SOAR Advising Module
Table of Contents
Features
- Easy student lookup
- View test and placement data, AP/IB scores, transfer equivalencies and student groups
- View enrollment data
- Record self-reported AP/IB scores and transfer equivalencies
- Update program and plan (if authorized)
- Assign advisors
- Record academic interests
- Record a SOAR advising note
- Print a summary sheet with supplemental explanatory text
- Save all this information as a note in the Advisor Notes System (ANS)
Application Sections
Users of the SOAR Advising Module (SAM) will first look up a student by student ID, NetID, or name. By default this is filtered to show only students registered for the current SOAR session but other sessions may be selected. You may also filter the list by claimed group or program.
The application is split into three main areas. Each section can be collapsed or hidden by clicking on the section title to make it easier to view the other sections. While all users can view the record, the system uses fine grained access roles to control who can perform various actions.
The Review section displays relevant academic information pulled directly from ISIS. It also allows the advisor to record self-reported AP/IB scores and transfer equivalencies. This information will be stored in the ANS note.
The second section displays the enrollment data for the student. This includes the course description, units, geBLC and whether or not the student is on a wait list for the class.
The last section allows individuals to make program and plan changes, assign advisors, record academic interests and record the advising note if they have the appropriate authorization.
Actions
At any time the advisor can click Save as Draft to save the information in its current state and close the work to select another student.
The advisor can only click Create Note once. This locks the SAM record and transfers the information to the ANS system. The SAM record is no longer editable and subsequent notes will have to be recorded in the ANS system. The complete SOAR advising note will immediately be available in ANS. If program, plan or advisor changes have been made, these will be staged for importing into ISIS; the change will be reflected in ISIS within several days.
Once posted to ANS, the advisor will be able to Print a summary sheet. This contains all the information displayed in SAM and includes the supplementary summary sheet text selected above.
Print Options
All web browsers add header and footer text by default. The following are some simple instructions for disabling these headers to enable a nicer printout.
Firefox
Click the orange "Firefox" button to open the menu. Click the arrow next to "Print...", then "Page Setup...".
Click the "Margins & Header/Footer" tab. Change all the headers and footers to "--blank--". Click OK.
Chrome
Click the "wrench" icon to open the menu and click "Print...".
Under "Options" in the left hand side of the print pane, uncheck "Headers and footers".
Internet Explorer 9
Click on the "gear" icon to open the menu and click "Print" then "Page Setup...".
Change all the "Headers and Footers" drop-down menus to "-Empty-". Click OK.
Authorization
The SOAR Advising Module is only available to select individuals. If you believe you should have access to SAM, please contact Christopher Verhaeghe in the Center for the First-Year Experience at cverhaeghe@studentlife.wisc.edu.
Within the application, certain functions are only available to authorized individuals. For example, in order to initiate program/plan changes, assign advisors or create the ANS note, you need to be granted permission. Again, contact Christopher Verhaeghe at cverhaeghe@studentlife.wisc.edu
Questions
If you are experiencing problems with SAM, please report them to the Help Desk.
If you have questions regarding SAM, please send them to advisor_questions@lists.wisc.edu.