Undergraduate Advising Center
Administration Building 116
Email: sbadvise@iu.edu
Phone: 574-520-4550
Advising Syllabus
WHAT IS AN ADVISING SYLLABUS?
Like a syllabus for a class, an advising syllabus lays out learning objectives, the relationship between an advisor and their students, and outlines both student and advisor expectations and/or responsibilities. It also describes how to contact your advisor, and what is expected of you when you come to an advising meeting.
Advising is a collaboration between you and your academic advisor. Through caring, supportive and expert guidance, your academic advisor will help you develop both as a student and an individual. Your academic advisor will encourage you to think critically, seek out resources, and develop plans to achieve your goals. They will provide you with the information, support, and encouragement you need to take personal responsibility for exploring options and making decisions.
Your academic advisor cares about your needs and wants to get back to you as quickly as possible. However, they are also answering questions for all the students they serve. Unless your question is about a requirement for your degree program, please email your question to sbadvise@iu.edu so that we can help you more quickly. The Advising Center assistant or one of the trained peer mentors will be happy to answer your question.
The Advising Center requests that students consult the resources available to them before emailing the academic advisor. These resources answer common questions about your degree plan, deadlines, and policies.
Indiana University has established the following outcomes for academic advising. Through academic advising, you will learn to:
- Navigate and use IU degree planning, course registration, and early feedback systems.
- Explore personal interests, values, and strengths to inform academic and career decisions.
- Set and achieve goals related to academic progress and success.
- Develop and implement personalized education and career plans, including work-based and other engaged learning, that align with individual goals.
- Understand the logic of the curriculum, including general education coursework.
- Articulate understanding of academic policies and procedures relevant to your education.
- Pursue accessible, personally relevant co-curricular involvement and engaged learning to further academic and professional growth.
- Develop self-awareness, resiliency, and help-seeking behaviors; follow through on referrals to other campus resources (e.g., mental and physical health, tutoring, faculty office hours, accommodations office, etc.).
- Articulate the personally meaningful value of higher education.
- Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to make informed decisions in academic and career planning.
The 4-Year Journey at the end of the syllabus identifies what you will learn each year and the key actions you should take to achieve these outcomes.
A collaboration only works if all participants take responsibility for their roles and actively contribute to the shared task. Your academic advisor is there to listen and offer suggestions, not to tell you what to do or what classes to take. Here is what you can expect from your academic advisor and what your academic advisor can expect from you to make this collaboration a success.
| Advisor Responsibilities | Student Responsibilities |
| Understand and communicate degree requirements | Understand your degree requirements and ask questions when you don’t |
| Develop your initial degree plan | Know the Academic Calendar |
| Assist you in making decisions about courses, degree programs, and co-curricular opportunities (e.g., study abroad, internship) | Check your email at minimum once a week |
| Provide a safe place to share your thoughts, aspirations, concerns, and interests | Schedule and attend an appointment during your advising window or request a plan review each semester |
| Help you interpret policies and processes | Come to appointments prepared: adjust your Stellic plan, clear holds, etc. |
| Be available by appointment, email, and drop-in hours | Arrive for your appointment on time. |
| Help you develop educational, career, and life goals | Actively participate in the advising session. Ask questions! |
| Refer you to campus resources as appropriate | Follow through on resources that your academic advisor has recommended |
| Maintain confidentiality outside of mandatory reporting obligatiions | Accept responsibility for making final decisions on academic choices |
You can find your advisor’s appointment and drop-in availability on the Student Appointment Scheduler. All advisors have a required number of appointment slots per week, but the availability of drop-ins varies by advisor.
| Appointments (individual or group) | Drop-ins / Walk-ins |
| 15-60 minutes | No longer than 15 minutes |
| Must make an appointment for full schedule advising. | DO NOT have to make an appointment |
| Utilize for issues that require more time (i.e., building a class schedule, discussion on changing majors, etc.) | Utilize for quick questions (i.e., how to change your major, dropping a course, etc.) |
Your academic advisor is here to give you advice about what courses to consider for the upcoming semester. The final decision about what courses to take is yours.
- All students are assigned an “advising window” based on their class level or group (e.g., major, honors, seniors, athletes, etc.).
- The advising window is a period when students in a group can see their academic advisor for class schedule planning for the upcoming semester (Fall/Spring).
- Advising windows are listed on the advising center webpage at the beginning of each semester.
- Your academic advisor will email you before your advising window opens and closes. It is your responsibility to make an appointment during your window.
For their first three semesters, all students should schedule a full advising appointment with their academic advisor for course schedule planning. Other students may have the option of being advised through Stellic. Your academic advisor will show you how to use Stellic at your first advising appointment and let you know when advising through Stellic is an option for you.
ADVISING APPOINTMENT GUIDELINES
We know that sometimes unexpected things happen, and you might have to miss an appointment. However, missing an appointment takes away an opportunity for one of your advisor’s other students to get advised. Any student who “no-shows” for three appointments in the same semester will be required to meet with the Associate Director before being allowed to schedule again. Same-day cancellations are considered no-shows.
Advisors often have back-to-back appointments with students and therefore cannot extend your session beyond the allotted time. Students who are more than 10 minutes late to an appointment may be asked to reschedule.
Our goal is to provide you with a safe space where you can speak with your advisor in confidence. In fact, advisors are required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) not to share your academic information with any third party. We also strive to help you develop independence and to take responsibility for your decisions. For these reasons, the Undergraduate Advising Center asks that you not bring guests to your advising appointment, including parents or other relatives, unless you have received an accommodation through the Office of Accessible Educational Services. Guests are welcome to wait for you in the reception area.
The Advising Center has a staff of Advising Peer Mentors—students just like you who have been trained to help with a variety of advising questions. You can find peer mentors on the Student Appointment Scheduler or just drop by the office. You should see an Advising Peer Mentor for any of the following:
- Make Appointment
- How to use advising tools: Stellic, Student Online Advising Report (SOAR), Student Appointment Scheduler, Student Center, etc.
- Choosing sections of classes that are in your degree plan and were approved by your academic advisor
- Dropping a class
- Take placement exams
- Adding/dropping/changing majors, minors and certificates
- Connecting you to campus resources (financial aid, billing, etc.)
