Contact Program Contact Lori Collins (765) 455-9426 www.iuk.edu/scs Media Contact Mary Ellen Stephenson OCM (765) 455-9414 mestephe@iuk.edu

IU Kokomo offers new online advising for adult students

KOKOMO, Ind.—Online advising is now available for students in the General Studies degree program at Indiana University Kokomo.

Using the Degree Progress Report, adult returning students can view and check on their progress toward completing a degree. After students have met one time with an academic advisor to develop their plan of study, they will no longer have to come to campus for routine academic advising, said Fred Hakes, director of the Division of Continuing Studies, home of the General Studies program.

“We recognize that adult, or non-traditional age, college students lead busy complicated lives and cannot always schedule a convenient time to see their academic advisor that doesn’t disrupt their work or family obligations,” Hakes said.

Students who have been out of school for a year or more will need to meet with General Studies Academic Advisor Lori Collins before using the online advising tools. “I will discuss our degree program with the students and evaluate the credits they have and how they will fit into the program,” Collins said.

After that initial meeting, students can go to www.iuk.edu/scs and find step-by-step instructions for processing, printing, and interpreting a Degree Progress Report. Students will then go to IU’s online portal Onestart (www.onestart.iu.edu) to run the report. Updated each grading period, the report “will give them an educated idea of where they are with their degree,” Collins said. “They should contact me if they have questions about the report or our degree requirements.”

In the past few years, enrollment has grown steadily in IU Kokomo’s ACCELerated Evening College courses, aimed at returning adult students. Those students appreciate the convenience of the program’s eight-week hybrid classes, which use 50 percent online instruction and 50 percent traditional classroom learning, Collins said. “We are sure those same students will really like using the Degree Progress Report to access advising online almost 24/7.”

Individuals ages 24 or older with prior college credit who are interested in completing a degree can call (765) 455-9426 to schedule an appointment with Collins.

Information about Indiana University’s General Studies degree completion program at IU Kokomo is also available at www.iuk.edu/scs.