We asked Sandra Via-Ellington, former Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies at Ferrum College, to provide her perspective on ways to leverage Acadeum course sharing as part of winter advising.
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In my administrative roles at Ferrum College, I served as the primary Acadeum contact and the Home Institution/Teaching Institution administrator. Encouraging my students to take advantage of course sharing opportunities became one of the most rewarding parts of my job. My favorite part was helping students leverage courses shared through Acadeum to recover from a bad academic semester or find pathways to graduation.
From a course sharing perspective, winter is the most underutilized term for many institutions. Because some colleges and universities don’t offer a wide range of courses during winter term–or don’t offer a winter term at all–accessing courses from trusted Teaching Institutions can unlock the help students need. For certain populations, such as students who need to boost their GPA or are a few courses short of graduating in the spring, winter term can be a lifeline.
