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 work day.
But Virtual Advising Rooms offered by University of Maryland Global Campus help military students conveniently connect with their advisors
“There are so many aspects that are valuable from them,” 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 advisors offices because of military job obligations and work the same hours as UMGC’s advisors.
“Now, we have it that they can go out to their car at lunch and contact us,” she continued. “They can see 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 location on Quantico Marine Corps Base.
“Someone always has an ear to the VAR, the virtual advising room,: she said.
When students enter the VAR, they see a smiling face that asks what base are you at or do you know who you would like to see,
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 can share their screens with the students in the VAR so they can see exactly what they need to do to access their educational benefits.
”The tuition assistance process and the Veterans Affairs process for benefits can be convoluted so to be able to show them, rather than explain in an email or over the phone has been just absolutely amazing,”
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.
White added that the virtual rooms have opened up communication among her tam members,
“You can pull from your resources and get 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.
Sponsored by University of Maryland Global Campus.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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