Education Advisement on the Web

Introduction | Statement of Purpose | Description of the Target Audience

Introduction

Student advisement is an essential component of a successful academic experience. Sound advisement not only facilitates the timely completion of degree and certification requirements, but it also enriches the university experience and promotes a smooth transition from the role of student to that of professional. The Education Advisement Center (EAC) is largely responsible for expediting this transition in the School of Education at Brigham Young University.

Helping education students complete the requirements necessary to graduate and assume positions as qualified teaching professionals is a demanding task. It requires considerable planning on the part of both students and EAC personnel. It requires highly specific, accurate, and up-to date information on such things as degree requirements, student-teaching policies, certification procedures, application deadlines, etc. It often requires knowledge of educational and career opportunities and a means for positioning students to achieve their professional goals. Finally, to help students excel in their educational and professional pursuits, advisement information must be highly accessible, accurate, up-to-date, and usable.

In the past, students could obtain advisement information and materials only by going to the Advisement Center in person, or by telephoning the EAC offices. With the explosive growth of the Internet in recent years, plans were made to use World Wide Web technology to organize and distribute advisement information. Utilizing web technology allows the EAC to have a central repository of advisement documents that can be promptly retrieved by anyone with access to the Internet.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this project was to develop a World Wide Web site for the Education Advisement Center that could be used to provide advisement information to current and prospective undergraduate students in the BYU David O. McKay School of Education. Web publishing has become a powerful way for organizations and individuals to establish visibility, to network with others having similar goals and interests, and to make vast amounts of information available to a global audience. Publishing advisement materials via the web makes the information more accessible to students, and also alleviates some of the demands on the EAC staff.

Description of the Target Audience

Between Fall 1995 and Summer 1996 there were over 2,600 undergraduate students enrolled in the McKay School of Education. These undergraduates make up ninety percent of the total student body in the School of Education. Most of these students are preservice teachers from the Elementary Ed., and Secondary Ed. departments. Elementary Ed. majors, and those Secondary Ed. majors who emphasize teaching Social Science or Physical Science, receive their total program advisement from the EAC. The remaining Secondary Ed. majors are advised only on certification requirements. In addition, students majoring in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology also receive their program advisement from the EAC.

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©S. Todd Jones 1997