Student Learning Support
The College has an obligation to provide every student with the opportunity to get the maximum benefits possible from their KIMEP learning experience. One key College objective is to make continuous improvements in the quality of the KIMEP student learning experience. To achieve this ambition, students need to be:
- challenged to achieve at their highest possible academic level; and
- supported if they fall behind, or are at risk of so doing.
Student advising and mentoring is a crucial determinant of student academic success.
Undergraduate students have access to a wide range of learning support services. In their first year a specialist adviser, with the help of a team of student peer advisors are available to assist in them in course selection and to understand KIMEP practices and procedures. Each undergraduate major is assigned a faculty advisor or mentor, who is available to assist in course selection, to resolve any academic problems, and to guide career choices. Students can also seek guidance and assistance, as necessary, from the Chair of the relevant Department, the CSS Director of Student Recruitment and Retention, the Associate Dean and the Dean.
The College Student Support Center, comprising specialist advisers and student peer advisors:
- advises and mentors both undergraduate and graduate students who:
- consider themselves to be in need of advice or mentoring;
- wish to withdraw from, and transfer into, a College program;
- interviewing all students identified to be at risk to ascertain the cause of their poor academic performance, so as to be able to a Personal Development Plan that involves encouraging them to seek out appropriate sources of support (perhaps, academic, linguistic, medical and social) to enhance their ability to improve their academic performance; andmonitoring their academic performance against their agreed Personal Development Plan
- are at risk of academic withdrawal, which involves:- reviewing students’ GPA data, by program on a semester basis, to identify high-risk students;- operating an “early alert” system that enables faculty to identify and gain support for students they consider to be at risk;
- have special needs (such as physical disabilities or learning disorders), which involves:- identifying with the assistance of the Office of Enrolment Management and the Medical Center, a students with physical disability or learning disorder;- interviewing all students so identified, in order to ascertain the specific learning support they need and to develop an appropriate Personal Development Plan that involves appropriate sources of support (perhaps, academic, linguistic, medical and social) to enhance their ability to gain maximum benefit from their KIMEP learning experience; and- monitoring their academic performance against their agreed Personal Development Plan.
- are high academic achievers, which involves:- reviewing students’ GPA data, by program on a semester basis, to identify students performing at a high academic level;- operating an “early alert” system that enables faculty to identify and gain support for students they consider to be performing at a high academic level;- interviewing all students identified to be performing at a high academic level, so as to be able to a Personal Development Plan that involves (i) encouraging them undertake (a) undergraduate study abroad and (b) a master level course in their senior year; and (ii) prepare them, if they choose, for masters-level study at KIMEP leading to further study abroad, all of which will enhance the achievement of their postgraduate and career expectations; and
- monitoring their academic performance against their agreed Personal Development Plan;
- audits the existing student mentoring arrangements to ascertain usage; and
- surveys students undertaking majors in all College programs to ascertain their mentoring needs and preferences.
