Article 1
Generally
1. The Academic Advisor undertakes the task of monitoring the course of studies of a number of students, guiding and supporting them from the first semester until their graduation. The institution concerns students of all study cycles (undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral).
2. The role of the Academic Advisor is advisory and the student is not obliged to follow his/her suggestions. His/her advice and recommendations concern the academic course of the students and, in the event that personal problems negatively affect their studies, he/she may refer the interested student to other structures of the Institution (e.g. to the Center for Counseling and Psychological Support of the University of Thessaloniki).
3. The Academic Advisor is available to hold special meetings with each student, monitors his/her academic progress and encourages him/her to best achieve his/her academic and professional goals.
4. The Academic Advisor is supported in his/her work by all members of the teaching staff, the administrative staff, the Directors of Laboratories and Clinics, the Directors of Sectors, the Chairs of Departments, as well as the competent services of the Institution, who must cooperate with all Academic Advisors for the successful completion of their work.
Article 2
Academic Advisor Appointment Process
1. All members of the Department's Faculty, Special Education and Research Council or Special Education and Research Council assume the duties of Academic Advisor. Initially, the number of newly admitted students is divided by the number of members of the Faculty, Special Education and Research Council or Special Education and Research Council and the students are then assigned to their Academic Advisor, which is done alphabetically by the Department's Secretariat. The assignment is approved by the Department's Assembly and the Secretariat informs the students by any appropriate means (through announcements, e-mails, website) about the Academic Advisors with whom they will collaborate. This process is repeated after the admission of students of special categories who enroll later in the Departments is completed.
2. In the event that this process has not been done so far for students from earlier years, it will be done for them once as well.
3. In Postgraduate Programs, the responsibility for assigning the duties of Academic Advisors lies with the Program Coordinating Committee, which must, within ten (10) days of the completion of registration, appoint, through a similar procedure, as in paragraph 2, the Academic Advisors of the postgraduate students. This assignment is ratified by the Department Assembly. In Inter-Institutional or Inter-Departmental Postgraduate Programs, the assignment is again made by the Coordinating Committee and ratified by the Program Committee.
4. For postgraduate students, the proposal for the assignment of Academic Advisor duties is made by the Coordinating Committee within 10 days of the completion of registration and is then ratified by the Department Assembly. In Inter-Institutional or Inter-Departmental Postgraduate Studies Programs, the assignment is made by the Coordinating Committee and ratified by the Curriculum Committee (CPC), while for foreign-language inter-departmental or inter-institutional Postgraduate Studies Programs, by the competent body and members of the teaching staff from both Institutions may be appointed as Academic Advisors. For doctoral candidates, this role is played by the Supervisor.
5. The Academic Advisor of a student remains the same until the completion of his/her studies. In the event of the absence of the Academic Advisor for a long period of time (e.g. educational leave), the Assembly assigns the students of the said Academic Advisor to another member or members of the Department's faculty.
6. A student who wishes to be assigned another Academic Advisor has the right to submit a relevant documented application to the Department Assembly, through the Secretariat. The Assembly, if it accepts the student's request, appoints a new Academic Advisor for him/her.
Article 3
Role of the Academic Advisor
1. The first meeting of the Academic Advisor with the students under his/her responsibility is scheduled by the Academic Advisor himself/herself, who communicates with the students in all appropriate ways (announcement on the website, via e-mails, etc.) and with the support of the Secretariat. This first meeting must take place in the first months of study and especially for undergraduate students no later than the end of October. The first meeting with the students under his/her responsibility may be a group meeting.
2. The Academic Advisor has an advisory role primarily in matters concerning the student's academic career. More specifically, the Academic Advisor:
a) It supports the more effective transition of students from secondary to tertiary education, in the case of first-year students or, for students of other cycles, the transition from the previous academic cycle of studies to the present one.
b) It provides information on the basic elements of the Curriculum, the structure of the Study Guide, the e-class, and course registrations. It provides basic information on the infrastructure offered, laboratory or other structures, the possibility of students participating in laboratory activities and research projects that are underway in the Department and the Program, and where students can find more information about them.
c) Informs about the services offered by the University of Thessaly to its students to support their studies and directs them appropriately (e.g. to the Liaison Office, to the Academic Coordinator for the Erasmus+ Program or the Internship at the Department, etc.).
d) It encourages their participation in educational activities, so that their education is supported in the best possible way, as well as their systematic collaboration with teachers.
e) Provides support in determining course combinations within the offered Curriculum, so that they can choose the appropriate courses, depending on their personal interests, skills and abilities.
f) Provides support to students in the event that they encounter problems in their studies, which arise either due to poor attendance or due to the evaluation results in individual courses.
g) It provides support for the formation of students' individual planning regarding both the continuation of their studies and their professional development, based on their interests, and informs them about the next-level study programs in the Department as well as the professional opportunities they may have as graduates of the specific Study Program.
3. In the event that he/she becomes aware of any problems or malfunctions expressed by students and concerning the operation of the Department/Institution, he/she prepares a relevant report that is submitted to the Department's Curriculum Committee (for Undergraduate Programs) or to the competent body (for Postgraduate Programs) and to the Internal Evaluation Team, which may propose to the Department Assembly proposals for managing the problems or malfunctions.
4. Before the start of each semester, the Academic Advisor calls the students under his/her responsibility to group meetings and discusses with them any issues that arose during the previous semester in relation to their studies and their goals for the following semester. In the event that students report failures in some courses, he/she investigates with them the possible causes of the failure and jointly seeks solutions to the problem. He/she also informs them that he/she is available for individual meetings with students who wish to discuss in private the problems related to their studies.
5. He/She may organize informational actions in collaboration with other Academic Advisors of the Department or other structures of the University of Thessaly.
6. He/She keeps a record of his/her meetings with the students under his/her responsibility. The record shall include the date and time of the meeting, the parties present, and a general description of the subject of the meeting, but shall not include any information that may violate the personal data of the students or the confidentiality of the conversations.
7. The Department may request from the Academic Advisors an annual report of activities, which will be submitted to the OMEA and the Department Assembly for the purpose of drawing conclusions on the functioning of the institution. This annual report should be based on the data of the meetings of each Academic Advisor with the students under his/her responsibility.
Article 4
Contacting the Academic Advisor
1. The Academic Advisor maintains a list of telephone numbers and institutional email addresses of the students for whom he/she has assumed responsibility within the framework of his/her competence and regulates communication with them (either in person, by telephone or online).
2. The Academic Advisors' working hours are posted on the Department's website and are updated each semester based on the semester's course schedule. Academic Advisors must be available during working hours. In the event of an emergency, they must promptly inform students of their responsibilities and, if they have been requested to meet, arrange a new meeting, in consultation with the interested party.
3. The Academic Advisor's meetings with students take place both individually, with each student, and in groups. For undergraduate students, the first meeting of the group with the Academic Advisor, where relevant information is provided on the institution and role of the Academic Advisor, the Curriculum, the Study Regulations, the obligations and rights of students and a general discussion on issues of common interest, begins with the start of the academic year's courses and following the welcoming meeting for first-year students. For postgraduate students, the first meeting takes place within a month of their registration.
4. Individual meetings with each student are held at the student's request.
5. The content of the discussions is confidential and the student's personal data is protected by the Academic Advisor. The Academic Advisor is informed of the student's personal data (e.g., grade point average) only after written permission. Discussions with the Academic Advisor are purely advisory in nature and in no way binding. The decisions that students make regarding their academic course and any individual academic issues that concern them belong exclusively to them and are clearly their own choice.
6. Students are invited to utilize the institution of the Academic Advisor in the best way for their studies, requesting his/her assistance whenever they deem it necessary and within the time frame indicated to them, without abusing the institution.