Advising Online Students

Hi Everyone,

As we get ready to rock and roll in the online courses on Monday, I have been having a lot of discussions with my colleagues regarding advising, course enrollment, etc. We started f2f classes here at Dawson CC on Wednesday. In addition, DCC is currently in the process of switching over to Banner (which all of you in CO are already using). We've been told that this type of data-switch takes over a year to complete; our College is doing it in less than 6 months!! Being familiar with Banner (thanks to CCCOnline), I am very much looking forward to having more computerized access to data, enrollment, transcripts, schedules, etc. at my fingertips and I know the students are wanting to have access to their information as well.

Our conversion to Banner has brought up an interesting concern regarding advising. Currently all students at DCC are expected to visit with an advisor prior to enrolling in courses. No one is quite sure what is going to happen once students get "full access" to the capabilities that Banner provides. A concern is that students will be able to enroll in courses online, drop or add courses, or withdraw completely without having to speak to an academic advisor.

My question to all of you that teach for CCCOnline and/or also serve as faculty advisors to students is "How does your college manage it?" Do you require that students consult with academic advisors prior to enrolling in courses (or adding, dropping, withdrawing), or can the online student sign up for classes every semester without ever having to talk to a faculty advisor? Any insight you can provide me will be shared with others up here that have similar concerns.

Thanks for reading.

Holly DB