SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

COMPUTER CENTER
DIPLOMA IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
GROUP NO 8

STUDENTS ADVISORY SERVICES.

The Student Advisory Services (SAS) provides a number of support opportunities/services for
current students and alumni of the University campus. The aims to provide prospective and current
students at the University with the necessary information and advice in order to make informed and
sensible choices
An adviser or advisor is normally a person with more and deeper knowledge in a specific area and
usually also includes persons with cross functional and multidisciplinary expertise. An adviser's role
is that of a mentor or guide and differs categorically from that of a task specific consultant. An
adviser is typically part of the leadership, where as consultants fulfill functional roles.
PROCEDURES OF GETTING STUDENT ACADEMIC ADVISORS.
According to Sokoine university of Agriculture(SUA) the procedures for getting student academic
advisor is simple because the staff members that are responsible for coordinating academic advisor
are the one responsible in choosing the academic advisor for the students.
Before choosing an academic adviser they consider if he/she is a lecture of the same class or have
the skills of counseling.
This procedure system thats used in SUA has the following advantage:

Specific task and not fake stories in the counseling process.

The lecturer knows his/her students behaviour and continuous assessments.

Keep in mind that in every good thing there must be a negative impact and the following are the
disadvantages of SUA procedure system that the academic advisor is been chosen for the students
randomly.
Conflict with the academic advisor.

Harsh language, there some other academic advisors that have high temper so they usually
treat their students harshly when consoling them whereby it brings hardness to the student to
ask for help or advice to their advisors.

In the university level most of the academic advisors are not accessible on time due to
different reasons such as more responsibilities, different classes, large numbers of students
to counsel and some personal matters

ROLES OF STUDENTS AND ACADEMIC ADVISORS.

Advising is a partnership between students and their advisors. With that in mind, here are
the expectations of both parties.
Advisors want to help students meet their educational goals. And it is because of this broad
responsibility that the advisor/student relationship can take on many forms. In fact, some students
benefit most by meeting with their advisors more often to share stories, gain advice, and map their
road to academic success.
Here's a list of practical expectations for both students and their advisors.
Roles expected to students who have advisor.
Make sure your advisor knows your academic and personal goals,
As a student you should show your experience, knowledge, judgments and future plan of who you
want to be as your goals.
Know who your advisor is.
If you don't know, or want to change your advisor, JUST ASK. Also student must know his/her
advisor so that you can face him/her for different problems as well as to think about his/her
characteristics or behaviours.
Not wait until the last minute to schedule your appointments,
Creating a good schedule for meeting with your advisor before it becomes too late and be specific
to the topic or problem.
Come prepared for your appointment.
A student should be prepared to meet with the advisor with a specific matter, course ideas, question,
social issues and career.
Not hesitate to ask questions.
A student should take the initiative no to be afraid for anything even though it maybe personal and
you it think will interfere your performance but the student should try hard to not be shy or afraid
of expressing him/ herself to the advisor.
Check to be sure you've met course pre-requisites before registering and for good choices.
A student before registering for course he or she should check first with the advisor for selection for
better choice.
Familiarize yourself with the academic policies in the catalog

Keep an advising notebook.

During counseling a student should have a notebook to write down questions, plans, internship
ideas and other advising-related material.
Ask instructors and advisors for help when you need it for the best to achieve your goals.
In the end, you make all decisions. Only you know your long and short-term goals and how they are

evolving. Seek out others for help in deciding what courses are important in reaching these goals,
but don't forget your own responsibilities to the process given.
Roles expected to Academic Advisors who have students to advice.
Be accessible and tell your students all the preferred method of contact (e.g. e-mail, phone,
etc.)
Be a responsive listener
An academic advisor should be a good listener and respond whenever the student will be in need of
counseling in personal issues and different aspects.
Help you determine your progress toward graduation.
Here its all in academic matters so the advisor should encourage the student ways on how he/ she
is suppose to struggle hard till to succeed his/her goals.
Help you explore your interests, goals and abilities, and relate them to academic majors.
The academic advisor is supposed to know the interest of the student he/ she is advising so as to
encourage them in the issues related to academic matters.
Understand university policies
The academic advisor should also make the student understand all the university polices and rules
that are important in the university.
Refer you to support systems on campus.
The academic advisor should support also the student in different systems on the campus including
the social matters like religious, educational clubs and sports.
Maintain confidentiality and understand the Family Educational Rights and Privacy.
The advisor should keep all the counseling confidential so as to earn the trust from the student
he/she is advising
Generally, the academic advisor is here to make sure that you are aware of every opportunity
available to you. Advisors provide guidance for developing and achieving meaningful educational,
professional, and personal goals.
Successful advising depends upon a shared understanding of, and commitment to, the advising
process, by students, advisors, and the university. Academic advisors engage students in learning,
promote students' academic success, and foster students' personal, ethical, and intellectual growth,
all of which will carry into their roles as citizens, leaders, and lifelong learners. Once students
declare their majors (typically at the end of the first year), they are assigned to faculty advisors
within that major. Nevertheless, students can still access the Dean's Office advisors throughout their
academic careers for college-level issues (for example, transfer credit and general education).
ADVANTAGES OF HAVING ACADEMIC ADVISOR

Academic advisors help students to recognize and achieve their educational goals,
primarily at the postsecondary level.
They help students examine school programs, recognize their academic strengths and
select a major.

They also work closely with professors and other university administrators and stay upto-date on program changes.

Monitor progress toward educational/career goals and meet at least once each semester
to review the progress toward completing the proposed academic program and to
discuss grades and other performance indicators.

Assist students in planning a program consistent with their abilities and interests.

Academic advisors play a big role for students who have special needs or emotional
problems, and most of them needs counseling and the lucky if they can gain access to a
counselor more than a few times during a school year they benefit alot.

Yet all students, especially at the university level, need the support of a friendly adult
who cares about them personally; someone they can confide in, who can help them deal
with the problems and challenges that will facing in the university life so as to keep up
with their studies, and planning their careers.

DISADVANTAGES OF ACADEMIC ADVISOR

Some academic advisors are unknown to the students so its hard for the students to confine.
A good academic advisor has a long tradition of helping students with personal problems.
They also interact with the students daily, and thus are in an excellent position to provide
personal direction.

For other academic advisors lack the professional training of counseling, meaning lacking
the ability of guiding someone psychologically.

In the university level most of the academic advisors are not accessible on time due to
different reasons such as more responsibilities, different classes, large numbers of students
to counsel and some personal matters.

Language barrier, for foreign students/advisors they get difficult time in facing to discuss
about some problems that facing students.

Harsh language, there some other academic advisors that have high temper so they usually
treat their students harshly when consoling them whereby it brings hardness to the student to
ask for help or advice to their advisors.

Therefore, Every student organization must have a faculty or staff advisor to become a recognized
or sponsored student organization. The primary role of the advisor is to serve as a resource person
for the organization. Advisors will counsel and advise student organizations by asking the "tough"
questions, assisting students in their thinking process, and challenging the organization to go
beyond the status quo. Advisors also provide continuity for an organization as they can pass along
valuable information regarding the history of the organization and their past accomplishments. An
active advisor can improve the effectiveness of an organization while also assisting in the positive
development of the students.

MEMBERS
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MHAGAMA LOVENESS DIT/D/2014/0048

MATANDURA FRANK DIT/D/2014/ 0111
OMARY AHMED
DIT/D/2014/0035
GWAJIMA VERONICA DIT/D/2014/0052
ATHUMANI RAHIM
DIT/D/2014/0091
LEBBI MPELIGWAKISA DIT/D/2014/0070
SELEMANI RAMADHAN DIT/D/2014/0004