Feb 24, 2025
News/Notes for Undergraduate Academic Advisors: Academic Dates to Note | What to Know About FERPA - Part 2 | AI Literacy for Academic Advising - Session #2
Academic Dates to Note
- See details and academic and schedule adjustment deadlines at the Office of the Registrar Calendar Dates to Observe.
- Thursday, February 27, 2025 by 4:30 p.m.
- First-Half Semester: Last day to Change to or from Credit/No Credit
- Audit and Credit/No Credit Request form should be used by undergraduate students to complete this change.
- First-Half Semester: Last day to Drop with a "W"
- The Drop Form is used for dropping courses once the term has begun and can be submitted in person (with a photo ID) or via email.
- A completed form (with signatures if required) sent to registrar@uni.edu must be from the student's UNI email.
- All forms received from a personal (non-UNI) email will not be accepted.
- A completed form (with signatures if required) sent to registrar@uni.edu must be from the student's UNI email.
- The Drop Form is used for dropping courses once the term has begun and can be submitted in person (with a photo ID) or via email.
What to Know About FERPA - Part 2
- As an academic advisor, it is crucial to understand and comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to ensure the confidentiality and proper handling of student information.
- FERPA Principles for Academic Advisors
- Legitimate Educational Interest
- Advisors (or any school official) may access student records only if they have a legitimate educational interest, meaning the information is necessary to fulfill their professional responsibilities.
- Non-Disclosure of Information
- Do not disclose student schedules, grades, or other non-directory information to third parties without written consent from the student
- Be cautious when discussing student information in public or shared spaces.
- Handling Requests from Parents and Third Parties
- Parents do not have automatic rights to access their child's education records at the postsecondary level. See below for more information or share this handout or website for students and parents.
- Verify the identity of any third party requesting student information and ensure they have the proper authorization.
- Record-Keeping Requirements
- Maintain accurate and secure records of student interactions and advising sessions.
- Follow institutional policies for record retention and disposal.
- Best Practices for Advisors
- Complete FERPA Training
- When in doubt, seek guidance from the Registrar's Office or other appropriate individual who serves as custodians of educational records at UNI.
- Stay Informed: Keep up-to-date with any changes to FERPA regulations and institutional policies.
- Legitimate Educational Interest
- When do FERPA rights begin?
- A FERPA-related college education record begins for a student when he or she enrolls in a higher education institution.
- At a postsecondary institution, rights belong to the student in attendance, regardless of the student’s age.
- FERPA and parents’ access to their student’s education records
- When a student reaches the age of 18 or begins attending a postsecondary institution at any age, FERPA rights transfer from the parent to the student.
- Parents may have access to non-directory information by obtaining a signed consent from their student
- Records may be released to parents without a signed consent from the student under certain exceptions:
- Health or safety emergency
- Where the student has been found in violation of the institution’s code of conduct relating to the use of alcohol or a controlled substance, if the student is under age 21
- By submission of evidence that the parents declare the student as a dependent on their most recent Federal Income Tax form
- See the FERPA webpage from the Office of the Registrar for detailed information and additional resources
AI Literacy for Academic Advising - Session #2
- Even if you missed session #1, you are invited and encouraged to attend session #2 if interested!
- The Undergraduate Advising Council to the Provost (UAC) will be hosting the Advisor KNOW HOW session AI Literacy for Academic Advising with Wilson M. Rojas, Assistant Director for Emerging and Innovative Technologies.
- Session #2: Thursday, February 27, 2025 | 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. | Location: ScholarSpace Room 301
- Please RSVP for your attendance for Session #2 by Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
- For the interactive aspects with Copilot integrated into these sessions, we ask that you bring a laptop. However, attendance without a laptop is welcome.
- Session #2: Harness the power of AI for data analysis and actionable insights!
- Experiment with different prompting techniques
- Utilize data sets in AI for:
- Analysis | Identifying themes/trends | Comparison | Summarization | Presentation
Institutional Academic Advising Vision & Mission Statement (revised Spring 2016) [See Academic Advising Mission, Vision, Goals & Outcomes webpage]
- Vision Statement: UNI aspires to create the best possible advising experience for each student.
- Mission Statement: Academic Advising is a critical component of the teaching and learning environment at UNI. Advising is a personalized educational experience, empowering students to explore, articulate and achieve their academic, career and life goals.