Semester programs, courses, advising tools unveiled on TAP website

Wright State University has reached a major milestone in its upcoming transition to semesters: the creation of a Semester Transition Advising Page (TAP).

The site is a one-stop shop for advising materials required by transition students (those starting on quarters and finishing on semesters).

Along with important advising information and planning tools, the site announces all of the semester curriculum and courses. These materials will assist students, faculty and staff in planning for the semester transition in Fall 2012.

“I think the TAP site will be invaluable to students as we convert to semesters and will continue to be a significant resource into the future,” said Herb Dregalla, director of semester conversion.

A crucial element of the site is its ability to help each transition student create an individualized advising plan, called a MAP (My Advising Plan) for undergraduates or a G-MAP for graduate students.

The MAP is the official process for fulfilling the university’s Pledge to Students, which promises consistent application of credit, on-time graduation and no increased costs for students who follow their approved MAP or G-MAP.

Students will work with their academic advisors to create these plans that plot out the courses they need to take, and in what terms, to complete their degrees without delay.

The TAP site presents program requirements for majors, minors, certificates and endorsements under the current quarter system and the new semester system, side by side. Visitors to the site will also find all the course names, numbers, descriptions and prerequisites for the semester system, as well as the current quarter system.

In addition, there are links to course equivalency documents and the Course Schedule Planning Guides, which show when courses will be offered through the 2013-14 school year.

The TAP site also showcases the enhancements to the general education curriculum, now called the Wright State Core. Details about Integrated Writing requirements in the Core and major are also explained.

Graduation Planning Strategy (GPS), a system designed to help undergraduate students stay on track for graduation, is also located on the TAP site. It consists of Degree Paths, which show classes in a major arranged in a four-year term-by-term sequence, leading to graduation.

GPS includes embedded Success Markers, critical milestones that need to be met at various points during a student’s time at Wright State. Students not meeting the Success Markers will be contacted by their advisors.

Degree paths are now available for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Liberal Arts, Raj Soin College of Business and University College (Exploratory Paths). Degree paths for all other colleges will be available Fall 2012.

Visit the TAP site at http://www2.wright.edu/semesters-advising. You can also find a link to it on Wright State’s homepage and the Semesters website (http://www.wright.edu/semesters).