Pursuing a college degree while serving in the military can be a juggling act.
Service commitments and obligations can make it difficult for military students to meet with academic advisors or even be physically present on campus during the normal workday.
But Virtual Advising Rooms (VAR) offered by University of Maryland Global Campus help military students conveniently connect on a very personal level with UMGC advisors.
Related
“There are so many aspects that are valuable from the Virtual Advising Rooms or VARs,” said Meghan White, who directs UMGC’s academic advisors in the virtual rooms. “Teams are able to connect in ways they haven’t been able to before and students are able to reach their advisors.”
White said that many of UMGC’s students are unable to physically make it into their advisor’s offices because of military job obligations, office closures due to COVID, smaller military bases that do not support Voluntary Education on base, or because of conflicting hours of availability.
“Now, students can conveniently go out to their car at lunch and contact us,” she continued. “They can see their academic plans live and understand exactly what we mean when we say, ‘don’t forget to click this link here."
White has seven staff members who provide a holistic advising experience on hand from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET at UMGC’s Northern Virginia sites that include Fort Belvoir, Fort Myer, Quantico Marine Corps Base, Henderson Hall, and the newest site is at National Landing, formerly in Crystal City, Virginia.
“Someone always has an ear to the VAR, the virtual advising room," she said.
When students enter the VAR, they see a live, smiling face that directs students to either their assigned advisor or suggests an advisor as needed.
The students are then placed into a separate break-out room with their advisor, where they can chat about anything -- including personal data -- privately and securely.
Advisors share their screens with the students in the VAR so students can see exactly what they need to do to access their educational benefits.
”The tuition assistance process and the Veterans Affairs process for benefits, for example, can be confusing so to be able to show students, rather than explain in an email or over the phone, has been absolutely amazing. Communication is far more effective and empathetic.”
White stressed that only the VAR host can allow access into a room, ensuring the session is private and secure.
“We’ve had calls from students in Nigeria, students in Spain,” she added.
UMGC launched the VARs in March of 2020. Thus far, White and her team have conducted 1,620 virtual appointments. Currently, several military teams at UMGC utilize regional VARs to accommodate time zone differences, but students should feel welcome at any VAR, see link to find the virtual advising room most convenient.
Related
The addition of a Bookings App to allow students to schedule VAR meetings ahead of time was added and has proven to be highly effective and useful with military and veteran students who have limited time. See link to schedule an appointment.
White added that the virtual rooms have personalized communication among her team members. Staff members are available live and can work together to provide the best support available remotely.
“Advisors can pull from their resources and provide the best possible information for the student,” said White. “It is so invaluable; I don’t ever see it going away.”
To learn more about educational opportunities at UMGC, visit here.