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Cyber Adviser: High-Tech, High-Touch Advising
Course Sequencing: In this final step, Cyber Adviser automatically
produces a sequence of courses that shows a recommended course of
study for up to three years. The program first loads the courses in the
following sequence:
College-prep courses (if any);
General education courses; and
Electives.
One can select the maximum number of credit hours the student wishes
to take each semester, as well as the starting semester and if summer
class are desired. Cyber Adviser automatically checks that courses are
loaded in proper prerequisite order and makes sure there is no more than
one 6,000-word course in a semester.
The program then provides a printed copy of the course sequence that
can be used to discuss and plan a student’s educational career with an
adviser or counselor. In this way, students get a complete picture of
their educational plan instead of doing it one semester at a time. Plus,
being involved in their own planning and seeing how courses relate
should contribute to being a successful student.
The illustration (Figure 1) shows a typical course plan for a student
wishing to continue to a university to major in computer engineering.
How We Use Cyber Adviser
Cyber Adviser was incorporated into Student Success courses on a trial
basis, during the fall 1995 semester, to obtain user feedback. User
comments and observations made by the author resulted in feature
enhancements and bug fixes. Cyber Adviser was used on a regular basis
in the Student Success courses starting with the spring 1996 semester.
The program is installed on a LAN at Valencia’s East Campus and is
accessible to the advising staff ... at least those with Windows-based
computers.
However, other uses for the program are being investigated. These
include:
Marketing Tool: Cyber Adviser can be distributed to high schools
within Valencia’s designated counties. In addition to demonstrating that
Valencia Community College is a great place to go after high school,
their advisers could use the program to prepare students for
post-secondary education. They can show, for example, that it is best to
take math courses for free in high school rather than as college-prep
courses at college where one must pay for them. It also presents
students and their families with the "big picture" of what is involved in
obtaining a higher education.
Registration: We are looking to integrate Cyber Adviser into the
registration process. The courses recommended for a student’s
particular semester can automatically register him or her for those
courses or warn that the course is not available.
