A8 – Faculty Advising

Originator: Vice President, Academic and Research
Approver: Senior Academic Committee
Effective: June 20, 2014
Replaces: September 2006

1. Preamble

Faculty Advising reaches out to students to provide proactive, preventative and timely assistance. Faculty Advisors help students become successful by clarifying goals and objectives, answering questions, listening to concerns, and connecting students with additional resources.

2. Policy

Students registered in a full-time program are entitled to Faculty Advising throughout their academic career, starting from acceptance into a program until graduation. Faculty Advising shall reflect the standards and values detailed in the Faculty Advising Handbook.

3. Definitions

Faculty Advising refers to a collaborative relationship between a Faculty Advisor and a student. Faculty Advising guides the student through decision making processes relating to education and career goals and assists the student in creating a plan to realize those goals.

Faculty Advisor refers to an instructor who provides academic guidance to students enrolled in their program.

4. Principles

• Faculty Advising is an integrated service that provides students with the opportunity to plan, discuss, and review academic progress.
• Faculty Advising proactively addresses students’ needs, increases student satisfaction, enhances the quality of academic life and improves retention.
• Students with access to academic advice have an increased ability to make informed decisions about their studies, are more likely to remain committed to academic success and career goals and establish stronger connections to an academic program.
• The Faculty Advisor and the student are a team in which both work together to form a meaningful, achievable academic plan that is consistent with the student’s educational goals and congruent with the student’s skills, abilities and interests.
• Faculty Advising addresses the needs of the diverse student population and is offered on a fair and equitable basis.

5. Guidelines

• Full-time academic programs will offer their students Faculty Advising.
• Strategies for effective Faculty Advising are provided in the Faculty Advising Handbook.
• Faculty Advising is ongoing and regular contact should be maintained between the student and the Faculty Advisor.
• Faculty Advisors will uphold principles of ethical conduct, including but not limited to:
  1. respect for human dignity;
  2. respect for free and informed consent;
  3. respect for privacy and confidentiality;
  4. respect for fairness and equity; and
  5. respect for trustworthiness and honesty.
• All information pertaining to Faculty Advising shall be stored in a manner consistent with legal obligations and College policy G3 – Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy.
• Faculty Advisors do not provide assistance for personal matters or any concern outside their program-specific expertise. Faculty Advisors shall refer students needing other kinds of assistance to Student Services or to the Program Chair/ Coordinator.
• Student Services may make changes to the Faculty Advising Handbook to improve the Faculty Advising offered by the College.

Related Policies and Documents

Faculty Advising Handbook
RRC Polytech’s Statement of Values
G3 – Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
H1 – Discrimination and Harassment
P3 – Conflict of Interest
S1 – Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities