New and Enhanced Resources for Associate Advisors

New and Enhanced Resources for Associate Advisors

Associate Advisors (AAs) are MIT sophomores, juniors, and seniors who provide academic support and resources to first-year students. Matched with a faculty advisor, they provide the student perspective on MIT academics and student life to a small group of 6-10 advisees. Since associate advisors are busy students themselves, they need access to quick-and-easy to use resources. The Office of the First Year and the AA Steering Committee has created the following tools to help them succeed:

Academic Directory: Lists the associate advisors’ major(s), minor, concentration and classes they have TA’d. This resource can be referenced anytime by an AA that needs expertise in a discipline or class from their peers.

Advising Calendar: Provides structure by highlighting key dates in the semester with “AA Actions” that serve to-do items including check-in meetings, deadlines, and advising activities. The online calendar that lives in the AA web site is synched into their Google Calendars.

Slack Channels: Students have created documents on everything from note-taking, Food @ MIT, reference tables such as 5.111 vs. 3.091, and a video on How to Submit an Add/Drop Form.

Canvas Modules:  Provides varied content on creating a welcoming space, ideas for check-in meetings conversations, working with their faculty advisor, as well as videos on Impostor Syndrome and time management.

— Leslie Bottari, OFY