U. changes course selection, academic advising system for upperclassmen

The University recently implemented the Department Academic Planning Form as the new system through which rising juniors and seniors across all departments select fall courses and meet with academic advisors, according to Christina Davis, faculty chair of the Wilson School's Undergraduate Program.

Davis explained that the DAPF system is currently being used in residential colleges by underclassman, but in April the system will be transferred to upperclassmen to replace the Course Enrollment Worksheet. The Course Enrollment Worksheet is the current system for academic planning that juniors and seniors use.

Associate Dean of the College Rebekah Massengill, who oversees undergraduate curriculum and undergraduate announcement, declined to comment.

According to Davis, the DAPF system had already been in effect under the Wilson School for three years. The system was implemented when the Wilson School changed its selection process to allow open enrollment for anyone who wanted to major in the department.

Davis explained that the system was initially designed for the Wilson School majors because of the the difficulty of keeping track of the distribution requirements.

“It really made it easier for us to advise students about how they could meet their requirements given what was available each semester,” she said.

Davis added that the Wilson School worked closely with the Office of the Registrar to design a selection process where students could select their courses and make appointments with their faculty advisor.

“That process has worked very well for us and now it’s great that the registrar’s office is doing something similar University-wide, in terms of helping students meet with their departmental representative to get advising on course enrollment,” Davis said.

Monica Ruscil, the undergraduate program manager and director of Career Services, had sent the email to currentjunior class. The email explained that the DAPF allows students to view their degree progress by showing the departmental requirements that they have completed, in addition to student’s academic plans for the upcoming term.

Ruscil deferred comment to Davis.

Abby Jean-Baptiste ’18 noted that she had to complete the paper Course Enrollment Worksheet in her freshman year, which she said felt more like a final submission, whereas the online version seemed more conducive to changes during the add/drop period.

Julia Selignan ’18 added that although the online versionallows individuals to see more overlap between different courses students may want to take, it was not very “user friendly.”

Stacey Park '17 said that she thinks the paper version may be more efficient in facilitating an advisor response, because in her experience, there is a certain lag time that is added when communicating online. Park noted that for underclassmen the advisor approval is less of a necessity, because the advisors are assigned per residential college and may not align with the student's interests, whereas upperclassmen are assigned advisors from their chosen departments and have to be more cautious of their departmental requirements.

Katie Glockner '16 added that she prefers a system where an advisor is more optional. She noted that they can be an important resource if students are unsure of what courses to take or requirements to fulfill, but for those who are certain of what they wanted to do, it was an added stress to meet with her advisor.

"I feel like it saves time for you and your advisor if there's no required in-person meeting," she noted.

Davis noted that the DAPF really helps advisors and college offices monitor student progress in completing course requirements.

"Having all of this done online so that we can see it centralized in our undergraduate program office and registrar’s office allows more coordination across the different University offices to ensure that everyone is going forward on completing their different University requirements,” he said.