Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs 3.4.9 (academic support services)
The institution provides appropriate academic support services.

Compliance
North Carolina State University is in compliance with this standard.

Explanation
NC State University grants degrees at the associate through doctoral levels, along with many non-degree programs.  Nearly 30,000 students are enrolled at NC State University and all will make use of the university’s support services at some point in their careers. 

The university provides academic support services on the departmental, college and university levels.  Broadly, these support services may be classified as advising, tutoring, research support, and academic enrichment programs.  Further, NC State University provides appropriate academic support for special student populations.  Information about technology training and support may be found in Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #14. 

Advising as a Form of Academic Support
Advising constitutes one of the main forms of academic support offered by the university.  All students at the university have an academic adviser, and the university takes steps to ensure that advising is an effective way of bringing academic support to each student.  

Most undergraduates entering NC State University choose to declare a major immediately and start learning their chosen discipline in their first semester.  Hence, for most students, the adviser is a faculty member in the student’s chosen department. 

Prospective students who are uncertain about a major or career apply to the university’s First Year College (FYC).  Their first two semesters consists of general university studies and career guidance.  For these students, the advisers use a student-centered developmental advising system, including individualized academic advising and counseling. 

Advising is a regular part of the duties for which faculty are employed and evaluated.  The Handbook on Advising and Teaching provides an outline of responsibilities, a list of advising coordinators, and other information for advisers.  For instance, it includes statements on legal constraints under Title IX on academic and career counseling, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 on handicapped students, and the Buckley Amendment.

The Handbook indicates that faculty advisers are expected to provide accurate information about academic regulations and procedures, courses, and requirements.  They are also expected to help students plan academic programs suited to their interests, abilities, and career objectives.  Further, they are expected to refer their advisees for special testing or counseling as needed and assist advisees in making adjustments in cases of serious injury or illness.  In short, at NC State University, the adviser is often the student’s best source of academic support, a guide and trustworthy mentor.  

Because advising is so vital for the student’s academic success, the university takes steps to ensure that the advisory relationship is effective and that the information shared is accurate.  Each college or department is required to provide training and supervision for advisers and to provide up-to-date information.  Moreover, each college or department is required to assist students who want to change their advisers.   

Students who want to transfer into another college or department, but who are currently ineligible, are provided with two advisers.  They keep their adviser in their current department but consult additionally with the coordinator of advising for the prospective department.

 

The university also provides a virtual advising center to supplement the advisory process.  Advising Central^SM is designed to provide web-based advising to undergraduate students.  While it does not replace the faculty adviser, this service is provided to explain academic policies clearly, to help students locate accurate advice, and to help students clarify their academic plans and strengthen their academic skills.   

Tutoring as a Form of Academic Support
The Undergraduate Tutorial Center (UTC) is the main provider of tutorial support for NC State University students.  It provides both walk-in tutoring and tutoring by appointment.  Several colleges and departments provide additional tutorial services.  Some of these include the College of Natural Resources Tutoring and the College of Textiles Tutoring.   

Students who need additional help in various subjects can receive supplemental instruction through the UTC and various departments and/or colleges.  The UTC offers supplemental instruction and a supplemental instruction chemistry walk-in center.  The mathematics department offers a mathematics multimedia center.  Likewise, the physics department offers a physics tutorial center.  Moreover, the UTC provides writing and speaking tutorial services for all students.  The College of Engineering also provides writing assistance for its students. 

Research Assistance as a Form of Academic Support
The tutorial services provided by the university, its colleges, and departments often provide special help to students who are engaged in research projects.  However, the main provider of research assistance is the NCSU Libraries.  In particular, the D. H. Hill Library is a major source of academic support for students.  Information is readily available and databases can be searched online.  In addition, library support staff are available to help students get information for the classroom, laboratory, or research project. 

Academic Enrichment Programs as a Form of Academic Support
The Honors Program provides academic support to a select group of gifted students.  The students selected to the honors program enroll in special seminars, which offer smaller class sizes and are taught by superior faculty.  The honors program works in partnership with members of NC State’s Academy of Outstanding Teachers to staff its seminars with faculty who have been recognized by their departments—and by students—as some of the most talented and respected teachers and researchers on our campus.  In addition, most academic departments offer opportunities for honors research in the discipline.

The University Scholars Program also provides a supportive and stimulating environment for gifted students, helping them to excel academically and to enrich their understanding of the world in which we live.  To accomplish this goal, students engage in honors coursework, attend Scholars Forums, cultural and international events, and participate in unique co-curricular activities. 

Support for Special Student Populations
One particularly vital source of academic support is the university’s Disability Services for Students.  Disability Services provides assistance for qualifying students by improving access to classrooms, providing Assistive listening devices and/or other Assistive technologies, providing captioned educational media, and assigning special note takers as needed. 

The university recognizes the special needs of students who represent the university in intercollegiate athletics.  The Academic Support Program for Student Athletes focuses on providing comprehensive support to the student athlete.  The goal of the program is to address the personal, developmental, academic, and career goals of the student athlete in a timely and effective manner.   

Additional student services are available for international students through the Office of International Scholar and Student Services (OISSS).  OISSS facilitates the enrollment of foreign nationals and provides essential international support services to the entire university community.  These services include immigration information, enrollment advising, employment authorization, financial aid advising, as well as facilitating cultural and language enrichment activities.

At NC State University, academic support services are available at the departmental, college, and university levels.  They are available when students are experiencing academic difficulties or in need of additional instruction.  Academic support is available when students need information and do not know how to go about finding it.  It is available also when students would benefit from additional academic challenges and more in-depth courses.  Finally, academic support is available when special circumstances impede a student’s success.  The university is convinced that these academic supports are appropriate for its students and its mission. 

 

Support for Distance Education Students

Distance education students receive advising service comparable to campus-based resources, usually conducted by electronic means.  Students matriculating into a DE program receive academic advising through their department, while new and non-matriculating students receive academic advising services from the professional advising staff in Credit Programs and Summer Sessions.  Comprehensive advising services available to all distance students include placement testing, transcript evaluation, admissions counseling, and career assessment available through Credit Programs and Summer Sessions and the virtual Advising Central.  The Distance Education program provides resources to students who need supplemental academic assistance, including copies of videotaped course lectures provided for student review in the NCSU Libraries Media Center and taped math course lectures in the Mathematics Department Multimedia Center.

Research assistance is provided to all DE students through the NCSU Libraries Distance Learning Department.  Distance students with disabilities are encouraged to register with the university’s Disability Services for Students office to obtain support through assistive technologies or other means to meet their educational goals.

Supplementary Information
For more information about the NCSU Libraries and its contribution to student learning, see Core Requirements #9 and Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #26.

References

• The Academic Support Program for Student Athletes (http://www.ncsu.edu/undergrad_affairs/aspsa/vision_statement.html) 

• Advising Central^SM (http://www.ncsu.edu/advising_central/)

• College of Engineering writing assistance program (http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/students/tuwap/wap/index.php)

• College of Natural Resources Tutoring (http://natural-resources.ncsu.edu/)

• College of Textiles Tutoring (http://www.tx.ncsu.edu/academic/advising/tutoring.html)

• Credit Programs and Summer Sessions advising services (http://www.ncsu.edu/acp/ss-advising.html) 

• Disability Services for Students (http://www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/dss/)  

• Handbook on Advising and Teaching (http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/hat/current/)

• The Honors Program (http://www.ncsu.edu/honors/) 

• The Office of International Scholar and Student Services (http://www.ncsu.edu/oisss/)

• The mathematics department multimedia center (http://www.math.ncsu.edu/mmc/index.html)

• NCSU Libraries Distance Learning Services (http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/distance) and Media Center (http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/ads/media.html) 

• The physics tutorial center (http://www.physics.ncsu.edu:8380/ptc) 

• Research assistance from the NCSU Libraries (http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/risd/instruction/)

• The Undergraduate Tutorial Center (http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/index.html), with walk-in tutoring (http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/wits.html), tutoring by appointment (http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/appointment.html), supplemental instruction (http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/si.html), supplemental instruction chemistry walk-in center (http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/wits.html) and writing and speaking tutorial services (http://www.ncsu.edu/tutorial_center/writespeak/index.html)

• The University Scholars Program (http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/academic_affairs/sacs_college_support.htm)  

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