Effectively supporting student success and navigating academic pathways demands sophisticated **academic advising tools**. At Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), a comprehensive suite of these tools is now operational, designed to enhance both the efficiency of administrative processes and the efficacy of student guidance. This content serves as a detailed companion to the video above, providing in-depth insights into the functionalities, access protocols, and strategic applications of PeopleSoft Academic Advisement and EAB Navigate.
The Dual Pillars of Academic Advising at GRCC
GRCC has implemented two distinct yet complementary software systems to streamline academic advisement, each serving a unique critical function in the student lifecycle. Understanding the specific purpose of each tool is paramount for faculty and staff engaged in student support.
Introducing PeopleSoft Academic Advisement: The Degree Audit Platform
PeopleSoft’s Academic Advisement tool set functions primarily as a robust degree audit platform. This system empowers advisors and administrators to meticulously track students’ progress toward their academic programs, ensuring all requirements for graduation are systematically met.
This powerful system provides real-time information, directly linking to the institution’s official course catalog maintained within PeopleSoft. Consequently, any modifications to course descriptions or program requirements are automatically reflected, ensuring data integrity and accuracy. Key functionalities include:
- **Real-time Degree Auditing:** Provides an immediate, comprehensive assessment of a student’s degree requirements against their declared academic program and completed coursework. This is a significant advancement from prior systems, offering unparalleled precision.
- **Progress Tracking:** Enables detailed monitoring of a student’s advancement through their curriculum, highlighting completed requirements and those still outstanding.
- **What-If Scenarios:** Advisors can run simulations to evaluate a student’s academic standing if they were to change their academic program. This feature is invaluable for career counseling and academic planning, allowing students to make informed decisions about potential program shifts without formal commitment.
- **Program Evaluation:** Offers data to inform future institutional planning, including insights into student enrollment patterns and potential program discontinuation strategies. While this capability is still in an early phase of deployment, it underscores the strategic potential of the system.
Introducing EAB Navigate: The Academic Planning Ecosystem
Conversely, EAB Navigate (also referred to as EAB Academic Planning) focuses on the proactive, student-facing aspect of advisement. This system facilitates the collaborative process between advisors, faculty, and students to map out personalized academic program plans. It is distinctly separate from the degree audit function of PeopleSoft Academic Advisement.
EAB Navigate is instrumental in helping students sequence their courses logically, make judicious selections for general education and elective requirements, and ultimately chart a clear path to graduation. It does not perform degree audits or provide enrollment recommendations in the same manner as PeopleSoft Academic Advisement; rather, it is a dynamic planning environment.
Navigating the Transition from MyDegreePath
The institution has undergone a significant transition from its previous system, MyDegreePath, to the new PeopleSoft Academic Advisement platform. This shift went live for students and all users on **August 31st**. This implementation marks a strategic upgrade to leverage more integrated and real-time data capabilities.
During the transition period, MyDegreePath remained accessible to faculty, staff, and advisors until the end of October. However, students no longer have access to MyDegreePath, as all academic progress information is now centralized within the new Academic Advisement system. This phased rollout ensured a smoother transition for all stakeholders.
The primary rationale for this migration was to harness the power of a real-time degree audit delivered directly from PeopleSoft. This integration provides more accurate and current information regarding student enrollment, progress, and catalog requirements. The direct connection to the PeopleSoft-maintained course catalog ensures that updates to course descriptions or program structures are automatically reflected, minimizing discrepancies and manual adjustments.
Accessing and Interpreting Academic Advisement Reports
Accessing student academic advisement reports is fundamental for effective guidance. Both students and authorized personnel have designated pathways to view these critical documents.
Student Self-Service: The Online Student Center
Students can readily access their academic advisement reports through their online Student Center. Here, they will find an “Academic Progress” tile featuring a color-coded pie chart. This visual representation allows students to quickly ascertain the proportion of their program requirements that have been completed versus those that are still outstanding. Clicking on the tile reveals a detailed audit, clearly delineating met and unmet requirements. For example, a gold-shaped diamond next to a course like “English 101” or “English 102” would signify an unfulfilled requirement, while a completed social science requirement would show no further classes needed.
This direct student access empowers individuals to take ownership of their academic journey, monitor their progress, and engage more meaningfully in advising discussions.
Faculty and Staff Access Pathways
Faculty and staff requiring access to academic advisement reports have distinct methods, largely dependent on their role:
- **Faculty Teaching Classes:** Faculty members actively teaching classes in a given semester typically access the “Academic Advisement” tile within their Faculty Self-Service portal. This access is provisioned following completion of FERPA training and is often assigned proactively based on prior MyDegreePath usage.
- **Non-Teaching Faculty and Staff:** Individuals in roles not involving classroom instruction, such as general staff or faculty not currently teaching, access the system via Campus Solutions. This ensures appropriate oversight and data security.
In either case, it is crucial to “add a new value” when running a report to prevent pulling up outdated or previously run information. The system utilizes a test student, Jill McNutt, for demonstration purposes to protect privacy, illustrating how reports would appear.
Understanding AdviP vs. What If Reports
Within the Academic Advisement system, users have access to two primary report types, each serving a different analytical purpose:
- **AdviP Report (A-D-V-I-P):** This report presents the student’s current, officially declared academic program. It provides a real-time snapshot of their progress within their chosen field of study. Upon processing, users can view a general web report or, more commonly, opt to “View Report as PDF” for a comprehensive, printable document detailing the student’s academic pathway. For instance, the PDF version clearly indicates the student’s declared program, such as the “Culinary, Hospitality, and Brewing Pathway” at the top of the report.
- **What If Report (W-H-I-F):** This powerful feature allows advisors to simulate changes to a student’s academic program. By selecting “What If” and then “Copy Current Program,” users can modify the academic plan (which PeopleSoft refers to as “academic plan”) to explore how a student’s completed coursework would apply to a different program. The requirement term, typically corresponding to the catalog year (e.g., Fall 21 for the 21-22 catalog), usually remains unchanged. A search function or predefined list allows for the selection of new programs, such as “Pre-Business.” This simulation provides an invaluable tool for guiding students considering program changes, showing them exactly where they would stand if they pursued an alternative academic path.
Key Data Interpretation Tips for Academic Advisement Reports
When reviewing these reports, several critical details warrant attention to ensure accurate advisement:
- **Catalog Year:** Academic Advisement is available for programs established in **2017 and onward**. For programs preceding this timeframe, manual comparison with the online catalog is necessary.
- **Current Catalog Courses:** Only courses listed in the current catalog will appear on the advisement report. Newly offered classes will not be visible until their official start date.
- **Credits vs. Units:** Always ensure clarity between “credits” and “units” when evaluating degree completion, as terminology can sometimes lead to misinterpretations.
- **Overall Total Credits:** The report consistently specifies the overall total credits a student must complete to earn a degree at GRCC, providing a clear benchmark for graduation.
Leveraging EAB Navigate for Proactive Student Support
EAB Navigate transforms academic advising into a more dynamic and personalized experience, facilitating direct interaction and comprehensive planning with students.
Student Search and Profile Overview
Accessing student information in Navigate is straightforward. Users can search for any student by name or student ID using the quick search bar. A pertinent point to note is a system limitation: students who are also employed on campus may appear with designations such as “coach” instead of “student.” Nevertheless, clicking on their name provides access to their full student profile, complete with uploaded RaiderCard photos for identification verification.
The “Overview” tab within a student’s profile provides a snapshot of key academic data. While a test student like Jill McNutt may not have extensive data, a real student’s profile would display their cumulative GPA, withdrawn courses, repeated courses, and instances of D or F grades. This consolidated view offers a quick assessment of a student’s academic standing.
The “History” Tab: Comprehensive Advising Notes and Interactions
The “History” tab is a critical component of EAB Navigate, serving as a comprehensive repository of all advising interactions and student-related notes. This feature allows advisors to view a chronological record of appointments, alerts issued, cases opened, and any notes added regarding the student’s academic journey. Users can expand individual entries to read detailed comments from previous interactions. This centralized record-keeping ensures continuity in advising, preventing redundant conversations and providing a holistic view of the student’s support history. Additionally, advisors can easily “Add a Note” during or after a meeting, documenting discussions and action items for future reference.
Crafting and Sending Academic Plans: The Power of the “Academic Plan” Tab
The “Academic Plan” tab is where EAB Navigate truly shines as a planning tool. On the left-hand side, students see their most currently declared academic program, with courses laid out in the exact sequencing recommended by faculty and documented in the catalog. This ensures students follow a logical and efficient path through their curriculum.
On the right-hand side, academic advisors possess the capability to create and send unique, specific academic plans to students. By dragging and dropping courses from the left-hand side or utilizing a search tool to add any desired class to a specific term, advisors can customize a student’s plan. This dynamic feature allows for flexibility, accommodating individual student needs, transfer credits, or specific academic goals. Once the plan is finalized, advisors can add comments (e.g., “Jill, please retake ALEX to aim for a higher score”) and “Send suggestions” to the student, who receives a notification. This feature facilitates transparent communication and provides students with a clear, personalized roadmap for their academic future. Plans can be modified at any time, adding semesters or adjusting course placements, ensuring an adaptive planning experience.
Nuances of Faculty vs. Staff Access in Navigate
When accessing EAB Navigate, classroom faculty will observe a slight difference in their interface. Traditionally, logging in would present a “Professor Home.” However, with the addition of advising tools to faculty profiles, users will now see a “Staff Home.” While all student search and viewing functionalities remain available regardless of the home screen, to access class listings, student rosters, and previously issued alerts, faculty must toggle back to their “Professor Home” using the down arrow next to the “Staff Home” designation. This distinction is crucial for faculty to efficiently manage both their teaching and advising responsibilities.
Best Practices for Effective Academic Advising Tool Utilization
Maximizing the benefits of GRCC’s **academic advising tools** necessitates adherence to best practices and an understanding of ongoing support mechanisms.
Essential Access and Compliance: FERPA Training
Access to these sensitive student data systems requires mandatory FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) training. This ensures all users are fully aware of and compliant with federal regulations governing student privacy. Faculty and staff who need access but have not completed the training or been provisioned should contact the Registrar’s office (Valerie Butterfield) or the Assistant Registrar of Graduation (Lakisha Beck).
Strategic Use Cases: When to Deploy Each Tool
It is vital to reiterate the distinct purposes of PeopleSoft Academic Advisement and EAB Navigate:
- **Academic Advisement (PeopleSoft):** Primarily functions as a final check on graduation requirements, assessing outstanding requirements, and reviewing the status of substitutions or waivers. It is a robust degree auditing tool.
- **EAB Navigate:** Serves as the primary planning tool for courses, facilitating course sequencing and the development of personalized academic plans. It is not a degree audit platform in the same vein as PeopleSoft.
Employing the correct tool for the specific advising task at hand enhances efficiency and provides students with accurate, relevant information.
Ongoing Support and Communication Channels
GRCC is committed to providing continual updates and support for these academic advising tools. Communications are regularly disseminated via GRCC Today, training videos (such as the one accompanying this article), and shared reference documents. For specific inquiries, faculty and staff are encouraged to reach out to the dedicated liaisons:
- Lakisha Beck, Assistant Registrar of Graduation (lbeck@grcc.edu), for questions related to Academic Advisement and graduation requirements.
- Erin Buscher, Program Director for Academic Advising and Transfer Center (ebuscher@grcc.edu), for questions or additional training requests regarding EAB Navigate.
Impact on Graduation Applications
Importantly, the implementation of these new **academic advising tools** does not alter the process by which students apply to graduate. Students will continue to apply via the student records web page during or just prior to their final semester. The new systems will, however, significantly enhance the institution’s ability to efficiently and effectively evaluate credentials and determine eligibility for graduation.
Your Academic Compass: Questions & Answers on Advising Tools
What are the main academic advising tools used at GRCC?
GRCC uses two main academic advising tools: PeopleSoft Academic Advisement and EAB Navigate. These systems are designed to help students plan their courses and track their progress effectively.
What is PeopleSoft Academic Advisement for?
PeopleSoft Academic Advisement primarily functions as a degree audit platform. It helps advisors and students track progress towards their academic programs and ensures all requirements for graduation are met.
What is EAB Navigate used for?
EAB Navigate is an academic planning tool that helps students and advisors map out personalized course plans. It assists students in logically sequencing their courses and charting a clear path to graduation.
Where can students find their academic progress information?
Students can access their academic advisement reports through their online Student Center. Look for the ‘Academic Progress’ tile, which shows a visual representation of completed and outstanding requirements.