Tag Archives: advising

Connect with your Faculty Advisor

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Your Faculty Advisor is a valuable asset in your academic journey. They can provide insights and recommendations based on their education and real world experience. Take advantage of their knowledge and expertise in your program of interest!

Plan early for your next semester with your Faculty Advisor and have your courses selected and be ready to register on your Priority Registration date. This will give you the best chances at getting the courses you need. Registering early will also be beneficial for students who use NOVA’s TMS payment plan allowing for a lower down payment and more months to break up your remaining tuition balance.

How can my Faculty Advisor help me?

  • Create an academic program completion plan, which maps out which courses you need to take for your major/program of study.
  • Select which electives will support your academic goal/career plans.
  • Connect with NOVA resources you need and make referrals.
  • Submit the appropriate forms for substitution requests or changing your major.
  • Reflect on your academic performance, so you can be successful.
  • Serve as a reference or assist in preparing letters of recommendation for applications (transfer, employment and scholarship).
  • Review your academic progress to help assure you complete your program based on your goals

How do I address my Faculty Advisor?

  • Address the Faculty Advisor as “Professor and their last name.” If you know they have earned a Ph.D., or Ed.D. address them as “Doctor and their last name”. (i.e. Professor Jones or  Dr. Smith).
  • Be sure to send your email from your NOVA student email account and include your Student ID number.
  • As a NOVA Online student, you may not meet your Faculty Advisor in person. Project yourself as a professional and dedicated student by composing a well-organized and thoughtful email. Take advantage of these Ten Quick Steps to Email Your Instructor.

What can I include in my correspondence to my advisor?

  • Outline topics or questions you would like to discuss. (i.e. transfer plans, career opportunities, extracurricular/club involvement).
  • Review your program requirements in the catalog and ask any questions you may have about unsatisfied requirements.
  • Identify courses you may be interested in for the upcoming term and year.

Suggested Questions and Topics to discuss:

  • What courses do I need to complete my academic program?
  • What are the prerequisites for the courses I plan to take or where can I find them?
  • I would like to discuss my academic goals.
  • What do I need to know about transferring? Are there deadlines and scholarships?
  • I need a tutor.  How do I find one and access other services when I need help?
  • I need to work. How can I arrange my classes around my work schedule and how will working impact my studies?
  • I am interested in participating in extracurricular and co-curricular activities.  Can we discuss my academic goals and extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
  • Ask your advisor to share how they chose their major in college.

The last part of the semester is always hectic, reach out to your faculty advisor now!

Attend a Getting Ready for Your Next Semester webinar.  Learn more about the webinar and register for an upcoming session here. Undecided or just getting started on your degree plan? Talk to an Academic Counselor to help you get started with your next term classes. NOVA Online Counselors can be reached at NOVA OnlineCounselors@nvcc.edu.

Getting Ready for Advising Week

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Advising week is almost here! To make the most of the interaction with your advisor there are a few things you can do to prepare. Are you ready

Verify your program of Study:  First it is important to verify your student record reflects the program of study you intend on completing here at NOVA. Visit the Academics section of your Student Center in the Student Information System to verify your plan. If your plan needs to be updated make contact with an academic counselor or advisor to determine which plan is the best for you based on your goals.

Run an Advisement Report- Once your program of study is accurate there are several tools you can take advantage of to see your progress towards your plan’s requirements and the courses you have left to complete.

You can run an advisement report to view your progress and outstanding degree requirements.

Review program requirements: Now that you’ve run your advisement report, review the report to see how the coursework you have completed has been applied towards your degree requirements and what you have left to complete.

Plan your semester: You can use the Student Success Planner to create a plan, allowing you to map out when you will complete your remaining courses. As you plan out these courses semester by semester, strive for balance in your course schedule. Use these tips to help you strategize. Don’t delay in taking courses that are challenging for you, especially math.

Request to meet with your Advisor: Once you have our courses mapped out in the Student Success Planner you can even send a meeting request to discuss your plan to your advisor.

Check back in for tomorrow’s post on how to prepare for your meeting with your advisor!

5 Tips for Building a Better Schedule

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Calendar planning concept
Follow the tips below to build a better schedule.

Tip #1 – Plan your time accordingly.

As you begin to create your schedule, take a moment to think about all of the commitments you will have during the semester along with everything you wanted to accomplish.  How much time will you have available to focus on college courses?

Tip #2 – Identify how each course helps you achieve your goal.

Think about your academic and career goals.  How does each course you are planning to take help you progress towards achieving your goals?

Tip #3 – Know what will be covered in a course before you enroll.

Course content summaries provide information about major topics in a course.   Check out the course content summaries here.

Tip #4 – Select a course format that works for you.

NOVA offers campus-based, hybrid, and online courses?  Which option will work best for you for the upcoming semester?

Tip #5 – Be aware of important dates.

NOVA offers courses that vary in session length and have different start and end dates.  Know the important dates for sections of courses you are considering.

Interested in learning more tips?  Consider participating in a Getting Ready for Your Next Semester webinar.  Check the schedule for details.

Are You Ready for Advising Week?

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Advising Week is almost here.  Held every fall and spring at NOVA to help students prepare for their next term/semester.  Advising Week for summer 2016 and fall 2016 will be held from Monday, April 4 through Friday, April 8.  College Student Having Meeting With Tutor To Discuss Work

Follow this NOVA Online Student Blog this week as we help you prepare to get the most out of Advising Week.

Things to watch for to help you prepare for Advising Week:

  • Creating a schedule that works for you.
  • Connecting with your advisor.
  • Communicating effectively with your advisor.
  • Taking time for yourself.

Questions to ask yourself as you prepare for Advising Week:

  • What is one change I can make to my schedule to be more successful next term/semester?
  • When would be a good time for me to connect with my advisor?
  • What questions do I have for my advisor?
  • What is one thing I can do this week to help manage stress?

Pay attention to the tuition deadline so you are not dropped for non-payment. Contact Financial Aid with any questions.

This Advising Week Series will focus on academic planning, connecting with your advisor, and preparing for your upcoming terms. Throughout Advising Week the NOVA Online Student Blog will provide you with tools to plan effectively, resources to help guide your decisions, and answers to frequently asked questions throughout the process. Take advantage of Advising Week events on campus or virtually as you plan your schedule and register for courses. Reach out to the Student Services offices or Virtual Advisors with any questions you have as you are planning your courses.

Preparing for an 8-week Summer course

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Today’s blog post is written by a former NOVA Online Student when they enrolled in their first summer 8-week course. Summer registration for all students begins on Tuesday, March 29, 2016. Follow this tutorial to search NOVA’s online courses.

I’m enrolling in my first eight-week course this summer. This got me thinking about how it might be different from the sixteen-week format I am more used to. Succeeding in an online course always requires good management of time. I must carefully balance school, work, and personal responsibilities. When the online class is an eight week or six week course, I am thinking that managing these elements will become much more critical.

Summer spring backgound with stack of books and open book and bokeh. Back to school. Open book fanned pages. Copy Space

Since an online sixteen week course should take three hours of coursework per credit each week, an Eight-week online course should take six hours of coursework per credit each week. For a three credit class, that works out to as much as an 18-hour a week part time job! Because of this, I decided to take only one class at a time until I see how I can integrate this workload with my work and social schedule.

I expect that the deadlines will also come much faster. Just eight days into my course, I will already be at the refund deadline, forcing me to decide whether or not I can handle the workload and get the grade I want or to drop the course and try the longer format in the Fall.

Because of this, I’m planning on logging into Blackboard on the course start date and completing the first assignment quickly. I’ll also need to look over the assignments and syllabus and see if I have any questions. Usually, I think for two or three days before I email my instructor, but with this class, I expect that if I have questions, I’ll need to write the instructor immediately—procrastinating even a few days would probably not be a good idea.

I’m really looking forward to the pleasant feel completing the course more quickly. I’ll get to feel the sense of accomplishment which keeps me motivated that much faster. I’m also telling myself I can deal with almost any schedule for two months—so it actually feels much more flexible than the traditional four-month courses. I’ll let you know if my opinion changes once the course actually starts.

How many of you have already taken a six or eight week course? Do you have any advice for me? I would love to know a little more about what to expect!

Want to write for the NOVA Online Student Blog? Share your story? Connect with your peers? Send us a writing sample to get started. Email NOVA OnlineStuLife@nvcc.edu for more information.

Prepare for Summer Registration

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Thinking about an online class for Summer 2016? Summer Registration opens for all students on March 29. The online catalog is available in NOVAConnect now – search the online catalog to see what options you have for online courses.

NOVA Online offers courses that begin on May 30, June 13 and June 27! Enroll today!

old wooden pier on the sea in sunset

Review & Understand your NOVAConnect Account

Plan ahead – Have any holds? Need to update your contact information? Request a final transcript or view your final grades? Run your advising report before working with your advisor? Log into your Student Center account (in NOVAConnect) for more information.

Be cleared of any prerequisites (if needed)

If you are attempting to enroll in a course at NOVA for which you believe you have successfully completed (a grade of “C“ or higher) the required prerequisite(s) at another regionally accredited institution, you will need to work with an advisor before being permitted to enroll in courses at NOVA.  You can visit the Visiting and Transient Student webpage for more information. Any questions? Reach out to a Virtual Advisor at AcademicAdvising@nvcc.edu.

Get Ready to Start your courses

Each course has a course site in Blackboard. Students are given access to the course specific link on the first day the course is scheduled to begin. Once you have access to your course in Blackboard, make sure to thoroughly review the course syllabus and course calendar (Overview of Assignments) to map out a plan for the course. Summer courses run at an accelerated pace, so make sure you plan ahead and stay on track.

Understand online learning through NOVA Online

Participate in the live NOVA Online Orientation webinar to get off to a strong start. This one hour live online instructor session will focus on getting started in your courses, navigating your Blackboard course site, and identifying tips for success and student support services. The NOVA Online Orientation is highly recommended for students who are new to online learning. Register or Request a Recording Today!

Make sure you know your course start date and critical enrollment dates! Don’t miss your first assignment due date!

Take the Smarter Measure assessment to see how your personal learning styles will work with online courses.

Establish a Routine! All online courses, regardless of session length, are based on the full 16-week course material, so summer courses (12, 8, 6 and 4 week classes) will move at an accelerated pace.

If you need assistance with your course selection, NOVA Online Counselors can be reached at, elicounselors@nvcc.edu.

Virtual Advising Team

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Have questions over the weekend? Trying to enroll and getting an error? The Virtual Advising Team might be able to help. Weekend hours are listed below, as well as on their website. Contact them via email or live chat. Virtual_Advising

 

Connect with your Faculty Advisor

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Your Faculty Advisor is a valuable asset in your academic journey. They can provide insights and recommendations based on their education and real world experience. Take advantage of their knowledge and expertise in your program of interest!

If you do not have an assigned advisor, click here for more information on how to have a Faculty Advisor assigned.

Plan early for your next semester with your Faculty Advisor and have your spring courses selected and be ready to register on your Priority Registration date. This will give you the best chances at getting the courses you need. Registering early will also be beneficial for students who use NOVA’s TMS payment plan allowing for a lower down payment and more months to break up your remaining tuition balance.

How can my Faculty Advisor help me?

  • Create an academic program completion plan, which maps out which courses you need to take for your major/program of study.
  • Select which electives will support your academic goal/career plans.
  • Connect with NOVA resources you need and make referrals.
  • Submit the appropriate forms for substitution requests or changing your major.
  • Reflect on your academic performance, so you can be successful.
  • Serve as a reference or assist in preparing letters of recommendation for applications (transfer, employment and scholarship).
  • Review your academic progress to help assure you complete your program based on your goals

How do I address my Faculty Advisor?

  • Address the Faculty Advisor as “Professor and their last name.” If you know they have earned a Ph.D., or Ed.D. address them as “Doctor and their last name”. (i.e. Professor Jones or  Dr. Smith).
  • Be sure to send your email from your NOVA student email account and include your Student ID number.
  • As a NOVA Online student, you may not meet your Faculty Advisor in person. Project yourself as a professional and dedicated student by composing a well-organized and thoughtful email. Take advantage of these Ten Quick Steps to Email Your Instructor.

What can I include in my correspondence to my advisor?

  • Outline topics or questions you would like to discuss. (i.e. transfer plans, career opportunities, extracurricular/club involvement).
  • Review your program requirements in the catalog and ask any questions you may have about unsatisfied requirements.
  • Identify courses you may be interested in for the upcoming term and year.

Suggested Questions and Topics to discuss:

  • What courses do I need to complete my academic program?
  • What are the prerequisites for the courses I plan to take or where can I find them?
  • I would like to discuss my academic goals.
  • What do I need to know about transferring? Are there deadlines and scholarships?
  • I need a tutor.  How do I find one and access other services when I need help?
  • I need to work. How can I arrange my classes around my work schedule and how will working impact my studies?
  • I am interested in participating in extracurricular and co-curricular activities.  Can we discuss my academic goals and extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
  • Ask your advisor to share how they chose their major in college.

The last part of the semester is always hectic, and the holidays are coming up! Reach out to your faculty advisor now!

Attend a Getting Ready for Your Next Semester webinar.  Learn more about the webinar and register for an upcoming session here. Undecided or just getting started on your degree plan? Talk to an Academic Counselor to help you get started with your spring term classes. NOVA Online Counselors can be reached at NOVA OnlineCounselors@nvcc.edu.

Written by NOVA Online Student Success Coach, Laura Tiglao.

This Week at NOVA Online!

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Spring 2016 registration is open for all students! Have any questions about your spring term courses? Need to change your degree plan? Schedule a virtual appointment with an NOVA Online Counselor!iStock_000054155382_FullFirst time in college? Participate in a New Student Orientation Webinar – This one hour webinar is required for new-to-college students aged 17-24. New Student Orientation will focus on academic and career goals, reading degree plans, and registering for classes. Use your VCCS username/password to register and email NOVA OnlineLearn@nvcc.edu with any questions. All are welcome.

Throughout November we have been celebrating National Career Development Month. We have one last webinar in our monthly series! Join NOVA Online Career Counselor on Wednesday, December 2, 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm for the Conducting a Job Search Webinar. This 45 minute webinar will focus on basic strategies for conducting a job search. Topics covered will include creating a plan, identifying sources of job leads, and resume, cover letter, and interview basics.

Did you miss any of the webinars throughout National Career Development Month? View a recording or schedule an appointment with NOVA Online’s Career Counselor.

Plan ahead: Join a NOVA Online Counselor for the Getting Ready for Your Next Semester Webinar on Wednesday, December 16, 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm. This 45 minute webinar for NOVA students will focus on answering key questions students have about preparing for their next semester.  Topics covered will include program identification, course selection, college resources, schedule planning, and registration/payment tips. Can’t make it live? View the Recording of a past session to help plan for your spring term courses.

PLANNING AHEAD FOR NEXT SEMESTER

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The end of the semester will be here before you know it and there is no time like the present to start prepping for next semester. The longer you wait, the likelihood of you encountering roadblocks increasing drastically, so resist the urge to put it off. When you start thinking about the courses you want to take next semester, keep these tips and tidbits of information in mind to avoid missing out on the courses you need.

Plan ahead. Speak to an advisor (elicounselors@nvcc.edu) to make sure you are taking the necessary courses toward degree/certificate completion. Read over NOVA’s course repeat policy and speak with an advisor if you are taking a course for the 3rd time. Make sure your finances are in order to pay your tuition on time. If you are using Financial Aid, call 1-855-323-3199 to check on your status.

Register for classes early. Please make note of NOVA’s On-Time Registration policy that does not allow enrollment into a class after 11:59pm the day before the class is scheduled to begin. Enrolling in the course early will help you avoid many unnecessary headaches, i.e. courses being closed, full, or unavailable (huge migraines!).

Be aware of your course start and end dates. NOVA offers courses that vary in length (16, 12, 8, and 4 week sessions) and that start at different times during the semester. You wouldn’t want to think the course starts and ends at the wrong time (disaster!). Also pay attention to the course’s critical dates that inform you of deadlines for refunds and withdrawals.

 Getting into a closed course. If the course you want is closed, and it is before the start date you may still be able to get into the course by emailing the instructor to request permission to be allowed into the course. The instructor has authority to grant or deny such a request. Once granted permission, have the instructor forward that email to elireg@nvcc.edu, or you can forward it yourself, and NOVA Online Registration will enroll you in the course.

If you miss the registration deadline. NOVA offers students different sessions throughout the semester with different start dates. If you are unable to get into a course because you missed the registration deadline, search for a later starting session for the same course and enroll in that session, if available. However, if taking a later starting session is not an option for you, you can complete and send a Permission to Enroll During the First Week form to NOVA Online Registration (elireg@nvcc.edu) to try to get in that session. Please note that there is no guarantee that you can get into the class after the start date so registering early is highly encouraged!

If you have any questions about the enrollment process, call NOVA Online Registration at 703-323-3368 or elireg@nvcc.edu.

Article written by Jennifer Reed, NOVA Online Success Coach