Faculty Responsibilities – Advising

Providing welcoming, supportive, and accurate advising to students is a shared valued in the College of Education. In the Criteria and Procedures Used at Department and College Levels to Conduct Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Reviews in the College of Education, the College faculty have set these standards for advising:

  1. The faculty member contributes to student learning and professional development through an active role in advising, with role determined by programmatic assignments and needs.
  2. The faculty member is consistently accessible to students when appropriate
  3. The faculty member provides consistent and accurate advice to students and is knowledgeable about programs, policies, and procedures.
  4. The faculty member is considered by students and colleagues to be a helpful and conscientious advisor.

When faculty in the College of Education are reviewed for reappointment, promotion, and/or tenure, an evaluation of the advisor’s effectiveness is completed by the Department Chair. The evaluation includes input from advisees regarding general effectiveness of the academic advisor.

Some faculty do not have programmatic advising responsibilities but instead support the development of students through guidance on master’s projects, dissertations, electronic evidences for program completion, etc. In these cases, the Department Chair will tailor the advising survey to match the faculty member’s responsibilities.

Faculty Office Hours for Advising

To maintain accessibility to advisees, current, and prospective students, all College of Education faculty are expected to maintain at least 6 hours of regularly scheduled office hours each week. These office hours are for face-to-face advising, phone conferences, and email contacts. Faculty members are asked by their Office Managers to identify those scheduled hours to be posted on the faculty member’s door and used to create a departmental master schedule. When a faculty member is unable to meet regularly scheduled office hours, the Office Manager is to be informed and a notice placed on the faculty member’s door.

Assignment of Advisees

Advisees are assigned to faculty members by Department Chairs and/ or Program Coordinators.

Student Admissions and Advising Overview

The College of Education strives to provide advising services to students that are accurate, supportive and helpful. In the College of Education, advising is a shared responsibility among all faculty and the Office of Teacher Education Advising, Licensure, and Recruitment (TEALR). Departmental advisors provide academic advising for upper division undergraduate students, graduate students in the Graduate Certificate, and Master’s and doctoral programs.

The Office of Teacher Education Advising, Licensure, and Recruitment (TEALR) provides advising services for pre-education majors, initial advising for transfer students, and initial advising for Graduate Certificate candidates.

Undergraduate Student Advising

The TEALR office supports each undergraduate student with their application for formal admission to Teacher Education. Prior to admission to Teacher Education, University students who are pursuing education careers are coded as “pre-education” in the student’s chosen field of study with the exception of those pursuing Secondary or Fine and Performing Arts licensure areas. Upon formal admission to Teacher Education, a student’s code changes to their field of study, such as Elementary Education, Special Education, or Middle Grades Education. After admission students are permitted to enroll in 3000-level courses, and their advising services transfer from TEALR to the department/program to which they have been admitted.

Undergraduate students apply for formal admission to a specific teacher education program during the semester in which the admissions requirements are being completed. Minimum requirements for admission to all teacher education programs at UNC Charlotte include:

  1. A grade of C or better in introductory courses
  2. Completion of 30 (Elementary, Special Education, or Dual) – 45 semester hours
  3. UNC Charlotte Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better
  4. Passing score on the Praxis Core (468) or qualifying exemption scores on ACT or SAT:
    • A total SAT score (Math and Verbal) of 1100 or composite ACT score of 24 exempts a student from Praxis I
    • A score of 550 on the SAT Verbal test or 24 on the English ACT will exempt a student from Praxis I Reading and Writing
    • A score of at 550 on the SAT Math test or 24 on the Math ACT will exempt a student from Praxis I Mathematics
  5. The Dual Program requires students to submit a 2-3 page professional statement of commitment.

Advising for Graduate Students

Advising procedures for graduate students vary by program area, academic department, and the level of the student. For example, students in doctoral programs typically are advised by the graduate program coordinator before transitioning to a specific department advisor. Students in advanced Master’s degree programs receive advising services from program coordinators and/or individual department advisors.

Students in the Graduate Certificate program receive initial advising through TEALR after applying through the Graduate School. TEALR assists Graduate Certificate students with formal admission and transcript analysis then they are formally advised by departmental advisors.

Student Records

Student records for undergraduate, transfer, and Graduate Certificate students are initiated by TEALR and scanned to Starfish prior to a student’s formal admission to a teacher education program. Departmental Offices maintain student records in Starfish for faculty members in preparation of advising sessions with students.

Each Department maintains copies of planning sheets that reflect the catalog requirements for all academic programs within Starfish for each student. Catalog requirements are subject to change, in the event of a change students will remain in the catalog requirements that were valid upon their admission.

Planning sheets are an important guide both for the student and for the advisor. A copy of the planning sheet, with notes about program progress, is scanned in each student’s Starfish record and updated by the advisor on a regular basis. The advisor records all contacts, recommendations, and decisions in Starfish.

Student Academic Petitions

Occasionally special circumstances make it impossible for students to follow established academic requirements, procedures, and deadlines. Exceptions are sometimes granted by the University through the Academic Petition process.

The Academic Petition can be found online through 49er Express/Banner Self-Service. A tutorial will be available in early August (2012).

Responsibilities of the Office of Teacher Education Advising, Licensure, and Recruitment (TEALR)

The Office of Teacher Education Advising, Licensure, and Recruitment (TEALR) provide services for students before and during the admission process to the College of Education and participates in Teacher Education Recruitment. TEALR assists students from the time they express interest in education as a profession and throughout their early period of enrollment at UNC Charlotte.

The TEALR office processes professional licensure applications for students in teaching, counseling, and educational leadership upon completion of their program. Students who receive faculty recommendation and successfully complete their program may apply for the appropriate North Carolina License.

TEALR also assists with licensure add-ons, faculty licenses, and liaison with the NC Department of Public Instruction. TEALR provides application forms and information about study guides for Praxis I and Praxis II.

Updated 7/2012