Author Archives: laurel

Spartan Connect

Dear Faculty Member,

Happy third week of the Fall 2013 semester! 

We would like to introduce you to Spartan Connect, a new early alert student referral system, which Peer Connections will be piloting this semester.  This process will allow you to refer students who need to connect to various student support services such as Counseling Services, Accessible Education Center, academic advising (either to a GE advisor, major advisor, or to the appropriate student success center), peer tutoring, peer mentoring, and student success workshops.  The early intervention is critical in assisting the student’s success, retention, and graduation.  Now is a key point in the semester to send that first referral if you notice students having any challenges.

How does Spartan Connect work?  You would refer the student via GradesFirst, a website built with early alert in mind.  On approximately September 16th you will be receiving an email from GradesFirst stating that your GradesFirst Account has been activated with a User Name and password.  Follow the next steps and login to see your GradesFirst account.  Detailed instructions on how to do student referrals can be found at http://peerconnections.sjsu.edu/spartanconnect/referral/index.  Once the student is referred, a Peer Connections professional staff member will follow up with the student to assess the student’s situation and needs.  Appropriate actions will be taken given the conversation. 

Who should be referred to Spartan Connect?  Any student who may be in need of academic or personal support would be appropriate for a referral.  Referral reasons may include: excessive class absences or tardiness, behavior which disregards the Student Code of Conduct (please see http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct), lack of participation in class, poor academic performance or a sudden change in academic performance, personal concerns, health concerns, financial concerns, needs tutoring, or needs mentoring.

In addition to the student referral process, we would like to provide you with relevant SJSU student success websites:

Advising Hub (www.sjsu.edu/advising)

Fact Sheet on Academic Advising and Student Success Resources at SJSU:  (www.sjsu.edu/sass/docs/advising_resource.pdf)

Better for FAQs about Spartan Connect overall.  http://peerconnections.sjsu.edu/spartanconnect/  If they have questions, they can email me (Deanna) or email spartanconnect@sjsu.edu.

If you have any challenges with entering information or need to talk to someone about the Spartan Connect program, please contact Deanna Peck at Deanna.Peck@sjsu.edu or 408-924-2181.

Best wishes for a wonderful Fall 2013 semester!

Sincerely,

Deanna Peck
Peer Connections Director

&
Maureen Scharberg
Associate Vice President
Student Academic Success Services

Welcome Back from theCareer Center

Dear College of Science Colleagues,

Welcome back!  I hope that everyone had a restful summer.  Fall 2013 is already in full swing, with lots of great programming from the Career Center to support students’ success, in every phase of their career development.  This semester we are launching a new Career Webinar Series, hosted on WebEx.  Students can log in from anywhere to engage in discussion about topics from “Making the Most of the Job Fair” to “Landing Your Ideal Internship”.  If they are unable to make the live webinar, all past recording are housed on our website.

In addition to our webinar series, we have our live career workshops, hosted every week.  Please note that our workshop location has moved to the Administration Building, Room 250, which can be accessed though the Career Center.  Students are strongly encouraged to RSVP on SpartanJobs to secure a seat, as space is limited and workshops fill up quickly.

Best,

Megan Bradley

Career Consultant, Liaison to the College of Science

 

Career Center Information:

 

  • ways for students to get started with us this semester
  • key programs and services for students
  • faculty resources


 

Learning Math and Science Presentation

Learning Math and Science

by Dr. Barbara Oakley, PhD, PE

We sometimes frustrate and fool ourselves unnecessarily when trying to learn. Dr.
Oakley provides insight on how to improve learning as we watch thirteen-year-old
Magnus Carlsen successfully take on the rude, crude behavior from the world’s greatest
chess player, Gary Kasparov. Carlsen’s tricks give insight on how to excel on tests and
be more open-minded and creative in academic work and to learn math and science
more easily and with less frustration. Dr. Oakley also explains how to turn the zombies
of our neural-circuits-of-habit into friends. By avoiding willpower, we can overcome
procrastination—often one of the most troublesome challenges for both students and
instructors. This presentation is based on Dr. Oakley’s forthcoming book, A Mind for
Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science. It features insights from many of the
world’s leading scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.

Learning Math and Science Flier (pdf)

Friday February 28, 2014

Location and Time TBA

For more information and updates go to the Department of Economics website or the SJSU Events  or email Lydia Ortega at lydia.ortega@sjsu.edu.

Online Course Limitations for F-1 Students

Dear SJSU Advising Community,

Did you know that there are limitations on the number of online courses F-1 students can take each term to count toward full-time enrollment?

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) F-1 regulations only allow 3 units of online coursework to count towards an international student’s full-time enrollment (12 units for undergraduates/ 9 units for graduate students).  Hybrid courses that require even minimal face-to-face contact are not considered to be online courses.  Please note that there is no restriction on the number of online classes F-1 students can take, but only 3 units of online courses can count towards full-time enrollment.

Please be aware of this policy when you advise F-1 students because their enrollment in more than one online course or three online units could impact their immigration status.  If you have any questions, please contact International Programs and Services at 408-924-5920

The policy (8 CFR 214.2(f)(6)(i)(G)) can be accessed on the USCIS website at http://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-11261/0-0-0-17197/0-0-0-17636.html

Regards,

Lael Adediji, Coordinator of Advising Information

 

Academic Advising and Retention Services (AARS)