DROP/ADD FAQ FOR ADVISORS

• Do I or my advisee need to take action if their latest course enrollment exceeds their credit limit?

  YES. If any of your advisees have a legitimate pedagogical reason to exceed the full-credit course limit you may use the Drop/Add system to raise their credit limit. When a student is accepted into a course that exceeds the credit limit, he/she will have to either drop a course he/she is already enrolled in or seek the credit limit increase. If they have not resolved this conflict by five o'clock of the next business day, the nightly process will return the course's seat to the instructor.

• Can a student submit an enrollment request for a course that was dropped?

  YES, however the system will force the student to wait until the next business day. They are encouraged to email the instructor to explain the situation.

• How can I reach the registration help line?

  The registration help line will be open each semester from the time that the drop/add system opens until it ends, during normal business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The phone number of the registration help line is x3222, or  (860) 685-3222 if you are dialing from off-campus.  You will be able to leave a message after hours.

  In addition to contacting the registration help line, graduate students can contact Barbara Schukoske, Assistant to the Director of Graduate Student Services, at x2224 if they have questions.

• How will advising be preserved if the instructors can directly admit students to classes?

  Once a student is offered and accepts a seat in a class the advisor will be notified by e-mail.  The advisor must approve or deny the add and may also request that the student contact the advisor to discuss the add.

• How will advisors be able to handle the volume of transactions for their advisees?

  Advisors will not receive an e-mail for each Drop/Add transaction.  Advisors will be notified by e-mail of their advisees drop/add activity in a single e-mail.  The e-mail notification will be sent once a day as a reminder.  The e-mail will include the names of all advisees who still need advisor approval.  Advisors must go to their WesPortal to review their advisees’ schedules and approve the Drop/Add transactions.

• How do I navigate to drop/add advising in my WesPortal?

  Log in to your WesPortal and navigate to Advisees, located under "Advising."  You will see a list of your advisees.  Advisees who require advisor action will be highlighted. Clicking on the Drop/Add link next to any student’s name will allow the advisor to review that student’s in-process schedule in the top of the page ("Drop/Add Transactions") and those add and drop requests on hold ("Pending Advisor Approval"). 

• How do I approve an add or drop?

  If the instructor has not yet accepted the add, the "Approve" column will say "Pending Instructor Approval" and the advisor can take no action. If the pull-down menu is available, select "Approve." Click the "Submit" button.  You will be given a chance to cancel or confirm the approval. “Approved” will show for the course in your WesPortal, and "Advisor Approved" will appear in the student’s portfolio and on the instructor’s class enrollment list.

  When a student requests enrollment in a course that would put her/him over her/his credit-limit, the student, advisor, and instructor will see that course/student’s name highlighted in red. If the student has not dropped another course or obtained a credit-limit override by 5:00 p.m. of the next business day, the nightly process will return the seat in the extra course to the instructor.

• Why do I see "Instructor Drop" next to the student's course?
  Consistent with the EPC Statement on attendance, an instructor may drop a student from his or her class list should that student fail to attend the first class session or to communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class. If a student has been dropped from the course by the instructor, “Instructor Dropped” will appear for that course. The student would need to submit a new enrollment request to be added to the class again. Full text of the EPC Statement is available here.
• How do I override the credit limit for my advisee?

  If the instructor has not yet accepted the add, the "Approve" column will say "Pending Instructor Approval" and the advisor can take no action. If the pull-down menu is available, select "Approve." Click the "Submit" button.  You will be given a chance to cancel or confirm the approval. "Approved" will show for the course in your WesPortal, and "Advisor Approved" will appear in the student’s WesPortal and on the instructor’s class enrollment list.

  In order to keep untaken seats available, the system will enroll an undergraduate student in no more than four courses that carry a value of 1.00 or greater (excluding tutorials, private music lessons, and all partial-credit courses) and a graduate student in no more than six courses that carry a value of 1.00 or greater (excluding tutorials, private music lessons, and all partial credit courses). Students who feel they have a legitimate pedagogical reason to exceed the credit limit must discuss an override with their advisors.
  
  To change the credit limit:
  
  1. Click on the advisee’s name to view her information.
  
  2. At the top of the advisee’s information page, use the pull-down to select a new course limit for the student (keeping in mind the courses not included in this limit, listed above).
  
  3. Click the "Change" button.
  
  4. The advisor has the option of approving "extra" courses but not approving a credit-limit override, thereby allowing the student to choose which courses to keep.
  
  When a student requests enrollment in a course that would put her over her credit-limit, the student, advisor, and instructor will see that course/student’s name highlighted in red. If the student has not dropped another course or obtained a credit-limit override by by 5pm of the next business day, the nightly process will return the seat in the extra course to the instructor.

• What is the role of a backup advisor?

  If the primary advisor will be unavailable to perform their advising duties, then the primary advisor will contact the backup advisor. It is only under these circumstances that the backup advisor will be required to approve advisees’ Drop/Add transactions. Advisees should not contact the backup advisor unless the primary advisor has instructed them to do so.

• Can a primary advisor change their backup advisor assignment?

  YES! The primary advisor may, after consulting with a fellow faculty member, assign a new backup advisor to their advisees through the WesPortal.

• Will advisees know who their backup advisors are?

  Yes! The primary and backup advisors will be visible to advisees in their WesPortal. Advisees will be informed that they are only to contact their backup advisor if they have been instructed to do so by their primary advisor.

• Can I take action as a minor or certificate advisor?
  No. Only major and pre-major advisors can take action, but all advisors are alerted to student changes and can view their students' information.