Highline hopes a new advising model will help students get through college easier.

Highline will require all students to have a faculty adviser by the end of the current school year.  Currently people are being assigned based on their majors.

“The way it works is that Highline students will select a degree pathway and confirm their program of study/degree,” said Mary Weir, program manager for faculty advising.  “Once this is complete, the student will be assigned a faculty adviser.”

“The role of the faculty adviser is to help students select the appropriate courses to complete their degree while studying at Highline,” Weir said.  “The faculty adviser, together with the student, will create an academic plan that defines what classes to take by quarter.”

Weir said it will be important for students to meet with their faculty adviser regularly.

“The student and faculty adviser meet every quarter to make sure the student is on track and not taking courses they don’t need for their degree or certificate,” Weir said.

There are a couple of ways advisers are being assigned to students.

Weir said that students can request an adviser by filling out the faculty adviser request form at  

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7kGVNWvhH0Ei737aBgLlEEttONT31nK2rG0MCvRKsmRv23A/viewform

Weir said the college will do its best to match students with their requested advisers.

“On the faculty adviser request form students have the opportunity to indicate if they would like to be placed with a particular professor,” she said.  “Our team tries to honor these requests, however sometimes we may have to place the student with an alternative faculty member if the requested teacher already has a full advising load.”

“If the student doesn’t request a particular faculty member then we will match the student based on academic interest with a faculty member,” Weir said.

Due to the variance in numbers of students in particular majors, some professors will be advising students in areas other than what they currently teach.

“The distribution of students to faculty in the program areas of study are not equal,” said Liz Word, interim associate dean of guided pathways.  “For example, we have a number of English faculty and not the equivalent number of students intending to transfer and major in English.” 

Professors are receiving multiple levels of training to better facilitate their advising of students.

“In addition to peer-to-peer adviser training, our faculty are being invited to participate in various levels of professional development and just-in-time training to be prepared to work with students and answer advising questions,” Work said.  “They are getting cross-discipline training from their peers in order to provide students with accurate, timely information.”

“Additionally, another way faculty will be able to advise more students will be through the inclusion of more classroom advising,” Work said.  “What is great is that there are a number of faculty that enjoy advising students and are eager to help students stay on their academic path, wherever that may lead them.”

In addition to helping students navigate their academic path, Highline also hopes to achieve other goals with this new advising model.

“We want students to make informed decisions and have support from multiple layers of the college,” Word said.  “Faculty members know their disciplines and can give students insight into program and degree specific nuances from their live experiences.”

“Students will feel supported to choose a degree pathway, learn the requirements for that pathway, and receive help and support to achieve their academic goals,” Weir said.  “We want students to know that they have a faculty member who is available to help them navigate the many challenges of college and that they are not alone.”

College officials believe there will be advantages for both students and professors.

“Students have the opportunity to build a personal relationship with a faculty member and to receive guidance in clarifying their academic goals, developing an academic plan, and connecting with a broader support network at Highline,” Weir said.

“Faculty advising has enormous benefits for faculty as well,” Weir said.  “Faculty can learn more about their students and connect with students outside the classroom, which further enriches their teaching.”

Dean of Academic Transfer Pathways and Partnerships Maribel Jimenez said of the many benefits students will receive by meeting with their advisers, these are the top four:

“Your faculty adviser will work with you to determine the appropriate courses to take for your degree,” Jimenez said.  “Your adviser will help you navigate changes that need to be made to your academic plan if something comes up.”

“Your adviser will be able to connect you with the appropriate resources on campus,” she said.  “Most importantly, your faculty adviser is a person on campus that you can connect with about challenges and victories regarding being a student at Highline.” 

As with most processes, there will be obstacles to overcome.

“One of the biggest challenges is CTCLink,” Weir said.  “We have been trying to learn the quirks of the new system.”

“We have been working diligently to make sure students and faculty advisers can navigate the ins and outs of CTCLink so you can access up to date information and keep track of advising notes and to-do items,” Word said.

Students should take action if they do not yet have an adviser, officials said.

“Currently all faculty have been assigned at least five students, with some faculty having many more,” Jimenez said.  “If you do not have a faculty adviser, please fill out the faculty adviser response form and we can assign you a faculty adviser.”