UDMessenger

Volume 12, Number 4, 2004


Online help keeps students on track

There are times when students want to sit down face to face with someone who can advise them about any number of concerns, including academics, graduation requirements, summer research opportunities, internships and study-abroad programs.

Then again, there are times when students really want just a quick answer. And, they may want that answer on a Sunday afternoon. Or at midnight.

With that in mind, the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy (CHEP) has created an online advising site that supplements the personal services of its Office of Student Support Services staff. The web site, [www.udel.edu/ chep/osss], has been in operation for about two years and has won an award from the National Academic Advising Association as the 2002 outstanding electronic publication.

"We wanted to create a place where students and faculty could visit one web site to get all their answers within three clicks," says Kimberly Yackoski, CHEP's assistant dean for student services. "It's really one-stop shopping."

The web site contains a range of information specific to CHEP, as well as facts and advice that apply throughout the University. With two or three clicks of the mouse, students can learn how to monitor their academic progress throughout their undergraduate years, where to find resources on campus to help them improve certain skills, what majors and minors the college offers and how they can begin lining up an internship or volunteer opportunity.

Seniors can find a special checklist to prepare for graduation, and freshmen can find a map of campus buildings and a glossary of academic terms, from academic progress report to "Z" grade.

Students report that the site is user friendly and helpful, Yackoski says.

"I hope it's a reflection of our office as a place where students feel comfortable and know that they are getting their questions answered," she says. "Our goal is to make students happy and successful."