UC Center for Exploratory Studies: Personalized Guidance for Undecided Students

1. Explore. Discover. Decide.sonalized e

2. Center for Exploratory Studies • Exemplary practice for undecided students (National Academic Advising Association) • Exploratory Studies - largest UC “major” at 1695 • Up 245 bacc. as of Fall 2013 (plus 386 at regionals – new program) • Advise Exploratory Studies & major-changers • “Just stick to the gen. ed. and pick a career” is poor but well-intended advice

3. What Matters • Early, intentional academic exploration • Individual, personalized attention • Course selection • Structure and coordination of process and information • Accessible comparative tools • Timeframe matters – a year or less

4. CES Advising Model • Specially trained professional advisors focus on teaching academic and career pathways • Relationship development with assigned advisors – highly personalized, one-on-one • Mandatory-to-intrusive advising • Blackboard advising organizations and social media • Student satisfaction at 93% + high quality perception • Caseload management • Increasing student retention & enrollments

6. *Collegiate Restructuring

7. UC Exploration Process • Pre-orientation surveys & tailored orientation process • In-depth conversation with advisor (intake) • Personality styles, career interests, abilities and career values assessessed • Major interests assessment • Academic proficiencies assessed • Common patterns identified • Majors investigated more in-depth (curriculum, faculty and requirements) • Experiential investigation

8. Exploration Resources • Variety of interest-centered learning communities and freshman seminars (not “University 101”) • Discovering UC Course • Accessible web tools • UC’s “What Can I Do With My Major?” site • MyPlan – assessments plus career research results & database • Academic program descriptions & curriculum guides • Exploration “Toolbox” • Experiential learning components • Service learning • Academic internships • Connections to program faculty & exploration courses • Connections to academic clubs/organizations

13. Course Schedule Samples Business Interest ENGL 1001 ECON 1001, Intro. To Microeconomics COMM 2081, Business Communication MATH 1044, Applied Calculus I MGMT 1053, Business Foundations Openly Exploring ENGL 1001 or Freshman Seminar Discovering UC or Humanities Social Science or History (1-2 courses of identified interest areas) Nursing Interest ENGL 1001 BIOL2001C, Anatomy & Physiology CHEM 1020, Intro. To Chem. & Biochem. CHEM 1020L, Lab SOC 1001, Intro. To Sociology Engineering Interest ENGL 1001 CHEM 1040, General Chemistry I CHEM 1040L, Lab ENED 1020, Engineering Foundations ENED 1090, Engineering Models I

14. Shared Commitment

15. Contact Information Tara Stopfel Warden Provostal Liason for Advising (513)556-5890 Tara.Warden@uc.edu Allison Logan, Ph.D. Director, Center for Exploratory Studies (513)556-6538 Allison.Logan@uc.edu