Mission Statement

The ECST Advisement and Recruitment Center (ARC) is committed to furthering the educational mission of Cal State L.A. by empowering lower division engineering students to fulfill their educational objectives, take responsibility for their educational, career, and personal goals, achieve personal, leadership, and professional potential, encouraging the successful completion of the degree, and facilitating the transition to their major department in a non-threatening environment where students feel comfortable seeking assistance.

Definitions

Academic Advisement

Academic advisement is an educational process that, by intention and design, facilitates students’ understanding of the meaning and purpose of higher education and fosters their intellectual and personal development toward academic success and lifelong learning. (NACADA, 2004)

Personal Advisement

Personal advisement is the assistance to students with non-academic issues which may impact their educational progress and the referral to appropriate campus resources. These issues often relate to time management skills, study skills, transitioning and adjusting to college, stress management, financial aid, and family and relationship issues among others. The primary emphasis is on supporting students to achieve their educational goals. Students are referred to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) on campus for further support.

Contact Information

Location: E&T Building, A-125

Phone Number: 323-343-4574

Email: ecstarc@cslanet.calstatela.edu

Office Hours: Monday – Thursday* 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

*The first four days of each quarter, ARC will be open from 9:00 am – 8:00 pm (excluding Friday). The fourth week of the quarter, ARC will be open from 9am – 8 pm (excluding Friday)

Advising Resources

ARC Syllabus

Golden Eagle One I.D Card

Golden Eagle Territory (GET): https://get.calstatela.edu/

University Catalog: http://catalog.calstatela.edu

Schedule of Classes: http://www.calstatela.edu/classschedule/

College of ECST Website: http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/ecst/

Engineering Curriculum Sheets and Major Roadmaps

GE for Engineering Majors Worksheet

GE for Technology Majors Worksheet

ECST Advisement Portfolio

We Serve

1. All first and second year ECST students majoring in all engineering majors (CE, ME, and EE) in need of academic and personal advisement.
2. Computer science or technology students referred to the ARC by the department for personal advisement.
3. Technology students regarding General Education courses.
4. Transfer or prospective students referred to the ARC by the department for academic or personal advisement.
5. Prospective students seeking general information regarding ECST degree programs, program requirements, and transfer admission requirements.
6. Faculty and staff seeking information about university policies and procedures.

Goals and Objectives

The primary goal of the College of ECST Advisement Center is to serve student retention by:

1. Monitoring student academic progress toward degree.
2. Increasing student awareness and influencing use of campus support services.
3. Providing opportunity for interaction with staff and peer advisors out of class.
4. Offering connections to peer mentors and student organizations.
5. Affecting student satisfaction with the college.

Services Provided

The Advisement and Recruitment Center (ARC) provides the following services:

• One-on-one and group academic advisement including general education and major academic requirements
• Academic plans and ECST Advisement Portfolio development to monitor progress toward meeting academic, leadership, professional, and personal goals
• Goal-setting and identifying strategies for academic success
• Quarterly course schedule planning
• Assistance completing appropriate department and campus forms
• Personal advisement and referrals to appropriate campus resources
• Academic intervention, probation, and disqualification advisement
• University policies procedures, deadlines, forms, and campus resources
• Self-efficacy and personal development workshops
• Academic Overview and Advisement during Freshmen Orientations
• Information about degree options in the College of ECST
• Information about Admission Requirements
• Assistance in facilitating the academic process a little easier!

Seeing An Advisor

Advising appointments are strongly encouraged.

Scheduling An Appointment

Students must make an appointment in advance to guarantee advisement time with a Staff Advisor or Peer Advisor. Appointments are scheduled for 30 minutes and must be scheduled in advance.

Students may make appointments in one of the following ways:

1. Call the ARC front desk at 323-343-4574.
2. Send an email to ecstarc@calstatelale.edu. Students must make sure to include their First Name, Last Name, CIN, Major, and Class Level (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior) in their email.
3. Request an appointment by visiting the College of ECST website at: http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/ecst/academic_advisement/appointment.php Students will receive an email confirmation of their scheduled appointment within 24 hours.
4. Drop by the ARC in person and request an appointment.

Appointment Cancellation

• If students are not able to keep their appointment they must call the office as soon as possible to cancel or reschedule for another time.
• Students may have their appointments cancelled if they are 10 minutes late.

Drop In/Walk In Advisement

• Walk-in advisement appointments are available on a first-come-first-serve basis provided a staff advisor or peer advisor’s schedule permits it.
• During busy times (first two weeks of every quarter and registration periods), wait times may vary extensively. To avoid long wait time, students are encouraged to schedule an appointment.
• If students need assistance with only quick questions (“where do I…how do I…where is…) or a referral, they may drop in the ARC without an appointment. If the staff advisor or peer advisor believes that a student’s question or inquiry cannot be satisfactorily addressed in a few minutes, they may be directed to schedule an appointment instead.

Student Preparation Before the Advisement Appointment

In order to maximize the advisement experience, students are highly encouraged to do the following:

1. Bring their Golden Eagle One I.D. Card to the advisement appointment which is needed to sign-in and out from the advisement appointment as well as logging into GET.
2. Come to the advisement appointment prepared with a list of questions or concerns that may be discussed.
3. Bring a tentative plan and be prepared to identify and discuss obstacles with a staff advisor that may have caused academic difficulties. The staff advisor will complement the plan by providing strategies for success.
4. Bring any previous documents (curriculum sheet, GE worksheet, yearly plan, forms, etc.) regarding their academic plans to review and answer questions they may have.

Responsibilities & Expectations of Students

All first and second year ECST students majoring in engineering are required to do the following:

1. Schedule and attend an advisement appointment (one-on-one) once a quarter.
2. Be active in the advisement process by being prepared to discuss goals, educational and career plans during the appointment.
3. Be open and willing to consider advice from staff advisors and peer advisors (graduate and undergraduate).
4. Organize and maintain copies of forms, worksheets, documents, and academic records.
5. Set up a Cal State L.A. email account and check it regularly. This is the official means of communication used by the University. (Step-by-step instructions to forward the CSULA email to a personal email account (i.e. gmail, yahoo, or hotmail, etc.) may be found at the following link: http://www.calstatela.edu/its/docs/pdf/forwarding_emails.pdf.)
6. Accept responsibility for personal decisions and actions.
7. Silence cell phones prior to an advisement appointment.
8. Understand and know the requirements for staying in good academic standing.

Responsibilities & Expectations of Staff Advisors and Peer Advisors

Students will have the opportunity to meet with either a Staff Advisor or Peer Advisor (
Graduate or Undergraduate). When calling, emailing, or requesting an appointment, it is important to indicate who you are scheduling an appointment; whether it is a Staff Advisor or Peer Advisor.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

Through the academic advisement experience in the ARC, students will be able to do the following:

1. Develop educational plans for achieving their goals, quarterly course schedules, and ECST Advisement Portfolio.
2. Gain knowledge of university policies, procedures, and campus resources.
3. Utilize campus resources and services to enhance educational and personal success.
4. Understand graduation requirements, and how they impact the choice of courses.
5. Select courses each quarter to make progress toward completion of the major program requirements.
6. Actively participate in the advisement process.
7. Build rapport with advisor(s) and get to know the ARC personnel.
8. Effectively utilize GET for class registration, verify and accept financial aid awards, review unofficial transcripts, check for holds and pending “to do list” items, and update personal information.
9. Demonstrate the ability to make effective decisions regarding their degree and career goals.