Academic Advising News
Hi, I’m Dana Aina. As academic adviser for Continuing Education, I
advise returning adult learners who want to take courses, complete a professional certificate, or earn a college degree. I am based in the Continuing Education office at Penn
State’s University Park campus, but I also advise students at the University’s Continuing Education centers in Lewistown and Williamsport, and schedule appointments once
per month at those locations.
In each issue of the newsletter I spotlight a program or service that can help students achieve academic success.
Recent changes to the Schedule of Courses (SOC) Web page include the following:
- Courses offered through Continuing Education are no longer listed separately. All courses offered in the University Park coverage areas (whether they are delivered through resident instruction or Continuing Education) are listed in the SOC under the Location where they are offered.
- A Location/Contact Info column was added to the SOC course listing. This column designates a phone number to call with questions, and—if the course is delivered off campus—it also denotes the location.
The modifications have made differentiating University Park (resident instruction and CE) courses difficult for some. Just relax—this article will help you overcome that scheduling hurdle as easy as 1-2-3!
First, visit the SOC Web page at http://schedule.psu.edu/. Select “University Park” for the Campus and either “All” or “University Park Campus (UP)” as the Location (see fig.1).
Figure 1. Selecting All UP courses (CE and resident instruction) as Location.
Second, select the course abbreviation (Abbrev.), or First Letter, and click on the View schedule button. The SOC course listing appears (see the MATH 021
example, fig. 2) with resident instruction and CE courses (both on and off campus).
Figure 2. MATH 021 at All UP locations (resident instruction and CE).
Third, distinguish Continuing Education courses from resident instruction courses in the SOC listing by using one of the following three methods:
- Location/Contact Info—in this column all Continuing Education courses list our phone number in red. In some instances off-campus CE locations are designated above the phone number.
- Section—in this column all Continuing Education courses have section numbers in the 900s.
- Course Title with Location—some Continuing Education courses list an off-campus location with the title. For example, the Lewistown section of the HD FS 129 course offered this fall says, “INTRO TO HD FS LEWISTOWN.” Try it and see for yourself.
That’s it! Now you know how to identify Continuing Education courses in a timely manner while perusing the Schedule of Courses listing. Your newfound investigative skills will help you plan your semester course load more efficiently, and you can use that extra time to do more productive things, like study!
Reminder to students: If a Continuing Education course shows zero (0) seats remaining, call our office (814-865-5403), as we hold seats for our adult students and most likely can accommodate you.
If you have any questions about identifying or scheduling Continuing Education courses, do not hesitate to call us at 814-865-5403, or toll-free at 800-252-3592. Good luck and have a
great semester!
This site is a product of Penn State Outreach Marketing and Communications.
Web site questions? E-mail WebInfo@outreach.psu.edu.
Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright © 2008 The Pennsylvania
State University