Gainesville, FL

The CISE Student Services Center staff wants you to use them.

The Student Services staff wishes every student enrolled in a CISE course would stop by the office, say “hi” and see what the SSC has to offer. Student Services provides academic advisement and information to CISE students, as well as oversees a free tutoring service.

Students needn’t wait for problems to arise before visiting.

“Come see us even if you don’t have any troubles, just so that you can get an idea of what we’re about and what types of things we can do for you,” said Student Services Center coordinator Denise Atteberry. “We’re here to help.”

The Student Services Center, located in room E405 in the CSE building, exists to serve all students enrolled in CISE courses. The SSC’s mission is to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with accurate information and to assist them in further developing their academic experience.

The staff takes this mission seriously.

“Our existence is because of these students, without students we wouldn’t need advisors,” Atteberry said. “They’re our bread and butter, so we need to keep them really happy and go above and beyond for them.”

The Student Services office is a friendly, helpful place. The staff wants student visits to be fun and frequent.

“We have information that students really need, but if they don’t visit, there’s the potential for missed opportunities,” said freshman advisor Amy Lagendorf. “The more they come in and the more we see them, the easier it is for them to get scholarships and internships.”

Student Services staff strives to provide as much face-to-face help to students as possible. This is important, Atteberry said, because students often need more information than they initially realize.

“If you’re asking me a question, there are probably five or six related questions that you don’t know to ask me, but I do,” Atteberry said.

Even if students choose not to speak to an advisor directly, they are encouraged to stop by Student Services to peruse the information available to them in the office.

The SSC staff, most of whom are UF graduates, is familiar with the university’s myriad of offices and systems. They want to make their experience at the University of Florida work for students.

Every effort is made to resolve student issues in the Student Services office so students aren’t directed on any wild goose chases. When an advisor has to direct a student to another office for help, they call ahead to make sure the student will get the assistance they need.

An SSC advisor is assigned to serve each academic classification of CISE students, e.g., freshmen, junior and graduate students. This system helps advisors build relationships with students and enables advisors to more effectively meet the needs of each student classification.

As examples, freshmen often face difficulties adapting to life and coursework at the University of Florida. Similarly, juniors are often transfer students who must transition from a community college to a university environment. Seniors must meet graduation requirements and search for jobs and internships. Student Services helps students deal with these issues and many more, including difficulties with CISE coursework.

Free tutoring services are available to all CISE students, both majors and non-majors, via the Academic Tutoring Center. All students enrolled in CISE classes are encouraged to use the service.

The foundation of the Academic Tutoring Center is peer tutoring. Tutors are CISE undergraduate students who understand the coursework challenges CISE students confront. Both tutors and learners benefit from the relationship.

The tutoring center is located in CSE room E468; walk-ins are welcome. Tutoring is also available via instant messaging service during operating hours. Tutoring center hours for the fall semester are Sunday 3:00 p.m. to 9:10 p.m., Monday through Thursday 11:45 a.m. to 10:10 pm and Friday 11:45 a.m. until 2:45 p.m.

There is nothing wrong with seeking help with coursework, especially coursework as demanding as that offered by the CISE explained Amy Lagendorf. Because most students enrolled in CISE classes are used to academic success, many are often reluctant to seek help from tutors.

“The stigma that tutoring had back in high school doesn’t apply at UF. Most students need help at some point or another,” Lagendorf said.

Initially, students are better served by walk-in visits than instant messaging chats. Visits allow the students to ask more in-depth questions and to establish a rapport with the tutor. Because the coursework being covered is often complex, it is not possible for tutors to adequately answer all questions via instant messaging. Instant messaging works well for follow-up questions and brief clarifications.

There has been a steady growth in the use of the Academic Tutoring Center. Most students tend to prefer walk-in visits, yet tutors have had no trouble meeting the demand for their services.

Though Student Services emphasizes the importance of face-to-face communication with its students, some mass communication tools are used to connect with CISE students. The office manages a listserv and Web site, and produces CISE newsletters.

All CISE students are automatically subscribed to the SSC listserv. Student Services takes care to only post information that is important to students.

“We don’t SPAM our students,” said Atteberry. “What we do send are notices of scholarship opportunities, research opportunities, jobs and internships -- period. If it’s not something that’s really going to benefit the student, it doesn’t get sent.”

The SSC listserv is often used to announce seminars held by Student Services, which are offered once or twice a year. Recent seminars provided information important to students interested in the CISE’s graduate programs, and addressed specific issues relevant to the various student classifications.

More information about the CISE Student Services Center and the Academic Tutoring Center is available online at http://www.cise.ufl.edu/student_services.

Source: Denise Atteberry, datteber@cise.ufl.edu; Amy Ladendorf; Kevin Austin; Nathan Williams
Writer: Danny Rigby, drigby@ufl.edu