DARS Team Provided Training for Advisors

Sharon Sumner, Degree Audit Encoder, Office of the Registrar collaborated with Kala Grove, Coordinator for New Advisor Training, Office of Undergraduate Advising and Emily Schmidt, Assistant Director, Cross-College Advising Service to provide a “DARS Overview” virtual training session on Thursday, February 18, 2021. Approximately 40 people registered for the training. Although the training was presented as a basic overview for newer advisors, participants came from a variety of campus roles with a wide range of experiences from across campus, including ACSSS, Online Undergraduate Degree, CPHA, PEOPLE College, L&S Scholarships, Center for Educational Opportunity, AAS, College of Engineering, School of Education, College of Letters & Science, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, Wisconsin School of Business, and Cross College Advising. Sharon presented a live demo of how advisors use DARS Web to request a student’s DARS audit, and she also presented how most students use the Course Search & Enroll app to request their DARS audits, which has a different look than the tool used by advisors. Emily Schmidt provided valuable insights as to how advisors can use the information presented in DARS audits to prepare for advising conversations. Attendees were reminded of the existing help documentation available through the RO website and KB documents. Additionally, Sharon offered to be available to answer more detailed DARS questions following the training and provide one-on-one training for those not able to attend. Following the presentation, Office of Undergraduate Advising offered to connect interested participants with a “DARS Mentor” – an experienced advisor who could provide additional background on using DARS in specific advising situations. RO colleagues Eric MacKay and Aaron Apel will be continuing conversations with the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Cross College Advising for development of additional training and online resources for advisors regarding more in-depth exploration of DARS Web, Course Search & Enroll DARS, and Degree Planner.