in an Academic Review and how it can be formatted, visit this issue of the Advising Essentials in the ACPC archive.
As always, the DUS advisers are happy to answer any questions or concerns you might have. Please email askacpc@psu.edu or call 814-898-6164.

We hope the end of your semester goes smoothly. See you in the spring!