Academic Success Center Advising Syllabus

ECU Mission Statement

To be a national model for student success, public service and regional transformation, East Carolina University:

  • Uses innovative learning strategies and delivery methods to maximize access;
  • Prepares students with knowledge, skills and values to succeed in a global, multicultural society;
  • Develop tomorrow’s leaders to serve and inspire positive change;
  • Discovers new knowledge and innovations to support a thriving future for eastern North Carolina and beyond;
  • Transforms health care, promotes wellness, and reduces health disparities; and
  • Improves quality of life through cultural enrichment, academics, the arts, and athletics.
  • We accomplish our mission through education, research, creative activities, and service while being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.

College of Education Mission

The mission of the College of Education (COE) is the preparation of professional educators and all allied practitioners, including professionals in counseling, instructional technology, and librarianship. Significant to this mission is a strong commitment to three important, related areas, all of which are realized through partnerships and other endeavors:

  • the encouragement and nurturing of professional growth for educators and allied practitioners at all levels and in all areas of the educational endeavor,
  • a continuing emphasis on and support for scholarship and research/creative activity,
  • and service in all areas of professional education.

Critical to such commitment is the promotion of effective teaching, staff participation in the improvement of schools, and in concert with other state agencies, the development and creation of educational policy for North Carolina.

College of Education Advising

Partnership Advising is at the core of your relationship with your College of Education (COE) Advisor. We are here to support you throughout your academic journey by building a relationship with you and with academic departments and support services on campus. Every semester you will meet with your COE Advisor to discuss classes for the next semester, your academic progress, and upcoming milestones or deadlines along your academic path. During this meeting you will receive your registration PIN. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with degree requirements and Advisors are here to interpret and guide you through those requirements. Most importantly, we want to know how you are doing, feeling, and experiencing campus life.

What is the purpose of advising?

The foundation of the advising process is a good working relationship between the Advisor and the student. The goal of advising is to help you:

  • Define your educational and career objectives;
  • Become well informed about policies and procedures, curricular options, and academic program requirements so that you make consistent progress toward a timely graduation;
  • Plan an academic program which incorporates your interests, aptitudes and career goals; and make full use of the curricular and co-curricular facilities and resources available at ECU.

What are your responsibilities?

  • Prepare for advising appointments
    • Research and be familiar with the requirements for your degree
    • Review and be familiar with your progress toward degree completion and graduation
  • Check your @students.ecu.edu email daily
  • Research ECU and COE webpages when you have a question or are unsure about something and seek clarity from your advisor (rather than friends or peers) when needed
  • Be open and collaborate with your advisor. Your advisor wants to assist you in achieving your goals which is achieved if they know your true goals, passions, strengths, and weaknesses
  • Take ownership for your actions or lack thereof
  • Maintain a respectful relationship

What are your advisor’s responsibilities?

  • Discuss major requirements and assist you with appropriate course selection
  • Provide accurate and timely information
  • Discuss your academic goals and ways to meet them
  • Make referrals when necessary (academic, career, and personal)
  • Be knowledgable of campus policies and procedures (or be able to find the necessary information)
  • Be able to listen, understand, and respond appropriately to advisees’ concerns
  • Respect advisees as individuals, understanding differences in backgrounds and educational/life goals

General Education Requirements

The fundamental purpose of general education (GE) courses is to develop an understanding of aspects of the human condition that are not the primary focus of their major field of study. Forty semester hours of general education (GE) courses in seven competency areas are required for graduation. Courses that carry general education credit are identified in the course description by using the GE designation in the online undergraduate catalog.

These are the required general education components:

  • English Composition: 6 hours — Engl 1100 * 2201
  • Health & Physical Education: 3 hours — Hlth 1000 or Rctx 2200; Kine 1000, 1025 or 1001
  • Mathematics: 3 hours
  • Natural Science: 7 hours, must include 1 laboratory course
  • Social Science: 9 hours, must have classes in two disciplines
  • Fine Arts & Humanities: 9 hours, must have one fine art and one humanity
  • General Education Electives: 3 hours. Any course from the humanities, fine arts, mathematics, natural sciences, or social sciences that carries general education credit.

To learn more about general education credits, visit ECU’s Academic Advising website.

COE Student Success Tools

COE Website

The College of Education website provides information on major requirements, faculty, important dates, deadlines and much, much more. Familiarize yourself and check back often as resources and links do change.

Apple Book

They may be the most important resource in understanding what is required of you to receive your teaching license. The Apple Book includes:

  • Upper Division Admissions Requirements
  • Clinical, Practicum, and Internship Experiences, Placements, Procedures and Requirements
  • Praxis and Pearson Testing, and other Licensure Requirements

Practicum Experiences

College of Education students complete practicums, or field experiences, nearly every semester of enrollment. Practicums provide you with real-world classroom opportunities to observe, practice, demonstrate and reflect upon your knowledge and skills. North Carolina state law requires practicum experiences in teacher preparation programs. Practicum work is mostly local (Pitt County), with you as a visiting student in another teacher’s classroom. Please be respectful of teaching practices and school sites, as ECU COE relies on them for future placements. The Online Practicum Instructions tutorial provides more information about placements, county requirements, dress codes, and proper use of social media platforms while completing field work.

Undergraduate Catalog

The online undergraduate catalog contains information about:

  • Academic advisement and additional support services
  • Graduation and general education requirements
  • Academic program (major and minor) degree requirements
  • Course descriptions and registration information
  • Academic calendars (university deadlines, holidays, and final exam schedules)
  • Academic regulations and university policies (withdrawals, grade replacement, GPA, academic standing)

Degree Works

This is a web-based tracking tool that allows you to view your progress towards degree completion by outlining degree requirements: University, General Education, Major, and Concentration requirements. All courses required for your degree are listed and are marked as completed, in progress, or still needed. The information is accurate and up-to-date to assist students in making wise academic choices in partnership with their advisor.

Your Degree Works is accessed via Pirate Port (ECU Pirate Id and Passphrase required)

Email Netiquette

When emailing faculty, advisors, or other campus officials, please:

  • Use a concise and specific subject line
    • Ex: EDUC 1000 Withdrawal; Praxis Scores for UD; GE Courses, etc.
  • Use the appropriate formal salutation (Dear. Ms., Mr., Mx., Dr.)
  • Include all relevant details to your question or issue you are facing
    • For difficulty enrolling in a course, copy and paste the exact error message you receive
    • For course inquiries include all course information (course title, prefix & section number, CRN, etc.)
  • Before you send, check for errors:
    • use complete, coherent sentences
    • spelling and punctuation (do not use text message abbreviations such as nvm, thx, gr8, b4, pls)
    • include all attachments that may be pertinent to your email
  • Use a closing signature with your Banner ID under your full name (Thank you, PeeDee Pirate, B0123456789)

Check your ECU student email at least once a day

ECU students receive numerous emails daily. Please keep your inbox clean so that you will not miss important emails from your professors, your advisor, a group member, etc. We suggest you create an “advisor” rule that will forward all e-mails received from your advisor’s email address to that specific “advisor” folder. This will make locating previous e-mails from your advisor easier and alleviate sorting through hundreds of e-mails.

Additional Support Resources

  • Pirate Academic Success Center
    • Location: 2300 Old Cafeteria Complex
    • Phone: 252-737-3009
    • Email: tutoring@ecu.edu
  • Center for Counseling and Student Development
    • Location: 137 Umstead Hall
    • Phone: 252-328-6661
  • University Writing Center
  • Career Services
    • Location: 701 East 5th Street
    • Phone: 252-328-6050
    • Email: career@ecu.edu
  • Testing Center
  • Praxis Core Test Preparation
  • Speech Communication Center
  • Math Tutoring/Pirate CAVE
    • Location: Joyner Library basement
    • Phone: 252-737-4829