Webcast Advising Connects the College to the World
September 14, 2005
College Dean Dennis DeTurck, Dean of Freshmen Janet Tighe, and a team of faculty and advising experts gathered last summer in a Towne Building classroom to discuss freshman year at Penn with incoming students. But instead of seeing fresh young faces, DeTurck and company were met with a makeshift television studio sewn together with mobile computers.
That’s because the students-to-be were home – sitting in front of their personal computers – waiting to begin the College’s first live advising webcast. Over the next hour or so, the Penn experts fielded such common questions as “How does advance registration work?” and “How can I be sure to get the classes I want?” posed to them from all over the world
“Because you are now or will be 18, your grades are sent to you, and who else you let see them is entirely up to you,” DeTurck said when asked whether parents received student grades. “Penn will not reveal your grades to your parents unless you give us permission.”
The three advising webcasts – held June 29, July 12 and July 21 – occurred at different times of day to accommodate a global audience. DeTurck began the first session at 9 p.m. and the final one at 8 a.m. Although their purpose was to help incoming freshmen arrange their schedules, the conversations were wide ranging. Much of the information that was covered remains useful even though classes already have begun.
“The webcasts were designed to give incoming students a jump on the school year,” DeTurck said. “They also help students see advisors and faculty members as people, rather than just names. By addressing a global audience, we hoped some incoming freshmen would hear questions they may not have thought of.”
Deemed a success by students and faculty members when they occurred, the archived webcasts have received hundreds of hits since being posted to the College’s Web site. Plans are underway to hold a similar webcast for parents on Oct. 11, and to repeat the student sessions next summer. You can view the archive at www.college.upenn.edu.