Academic Advising Network, April 20

ALEKS: Math Placement Enhanced
Academic advisors and students have a new tool to fine tune math undergraduate placement. ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) is a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course.
What this means for academic advisors is that we will have more options for helping a student decide whether they are ready for a required math (like MATH1830 for business majors). It also means we can confirm for students with no previous college math the right first course! And we can feel confident that the student is ready for the course we recommend.
At our meeting on April 20, Dr. Ray Clapsadle of the department of mathematics briefed advisors on ALEKS. Dr. Clapsadle distributed a draft of a chart to summarize placement, and a narrative explanation. He is also working on a website to help with questions that will come up.
However, because the tool is new, not all the questions are answered. Dr. Clapsadle will continue to work with the details as ALEKS is “turned on” April 24. Advisors are the front line of help to make the most of this new tool.
Here is the brief:
Students registering for a first math course after April 23 2010 at 4 PM may be prompted to take the math placement, ALEKS. Information about the instrument is now available to student on their student table.
Depending on the student’s intended major, you may want to encourage them to take ALEKS to fine tune their math placement (first math course).
ALEKS includes the option to take a tutorial after initial testing to learn more and “test higher.” Advisors may want to encourage students to exercise the option for the tutorial. The tutorial costs $35.00, and includes a retest opportunity. The payment is made directly to ALEKS online. Students may also retest without the tutorial for $3.50 per attempt.
Additional changes in the math curriculum are coming for Spring 2011.
There was a lot of discussion about scores and their meaning. These details are still emerging. Please use the chart provided until more details are available. Additional training on the interpretation of ALEKS MPL scores is being planned for May.

Some announcements/reminders were made following Dr. Clapsadle's presentation.

1. Bethany Tidball from Academic Status and Retention (ASR) reminded us that the ONLY high school deficiency being tracked by the office is Foreign Language. Students may remove this deficiency by taking 1010 and 1020 in the foreign language of their choice. They may also pursue correspondence through Gateway Christian School in Latin or Spanish. Continuing education Spanish is no longer being offered. Bethany stated that students whose academic program includes foreign language study are not being tracked or monitored.

2. Reminder: First time freshmen are required to attend New Student Orientation. This is the right opportunity for freshmen to meet with an academic advisor. At this time of year we need to ask that one more question before making student appointments for advising..."are you graduating from high school this year?"

3. The Transfer Credit Request form season is also upon us. Help students make good choices by carefully reviewing the forms that you are asked to sign. Fully matriculated students should only take equivalent courses, or courses that fulfill a general education block at another TBR institution.

4. Summer 2010 is the last time the MIS 2755 will be offered at The University of Memphis. Catalog changes for Fall 2010 in the BBA will move this course out of the lower division core and add MIS 3210 (Critical Thinking/Project Management) to the upper division core.

5. International Baccalaureate credit is now being awarded at The University of Memphis. The table with required scores and courses awarded is available on the Admissions website.

6. May 16-18, 2010 is the date for NACADA Region 3 conference in Lexington, KY. If you are traveling to the conference, please meet the group at the opening session and keynote.

7. Mississippi Advisors Meeting (MAM) will take place on August 2, 2010 at The University of Mississippi. We have been invited to join the Mississippi Advisors as they engage in a day of professional development. The date is after all New Student Orientations. Road trip?

8. Reminder: Academic catalogs/bulletins at The University of Memphis have a 7 year life. Students choosing the 2010 Fall catalog have until 2017 Summer to graduate. In addition, students may choose any valid catalog that does not predate their intial enrollment in college (anywhere) for graduation. However, only one set of requirements may be chosen. Students may not choose general education from one valid catalog and major requirements from another valid catalog. All requirements must be chosen from the same valid catalog. If a new program is developed that is not in the catalog that the student chooses, the student must change catalogs in order to choose the program. Transfer students our not bound by requirements for the term that they entered The University of Memphis, but may choose any valid catalog that does not predate their initial college enrollment (anywhere).

Next meeting: May 13, 2010...location TBA. What about a nice spot at the new University Center!