Tag: Degree Planner

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success

Spring’s Success Fest and Degree Planner completion campaign come to a close

Two students looking at laptop computers

The Office of General Education and the University Advising Center (UAC) have completed their Spring 2025 campaign for Degree Planner completion and Success Fest. Both offices collaborated on Success Fest, an event dedicated to promoting and adopting Degree Planner among undergraduate students.

The Spring 2025 Success Fest occurred on February 26th in Hughes-Trigg Ballroom C. Students were encouraged to complete their Degree Planner before this date to gain entrance into Success Fest, however, students were also able to complete their Degree Planner on the day of the event. In total, 69 students attended the Spring 2025 Success Fest.

Leading up to the event, on February 3rd, 2025, all undergraduate students received a To-Do message on their my.SMU Student Dashboard that prompted them to complete their Degree Planner by the university deadline of March 1st. Email communications also went out to students, encouraging them to seek help from their Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) or academic advisors to assist them in completing their Degree Planner. These efforts included and resulted in:

  • Four Degree Planner Workshops hosted by the PALs
  • Six Degree Planner Workshops hosted by the UAC
  • 32 appointments scheduled with the PALs

By March 1st, there were 2,497 students that completed their Degree Planner.

A new aspect to the initiative this year was a second promotional campaign that was run from March 3rd – 10th to target students who did not complete their Degree Planner by the spring academic calendar deadline. These efforts included and resulted in:

  • A second To-Do message was posted on students’ my.SMU Student Dashboards who had not completed their Degree Planner
  • Two additional Degree Planner Workshops hosted by the UAC
  • 20 additional appointments scheduled with PALs

In total, the utilization initiative resulted in 3,100 total undergraduate students completing their Degree Planner.

Students who completed their plans, were surveyed about their Degree Planner user experience while students who did not complete a plan were asked about potential barriers. These responses will be analyzed to make improvements to future marketing campaigns and vendor improvement requests.

Success Fest and the Degree Planner completion campaign will return in the Fall 2025 semester, but students can still complete their Degree Planner by utilizing OIT’s Degree Planner website or scheduling an appointment with their PAL.

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success University Advising Center

Peer Academic Leaders and University Advising Center prepare for Success Fest

The Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) and University Advising Center (UAC) have started preparing for the Spring 2025 Success Fest, which will take place on February 26th from 11:30am-1:30pm in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center, Ballroom C. Success Fest is an event dedicated to the promotion and adoption of Degree Planner.

As stated on the university’s academic calendar, undergraduate students are required to update and complete their Degree Planner before the March 1st deadline.

Students can expect a To-Do message on their my.SMU Student Dashboard that will prompt them to complete their Degree Planner. Undeclared students will be asked to plan through the semester after their major declaration, and declared students will be asked to plan to the semester of their graduation.

Students will also receive a message through the Message Center with more information about the Degree Planner deadline, Success Fest, and upcoming Degree Planner workshops offered by the PALs and UAC.

Students, staff, and faculty can refer to the Office of General Education’s SMU 360 event page for details about the February Degree Planner workshops. Alternatively, staff and faculty can request a PALs Degree Planner workshop on a date and time that is more convenient. 

Students who show proof of a completed Degree Planner can enter Success Fest, however, students can also complete their Degree Planner on the day of the event. RSVPs to Success Fest are encouraged via SMU 360, but walk-ins are welcome.

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SMU in Four Student Academic Engagement & Success

Enhancements made to undergraduate Degree Planner tool in my.SMU

Enhancements have been implemented in Degree Planner, which has resolved several course-sharing issues previously reported by students and academic advisors.

With the launch of Degree Planner 2.0, SMU did not have the option to adjust when course sharing was evaluated. This led most students, especially newer students with several remaining requirements, to see their Common Curriculum requirements grouped together upon opening their plan. In addition, Degree Planner auto-selects courses that it determines would benefit students, particularly those that fulfill multiple Common Curriculum requirements.

With this enhancement, Degree Planner will no longer constantly evaluate course sharing and will only evaluate it once a student selects a course. Requirements will default to appearing individually unless a student specifically selects a course that fulfills multiple. This means the tool operates regarding course sharing in much the same way as Degree Planner 1.0 but with all the speed and improvements of 2.0.

It is possible that Degree Planner may still auto-select courses for individual requirements, but the SMU in Four team has not encountered anything as extreme as what it was doing prior to this enhancement. We also have a continuing issue open with our vendor: reducing the number of times Degree Planner auto-selects courses.

Overall, this is a significant enhancement and has resolved the issue we have received most frequently with the tool.

Thanks go to several team members in the Registrar’s Office and the Office of Information Technology for implementing these enhancements. As a reminder, undergraduate students will be required to submit an updated Degree Plan by Saturday, March 1, according to the Academic Calendar. 

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success

Peer Academic Leaders complete programming for Fall 2024

The Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) have completed their programs and events for the Fall 2024 semester. The PALs are a diverse group of undergraduate students who dedicate their time to helping their peers succeed academically.

Under the direction of the Office of General Education and in collaboration with Residence Life and Student Housing, the PALs plan and execute engaging programming on campus and in their assigned Residential Commons.

Some highlights from the semester include:

The Office of General Education is proud of the continued success of the PALs program. Students are encouraged to keep up with PALs events through SMU 360 or by following them on Instagram (@pals_smu). Faculty and staff are encouraged to promote PALs one-on-one appointments to students as well.

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success University Advising Center

Peer Academic Leaders and University Advising Center wrap up Success Fest

Students will receive a flyer with Degree Planner requirements and deadlines

The Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) and the University Advising Center (UAC) concluded Success Fest on September 26th. Success Fest is an event dedicated to the adoption and use of Degree Planner among undergraduate students.

In the weeks leading up to Success Fest, the UAC hosted 3 Degree Planner workshops with a total of 27 attendees. The PALs hosted 4 Degree Planner workshops with a total of 55 attendees. The PALs also offered 1-1 appointments in Blanton Suite 338, and helped 60 students complete their Degree Planner.

These efforts proved successful as there was a significant increase in the use of Degree Planner from September 13th until September 26th. Some data points include:

  • 1,321 pre-major students completing their Degree Planner leading up to major declaration
  • 1,263 declared students completing their Degree Planner leading up to graduation
  • 2,584 total students utilizing Degree Planner

The PALs and UAC will host Success Fest again in Spring 2025 on February 27th, encouraging students to complete and update their Degree Planner before the March 1st deadline.

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Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders University Advising Center

Join the Office of General Education and the University Advising Center at Success Fest

The Office of General Education and the University Advising Center (UAC) will be hosting their semesterly event, Success Fest, on September 26th from 11:30am-1:30pm in Laura Lee Blanton rooms 108/110.

Success Fest is an event dedicated to promoting usage and adoption of Degree Planner among undergraduate students. The event was first held in Spring 2024, and resulted in 1,938 students using Degree Planner over a month long period.

Students can enter Success Fest by showing proof of a completed Degree Planner or by completing Degree Planner on the spot during the event. The event will have games, raffles, a crafting station, and free food. RSVP’s are encouraged via SMU 360, but walk-ins are welcome.

The deadlines to complete Degree Planner are now on the SMU academic calendar, with an October 1st deadline for the fall semester and March 1st deadline for the spring semester.

Advisors from the UAC and the Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) will be hosting Degree Planner workshops in the coming weeks before the October 1st deadline. Students can also book a 1-1 appointment with a PAL in Blanton suite 338.

Staff and faculty are also welcome to stop by Success Fest, and are encouraged to promote the event to undergraduate students.

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SMU in Four

Encourage undergraduate students to complete their my.SMU Degree Planner by October 1

Students study before Spring Finals at the Hughes-Trigg Student Center, Tuesday, May 6, 2021 on the SMU Campus.

On Friday, September 13 pre-major and declared major students received a task and message in my.smu that asked them to complete a path in Degree Planner by October 1st. (This deadline is also listed on SMU’s academic calendar.) Declared major students complete their path when they plan through the semester of their graduation.

This task was applied to everyone, regardless of Degree Planner completion, and will be removed on October 1st, also regardless of completion. Although there is no consequence for students who do not complete Degree Planner, this requirement is a semesterly expectation for all students and advisors.

Please encourage your students to work on a Degree Planner path. When students complete their Degree Planner, the academic advisor job becomes easier in a couple of ways: students will have the start of a plan for course enrollment, and departments will see a clearer picture of course demand for future semesters. The tool only becomes increasingly useful as more students and advisors participate…

Over the next two weeks, students can seek help with Degree Planner in numerous ways:

SMU installed an update to the Degree Planner software on Thursday, September 12, that should have fixed the technical issues students may have encountered over the summer. If you see issues, technical or otherwise, please use the Degree Planner Issues/Requests Tracker. If students have problems, they should contact the Help Desk.

Finally, Success Fest on September 26th will offer free food, raffles, and games for all students who have completed their Degree Planner… If they still have work to do, advisors will be there to help them finish. Look for more promotion of Success Fest over the next two weeks, and help us get the word out…

Thanks for all of your help, and if you have any questions, let me know.

Josh Beaty

Advising Pillar, SMU in Four

jbeaty@smu.edu

Categories
Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success

Peer Academic Leaders wrap up their first year of General Education programming

This year, the Office of General Education relaunched the Peer Academic Leaders (PALs) program during the 2024 Academic Year.

The PALs are a diverse group of undergraduate students who aim to help their peers better understand the Common Curriculum, utilize academic resources, and navigate academic challenges. They are also inserted into the Residential Commons (RCs) and facilitate monthly programming meant to build a sense of community in the RC.

The PALs had a very successful first year with many highlights, such as:

The Office of General Education is proud of the PALs’ success this year and looks forward to seeing their continued impact in the 24-25 academic year.

Students, staff, and faculty can stay up to date with the PALs events and programming on SMU 360 and the PALs website.

 

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Office of General Education SMU in Four Student Academic Engagement & Success

Degree Planner updated to plan co-curricular options

The Office of General Education partnered with the Office of Information Technology and the Registrar’s Office to permit undergraduate student’s the ability to plan co-curricular obtainment of Common Curriculum (CC) Proficiencies and Experience in Degree Planner. 

The purpose of this change is to simplify and ultimately make planning easier for our students.  With the Degree Planner update, students can select an SMU course, a pre–approved activity, or inform us of their desire to petition an individual activity to fulfill a Proficiency or Experience.  

Watch this new video on how to plan a pre-approved or individual activity in Degree Planner:  

The following pre-approved clubs and organizations fulfill CC graduation requirements, also known as Proficiencies & Experiences (PREX), and have already been added as options in Degree Planner: 

Activity Name  CC Requirement 
Alternative Breaks  Community Engagement 
Engage Dallas  Community Engagement, Civics and Individual Ethics 
Vice President for Student Affairs Advisory Board  Civics and Individual Ethics 
Mustang PEP Talks  Civics and Individual Ethics, Oral Communication 
Peer Academic Leaders (PAL)  Community Engagement, Oral Communication 
Student Wellness Program  Community Engagement 
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)  Community Engagement 
Board Fellows Program  Community Engagement 
Spiritual Life Mentors  Community Engagement 
SMU Abroad Programs  Global Perspectives 

 

Search for these pre-approved activities under the PREX course attribute in Degree Planner. 

Following the Council on General Education‘s approval, look for more pre-approved clubs and organizations that will be added to Degree Planner. Updates can also be found on each Proficiency &  Experience webpage.  

Categories
Office of General Education Peer Academic Leaders Student Academic Engagement & Success University Advising Center

Success Fest data points to higher usage of Degree Planner

Alternate event flyer

SMU’s first-ever Success Fest wrapped up on February 28th, 2024. The Peer Academic Leaders (PALs), under the direction of The Office of General Education, and the University Advising Center (UAC) began promotional efforts for Success Fest in early February by:

  • Hosting Degree Planner workshops
  • Working with the Registrar’s Office to write and post To-Do Tasks to undergraduate students’ my.SMU accounts
  • Sending marketing emails to all undergraduate students

These efforts resulted in:

  • 40 total attendees at all Degree Planner workshops in February
  • 63 total attendees at Success Fest
  • 65 total scheduled 1-1 meetings with PALs
  • 1,506 students utilizing Degree Planner between February 15th and March 1st
  • 1,938 students utilizing Degree Planner between February 1st and March 1st

Success Fest will be a semesterly offering, aligning with the Degree Planner deadlines of March 1st and October 1st. These deadlines will be added to SMU’s Academic Calendar to help promote continued use of Degree Planner.

Overall, the PALs and UAC are excited with the Spring 2024 results and look forward to planning Success Fest for Fall 2024.