The last few weeks have been busy in the world of Undergraduate Research! Read recent posts from the Office of Engaged Learning about:
Our trip to NCUR with eight undergraduate researchers and creative artists
Reactions and tips from the winners of this year’s Undergraduate Poster Session
By Silvia Vazquez
HighPoint Degree Planner was rolled out earlier this semester as a tool for SMU undergraduates to plan their track toward graduation. To collect feedback on this new software, students are being asked to complete a short survey. The survey will provide valuable insight into students’ perspectives on HighPoint Degree Planner, including the platform’s ease of use, helpful features, and areas for improvement.
The survey is open from Monday, April 10th, to Tuesday, April 25th. Students who respond will be entered into a raffle to win one of ten gift cards.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to share the survey link below with their undergraduate student groups.
Degree Planner was introduced to students at the end of the Fall 2022 semester as a tool that supports the SMU in Four – SMU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) –SMU’s comprehensive approach to improving retention and four-year graduation rates.
The Degree Planner in the my.SMU Student Dashboard is a powerful tool that can provide students with a personalized, pre-populated degree plan to help them on their journey to graduation. This degree path provides a sequence of courses that will fulfill degree requirements and can be adjusted regularly to fit their future plans. This differs from the Degree Progress Report (DPR), the authoritative source for graduation requirements.
Initial adoption efforts focused on the 5,348 Common Curriculum students who matriculated in the fall 2020 semester or after (213 Spring 2023 graduating seniors were excluded). Students received outreach on Degree Planner’s purpose, support with completion, and notification of their progress in a variety of ways:
We want to reward the following advisors with $100 Amazon gift cards for having the highest number of advisee completions University-wide:
Special Acknowledgement is also given to Janet Stephens and Alyssa Wong for their efforts in encouraging student completion and advertising our student support sessions.
The Office of General Education communicated on Monday, February 20, to the campus community about the one-time exception to two Common Curriculum Proficiencies & Experiences for COVID-19 cohorts.
Based on feedback from School Record Offices, we completed the first of three recommended audits. The first audit was conducted today, a day after the originally published Withdrawl Deadline. We added waivers to 44 undergraduate students on the Common Curriculum who dropped courses with needed tags following the February 20 announcement. We applied 38 Community Engagement waivers and 37 Civics and Individual Ethics waivers.
The next audit will be conducted on Thursday (after the extended Withdrawl date due to the ice storm), and the final audit will be as soon as possible following the posting of final grades for the Fall 2023 semester to limit impacts on graduation verifications.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Office of General Education at gened@smu.edu.
Effective April 17, Brittaney Wilson will transition to full-time at the Office of General Education as the inaugural General Education and Academic Appeals Coordinator.
Since October 2022, Brittaney has served in a joint Undergraduate Degree Counselor position between the Office of General Education and Meadows Student Academic Services. In this role, Brittaney provided:
In her new role as General Education and Academic Appeals Coordinator, she will:
Wilson shared, “Though my time in Meadows Academic Services has been short, I have enjoyed supporting students and working with such a knowledgeable team. My new position offers the opportunity to provide support in a different way. I look forward to increasing my knowledge of university processes, and continued growth on the Hilltop.”
The Office of General Education and the Meadows School of the Arts are grateful for the collaboration to successfully implement this shared Undergraduate Degree Counselor position pilot program. Due to increased demands on both offices, full-time staff was required. The Meadows Academic Services office will begin serving all Meadows graduate and performance degree students in addition to their long-standing service to the undergraduate population, which requires the addition of a full-time Meadows Degree Counselor.
Please join us in congratulating Brittaney Wilson (brittaneyw@smu.edu).
The Council on General Education met on March 31, 2023. The meeting minutes for March 10, 2023 were approved at this meeting. Below is the agenda, and the meeting minutes have now been posted on the General Education website.
Please contact the Office of General Education for questions or proposal development support.
Pitch to win $5,000 at the Big iDeas Business Plan Competition. Applications are open now! Apply at smu.edu/bigideas.
It’s Research & Innovation Week!
Join us for events showcasing student work, along with a faculty panel and keynote by Taylor Shead, CEO and founder of STEMuli Studios. Details below.
We’d also like to quickly highlight the Engaged Learning Fellows presenting on Tuesday’s Undergraduate Poster Session:
Featuring:
Let’s give a big round of applause to all 758 students who completed Degree Planner before the final raffle deadline!
For your Degree Planner to be considered complete:
Fifty winners were randomly selected to receive prizes courtesy of SMU in Four:
| Amazon Gift Card
($25 value) |
Target Gift Card
($25 value) |
Starbucks Gift Card
($25 value) |
Visa Gift Card
($25 value) |
SMU Flex Dollars
($25 value) |
SMU Swag Bag
($50 value) |
| Skyler H. | Michael G. | Breanna S. | Aaliyah A. | Grace B. | Steven B. |
| Sarah B. | Spencer B. | Maya C. | Ria D. | Humberto O. | Daniele D. |
| Mirana E. | Sofia G. | Jack G. | Arin J. | Eden C. | Annabelle L. |
| Jack L. | Karen L. | Anna M. | Mason M. | Lily L. | Lucy M. |
| Regina N. | Abby R. | Riley T. | Carina K. | Ava S. | |
| Alexander B. | Katie F. | Emma G. | Gracie H. | Tulsi L. | |
| Karis P. | Megan R. | De’Anna W. | Jaena Z. | ||
| Oscar C. | Braden C. | Ella D. | Savannah H. | ||
| Alexa L. | Matthew M. | Lily S. | Jess S. | ||
| Natalya T. | Owen T. | Sydney B. | Remonda H. |
Winners can come and pick up their prizes from the Office of General Education, Laura Lee Blanton Suite 100, from Monday, March 20th– Monday, March 27th.
All Common Curriculum (CC) undergraduate students must complete Degree Planner by March 20.
Visit smu.edu/degreeplanner for help getting started.
On February 15, the Office of General Education (OGE) shared details of the new automation, which awards Advanced Placement (AP) credit for specific Common Curriculum graduation requirements.
With the assistance of the Registrar’s Office, OGE audited student records to determine eligible CC students (AP scores of 4 or 5) who would satisfy Civics & Individual Ethics (CIE) and/or Quantitative Applications (QA).
OGE updated 201 student records as a result of the audit. Specifically, 74 students satisfied the CIE graduation requirement and 192 satisfied the QA requirement. Students were notified on March 8, 2023, concerning these DPR updates. Copies of the student communications are below.
Future SMU students will automatically receive this credit, as it is now established in their Catalog.
—
To: QA updated students with AP credit (n = 192)
From: Office of General Education (gened@smu.edu)
Title: Congratulations! Your Quantitative Applications graduation requirement has been satisfied with AP credit
March 8, 2023
Dear Student –
The Office of General Education wants to inform you that your Quantitative Applications (QA) Proficiency & Experience graduation requirement has been satisfied with your Advanced Placement (AP) credit.
Following an administrative review of your external test credit, you were identified as a student with an AP score of 4 or 5 that could satisfy the Quantitative Applications requirement. Therefore, your QA requirement is now satisfied due to the new automation for AP credit.
Should you have an issue with your DPR, please get in touch with your academic advisor, who may submit a DPR Issue request on your behalf.
We hope this is welcomed news since you are one step closer to completing your graduation requirements!
Sincerely,
Dustin K. Grabsch, PhD
Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education & Academic Success
—
To: CIE updated students with AP credit (n = 74)
From: Office of General Education (gened@smu.edu)
Title: Congratulations! Your Civics & Individual Ethics graduation requirement has been satisfied with AP credit
March 8, 2023
Dear Student –
The Office of General Education wants to inform you that your Civics & Individual Ethics (CIE) Proficiency & Experience graduation requirement has been satisfied with your Advanced Placement (AP) credit.
Following an administrative review of your external test credit, you were identified as a student with an AP score of 4 or 5 that could satisfy the Civics & Individual Ethics) requirement. Therefore, your CIE requirement is now satisfied due to the new automation for AP credit.
Should you have an issue with your Degree Progress Report (DPR), please get in touch with your academic advisor, who may submit a DPR Issue request on your behalf.
We hope you welcome this news since you are one step closer to completing your graduation requirements!
Sincerely,
Dustin K. Grabsch, PhD
Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education & Academic Success