Student feedback is welcome to ensure a better experience.
By Emily Garcia
egarcia1009@student.alamo.edu
By visiting with an adviser after receiving an early alert, it helps the advisers pinpoint what needs improvement by the student to succeed in a course, said Leticia Adams, creative and communication arts advising team lead, March 27.
Students who visit with their advisers regularly get the benefit of finding out what issues may prevent them from passing a course and receive advice on how to be successful in a course, said Jennifer Correa, creative and communication arts adviser.
“When an alert is sent out to a student, it does send them an email letting them know that we have been advised about how they’re doing in their courses,” Correa said.
Correa said the advising center does not see as many students as it would like to.
“For instance, the last early alert that was sent out, I only had about six appointments out of about 20 students who were sent an early alert,” Correa said.
After receiving an early alert, it is an important time for the student and the adviser to come together to devise an academic plan for the student so that the student can complete their courses by the end of the semester, Adams said.
“By meeting with an adviser for an early alert, it also allows the student to ask any other general questions they might have with regard to classes, degree planning and transferring,” Adams said. “So it really is an all-encompassing advising session.”
Adams was unaware if students face consequences by not visiting with an adviser after receiving an early alert.
According to the Texas Higher Coordinating Board’s 2017-2030 enrollment forecast, there were 18,674 students enrolled at the college in 2016. The predicted amount of students enrolled in 2017 is 18,851.
There are eight advisors on the first floor of Moody Learning Center.
Students choose to not visit with advisers because they feel advisers do not know enough about their degree to be helpful.
Forensic science sophomore Isaiah Stewart has visited advising twice since enrolling in courses at this college.
“The advisers were not very helpful to me because the first time I went they did not tell me which classes to take so I ended up taking the wrong classes my first semester,” Stewart said. “I do not think they pushed me toward the right classes I should take based on the career path I want to follow.”
Stewart has found the GPS program on Alamo Aces to be more helpful in picking courses rather than speaking to an adviser.
Adams is open to student feedback about advising to improve the experience for students.
“I really want to just impart the desire that we have for advising and the importance that we hold truly in our hearts as advisers to maintain that excellent level of advising for students,” Adams said. “In any way, form or fashion that we can receive feedback from the students to ensure that we are doing our job properly, then we welcome it.”
Advising is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday on the first floor of Moody Learning Center. The center remains open until 7 p.m. Tuesdays.
The center can be reached at 210-486-0334 or sac-advising@alamo.edu.
