The Daily Bulletin Archive

Here's one easy thing you can do this week to help the students you advise: 

We are already a third of the way through the spring 2019 term. Now that students have completed initial class assignments and instructors have responded to the Bengal Success Progress Report, it's the perfect time to review how your advisees are faring and reach out to them if necessary. 

You can do this quickly by logging in to the Bengal Success Portal and filtering your assigned advisees by tracking items to identify those who may be missing assignments, not attending class, or experiencing other issues that threaten their academic success. If students have multiple red flags, that may be an indicator of more serious issues—you may find you need to refer them to an on-campus service like the Counseling Center, Financial Aid, or tutoring. In some isolated cases, you may want to have a conversation about the possibility of taking a courses pass/fail or, as a last resort, withdrawing from a class. (Here are some consequences of withdrawing from a course to weigh.)

If you've reached out to students about flags they received, clearing the flags will communicate to the instructor(s) who raised it that you've closed the loop. Clearing flags is also a convenient way to keep track of your own work with advisees. (Remember, you can review all the interactions you've made in Bengal Success, as well as students' interactions with other instructors, advisers, and service providers, in the student's profile under Notes or Meetings.) 

This Tip of the Week has been brought to you by the Academic Advising Advisory Council (AAAC). Have a question, concern, suggestion, or technical problem with the Bengal Success Portal? Contact bengalsuccess@buffalostate.edu.

Got a great advising tip you'd like to share (or some feedback about academic advising at Buffalo State)? Contact AAAC co-chairs Lisa Berglund, professor of English, or Aimee Woznick, director of the Academic Commons.