NEWSLETTERIssue No. 2

Message from HeadWhat does OGUR mean to me?As the Head of Office of General University Requirements (OGUR), it is with great pleasure to greet you on this platform. Our office has been established for more than six years and, over that time, the initials OGUR have been relevant to the PolyU community, the Office of General University Requirements and the General University Requirements. In my opinion, OGUR also represents our office’s core value which is to serve students and academic departments at PolyU.

For studentsOpportunities Offering opportunities for students to learn through diverse and quality GUR subjects

Growth Nurturing the personal, academic and professional growth of students through Academic Advising

Uniqueness Appreciating the uniqueness of PolyU students by listening to students’ voices and needs

Resources Connecting students to various supportive units in PolyU so as to facilitate students’ learning and enriching their positive experience in PolyU

Message from Head

Views on Advising

Events Highlight

What do We Discussin Advising Sessions?

Sharing Best Practice Ideas

THIS ISSUE

Update on Administrationof GUR Subjects

The New eAdvising Platform

Upcoming Events

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Newsletter Issue No. 2

For Staff

Openness Being open-minded towards colleagues’ suggestions and feedback

Generalisation Generalizing the model/ practice of PolyU’s Academic Advising to other institutions in Hong Kong

Unity Striving towards unity as OGUR’s ultimate goal to collaborate with academic departments to provide quality GUR subjects and Academic Advising service

Relationship Building positive and harmonious relationships at every level

My team and I are firmly committed to upholding the above core values laid out at OGUR. Please do learn more about our office’s work and activities in this newsletter.

Happy reading.

Dr Zenobia Chan

HeadOffice of General University Requirements

OGUR has an unfaltering commitment to Academic Advising. As an Academic Advisor of more than 10 years, I have seen the benefit it has for our students. Drawing from my years of experience advising students in addition to the research I have conducted in the field of Academic Advising, I would like to share a few insights.

Relationship Building: A caring, friendly and helpful Academic Advisor creates a strong sense of security for students. Advising sessions for small groups (3-4 students) help build rapport.

Academic Development: Show empathy and demonstrate an understanding of a freshman perspective; when advising students with poor academic performance, analyse the issues and identify influential factors such as family, time

management skills and possible psychological issues.

Personal Growth: Social discussion and sharing is welcomed by freshmen. Academic Advisors also address the freshmen’s attitude, perception and adaptation skills.

Professional Goals: Students enjoy listening to stories from professional contexts. Academic Advisors can play a valuable role here.

OGUR has an unfaltering commitment to Academic Advising.

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Newsletter Issue No. 2

Views on AdvisingFrom Academic Advisors and Students

YANG ZihangYear 4, Chinese and Bilingual Studies

WONG Kwai HingYear 2, Occupational Therapy

TANG Hoi LingYear 3, Advertising Design

Dr WU ZhiweiAssistant Professor, Chinese and Bilingual Studies

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What would you like to get from Academic Advising?

My hope is that Academic Advisors share their experiences and knowledge, in addition to the experiences of other students. This would help us better plan our studies and our personal development journeys. Also, it would be great if Academic Advisors could provide support and guidance for further studies and postgraduate education. Many of us would like to pursue postgraduate studies, but I couldn’t find a lot of support for this on campus.

Which aspect of Academic Advising has been most useful to you?

Academic Advising helped enormously with my academic planning. If I do not plan well, I will not be able to seize opportunities when they come.

What was the most impressive advice you have got from your Academic Advisor?

I clearly remember an occasion when my Academic Advisor was concerned about my adjustment as a university student and new subjects. This was not only in the first year but also when I started a new semester. Not only did I feel assured someone cared about how I had been adjusting to new subjects, but I was also impressed with the range of useful information provided on how to do well in them.

As a new Academic Advisor, what is your thought on Academic Advising?

From my perspective, an Academic Advisor should be Approachable; they should be there for students. They should be Delighted and smile often as well as being a Visionary—they should enable students to fulfil their potential. Academic Advisors should be Illuminating and spark a passion for learning while being Sincere and offering honest opinions. It’s important they are Open-minded and listen to student’s stories. Finally, they should see the role as Rewarding as they grow with the students.

Newsletter Issue No. 2

Events HighlightCollaboration with Academic Departments for Academic AdvisingOGUR has committed to supporting academic departments to provide quality Academic Advising service to students. To ensure our support is relevant and appropriate for all, OGUR Academic Counsellors visited academic departments in the last year to exchange views and to collect feedback and suggestions for improving Academic Advising, particularly at the Faculty/Department level. With the feedback collected, OGUR organised tailor-made training sessions catering to the specific needs of Academic Advisors. The training session for our Academic Advisors in the Department of Building and

Real Estate serves as a good example of this. In this training, our OGUR Academic Counsellor introduced the basics of Academic Advising, explained the roles and responsibilities of Academic Advisors and shared updates on OGUR and GUR requirements. Programme leaders of BRE also joined and shared programme information. The session was valuable and informative for BRE staff to take up the roles of Academic Advisors.

Departments are welcome to contact the designated OGUR Academic Counsellor to discuss collaborations for advising activities.

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OGUR joined other student service units and student organisations at the Orientation Info Day 2018. At this event, new PolyU students visited different booths to learn about campus resources and activities. OGUR hosted a game stall for students to obtain helpful information and resources for their university studies. OGUR Academic Counsellors also had the privilege to meet numerous new students, as well as to introduce them to General University Requirements and Academic Advising. The Academic Advising service at PolyU was greatly welcomed by new students. One student shared, “I think Academic Advising is important. Even though I went to the orientation programmes, I still have questions about my studies. I think my advisors are able to help me.”

A major concern of PolyU students is to develop time management skills for university study. Time management issues are among the most discussed items in OGUR advising sessions. In light of this, OGUR organised a time management workshop for students. In this workshop, OGUR Academic Counsellors shared practical tools and tips for better time management. Students also learned to set priorities and arrange an effective schedule.

Time Management Workshop for Students

Orientation Info Day

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Sharing best practice ideas from OGUR Academic Counsellors

Rhonda CheungSenior Academic Counsellor

Always try to remember the students—I start by noting down their English name or nickname. Keeping good advising notes also helps. Students are amazed when their advisors can remember who they are and what has been discussed.

Christine ChanSenior Academic Counsellor

Be the type of advisor you want to meet, and take it from themwhen you advise students. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and there could be different advising styles.

Top Five Mostly Discussed Itemsin Advising Sessions at OGUR

Subject Registrationand Progress of Study

Adjustment to Universityand/or Lifestyle Issues

Goal Setting

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UnderstandingUniversity Policies

Academic Per formanceand Study Sk i l ls

02

03

05

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What do we discussin advising sessions?

OGUR has been advising a vast amount of first year students since 2012. Throughout these years, we have accumulated valuable experience and substantial information on students’ advising needs. Apart from the discussion of GUR-related issues, students and Academic Counsellors also talk about other concerns. This information informs us of the needs of students and popular advising topics.

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The new eAdvising platform

Update on Administration of GUR Subjects

Setting aside some traditional methods of advising such as face-to-face meetings and the use of phone and email, the eAdvising platform is a new way for students to access academic advice. OGUR‘s eAdvising platform enables students to learn about GUR and Academic Advising, as well as allowing them to obtain information relevant to their needs—such as GUR subject selection and credit transfer. This year, we have enhanced the platform and launched a new interface which includes new videos and assessments

for students to evaluate their understanding on GUR and Academic Advising. OGUR Academic Counsellors can also make use of this platform to identify students who would need further advising services. In the upcoming months, eAdvising will launch an online study planner, piloting for Faculty of Business students, for planning their study progress.There will also be new elective modules to provide helpful information for students to plan their university lives.

Setting aside some traditional methods of advising such as face-to-face meetings and

for students to evaluate their understanding on GUR and Academic Advising. OGUR

OGUR worked closely with different stakeholders at the University, particularly on the offering and administration of CAR subjects. During the first semester of the 2018/19, 99 CAR Subjects were offered to ensure an adequate quantity and variety of subjects for students. We also planned to organise workshops for Academic Departments to prepare new CAR subject proposals. In the summer of 2018, nine CAR subjects enabled over 200 students to go on field trips to Cambodia, Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Dunhuang and Taiwan. Many students on these exchange programmes were granted ‘subject-to-cluster’ credit transfer for CAR subjects. The Office will continue to provide administrative support to the Committee on General University Requirements (CoGUR). Candy Koo, Executive Officer, OGUR, has also assumed the role as Assistant Secretary to CoGUR.

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Nov 2018

Dec 2018

Staff Workshop: New CAR Proposals Submission

Academic Advisor Training Workshops I & II (re-run)

“Words of Encouragement for Students” Campaign

Staff

Staff & Students

Academic Advisor Training Workshop I & II (re-run)

Sharing Session: Experience from NACADA Summer Institute 2018

Staff

Jan 2019

Feb 2019

“Thank Your Academic Advisor/ Academic Counsellor” Campaign

“Get Connected with GUR and Academic Advising” Campaign

Staff & Students

Staff & Students

Staff & Students

Workshop: Managing Mental Health Situations in Academic Advising

Reunion for Senior Year Intakes Students

Staff

Students

Upcoming Events

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3400 8203https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ogur/Office of General University Requirements ogurenq@polyu.edu.hk