What follows are excerpts from an article which appeared in The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal housed at Pennsylvania State University. The whole article may be accessed at http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/021028cc.htm
Advising Students on Academic Probation
Christie A. Cruise, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“Embarrassment, disappointment, and desolation can be felt by a student who has failed to meet the academic requirements of his or her institution. Imagine experiencing all of these emotions and not knowing how to get back on track. Probationary students are just one of many student populations that academic advisers encounter on a regular basis. This paper will offer some suggestions on how to work with this population.”
“ It has been my experience as an adviser that probation students come from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Even students with stellar standardized test scores and high school ranks sometimes end up on academic probation. For the purposes of this paper, probationary students will be defined as students who earn below a 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.”
“If an institution does not have an official probation program, individual advisers can take specific steps to better serve students. First, the adviser must initiate communication with the student. As stated earlier, some probation students are embarrassed about their grades. Because of this, it is highly unlikely that students will voluntarily come in to meet with an adviser. Initial contact should be by letter or e-mail, and it should be clear in this initial correspondence that an appointment should be made by a certain date…. Make sure students are aware that your goal as an adviser is to help them deal positively with their current situation. In the … meeting, take time to get to know the students and the circumstances that led to their academic probation. This process requires good questioning and listening skills on the part of the adviser. Many students will initially share as little information as possible. It may be helpful to share personal information so they feel comfortable with you. For example, since I was once on probation as an undergraduate, I find that sharing this information makes the students more willing to share their stories.”
“Once you find the root of the problem, begin to work on a plan of action for recovery. At times, the problem may be out of the adviser's scope of expertise, and, in that case, it is necessary to refer students to the proper resources on campus.”
“Major and career exploration is also a vital part of helping probationary students. Asking students positive questions is, again, an important part of finding out their strengths and what they enjoy doing. Help them explore careers that will incorporate both their strengths and their passions.
“ Much of what I have described here is what the research terms intrusive advising . According to an article by Molina and Abelman (2000), intrusive advising is described as having a more personal than professional approach. It incorporates intervention strategies that allow the adviser to become an active part of the student's life, which, in turn, helps the student to stay motivated (Glennen, 1995; Heisserer & Parette, 2002). This personal relationship encourages students to be more responsible for their academic performance (Earl, 1988; Molina & Abelman, 2000). Studies have shown that students are more likely to keep up with their schoolwork when they know that their academic adviser will be contacting them about it (Heisserer & Parette, 2002; Holmes, 2000). Studies have also shown that probationary students have a higher GPA when intrusive advising is used (Heisserer & Parette, 2002; Schultz, 1989; Spears 1990).”
“When students finally are able to get off probation, they are usually motivated, excited about learning, and self-confident. Some of my former probationary students who once thought they would be unable to graduate now have a renewed interest in their classes and have become involved in extracurricular activities that relate to their prospective careers. As advisers, we play integral roles in the successes of our probationary students. The attitude we present, the information we give, and how we react to their situations can make all the difference in their lives. Take the time to listen and understand: it may be all they need to succeed.”
Some Reasons for Academic Difficulty
Students who experience academic difficulty during the transition from high school to college do so for a number of reasons.
Generally, there are 5 main causes of academic difficulty:
From the University of California, Berkeley: http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/probation/factors.html
Additional Resources
Bemidji State University has an advising check list which offers good suggestions for topics to be covered in a probationary advising session: http://www.bemidjistate.edu/records/advising/AcadProbatHandout.pdf
Some probationary students will say their difficulties, in part, are attributable to their instructors' talking too fast or with an accent. The following tips may be helpful for taking notes in such classrooms, When Instructors Talk to Fast.
Tips for a Successful Semester : offers tips to students on how to have a successful semester.
Grade Problems: provides additional information on resources.