Complex Cases

Lesson 13: Working with Students on Phone Shifts
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1. Use this Advising Flowchart to help you ask the appropriate questions when providing students with next steps or guidance.
2. Sometimes the student’s identity, status, and issues are not clear, and you have to do a little investigating.
   • Make sure you identify the current status of the student
   • Are they a current, incoming, or prospective World Campus student?
   • Are they a current or past Penn State student?
   • Are they or were they in degree status?  Non-degree?  DUSC?
   • Are they or were they above or below a 2.00 GPA? What was the GPA in the last semester?
   • Are they or were they in Academic Warning, Suspension or Dismissal?
   • Let them know you are looking them up in the system to make sure you understand their situation
   • What are they requesting?
   • This may take a few questions to clarify what it is that they want or need – and those two things might not be the same!
3. Once you have clarified the issues, is advising the right place to answer their request?
4. When you are unsure how to proceed, advise the student you need to do some further research. Make good notes in Starfish about the conversation, get a return phone number. clarify the student’s availability at that phone number and indicate when you may be able to respond.  Consult with your colleagues, supervisor, and/or other offices as needed and respond to the student with the correct information or referral.
   • Note – even the most experienced among us need to do this, given the complexity of student cases we face; never identify yourself as “new” or apologize for not knowing how to handle their case.  Say something like, “I want to do a little research to make sure I am giving you the correct information.”
5. Calls from concerned or disgruntled students
   • In all situations, be courteous as you determine the nature of the complaint.
   • Never get into a debate or disagreement with a student, no matter how confrontational they may be. Always work to defuse any anger or frustration and let them know you want to help resolve their concern
   • Determine the appropriate action
   • Transfers to an assigned adviser should be “warm” transfers so the adviser is aware of the concerns (especially if the student is frustrated or angry). This can also be accomplished via IM, so the student ID can be relayed to the person receiving the call. This helps the adviser receiving the call to have the student information readily available.
   • When indicated, the student might be transferred to an  Assistant Director
   • This might occur when the complaint is about an adviser. Make a warm transfer to the adviser’s supervisor or to that person’s voice mail.
   • This might be indicated when the student has overall complaints or when a student is especially agitated or demanding to talk to someone “in charge.”
   • Transfers to other offices should be “warm” to give the other office information on the nature of the complaint