How parents can support their student
Concurrent Enrollment will be a new transition process for your student as they enter their post-secondary academic ventures. These courses are a great opportunity for students to learn how to navigate college with support from parents, their high school staff, and the SAU CE Staff.
SAU also offers many student resources available for our first-time students to succeed, such as the online writing center, NetTutor, counseling and disability support services, academic advising, and online Library resources. Even though FERPA prevents us from sharing certain information with parents about their students, there are many ways parents can support their students throughout their journey to becoming college students.
Here are some ways you can support your student as they begin their college classes for the first time:
- Maturity – Once your student steps foot on a college campus (in person or virtually), they are expected to demonstrate a high level of maturity in their classes. This includes advocating for themselves when they have questions or when they need help. They are expected to demonstrate appropriate and respectful behavior in class. Students will be enrolled in courses with others from different backgrounds and experiences. All students are expected to communicate with appropriate courtesy and respect for others.
- Time management – Many first-time students struggle with this the most! It is a challenge for students to learn how to balance academics, friends, work, family commitments, etc., all at once. For a student to be successful, they must learn how to prioritize their time and commitments. Learning to use a planner or an electronic scheduling system is a great way to teach your student how to stay organized and how to find balance in their daily lives.
- Deadlines – Deadlines are crucial for students when they attend college. It is important for students to note various deadlines for both the University and in their courses. This includes registration and drop dates at the college as well as assignment deadlines within courses. Visit with your student about why these deadlines are important and establish a plan with them to meet the deadlines.
- Rigor – At SAU, we are NACEP accredited, which ensures our students are entering a program that meets the rigorous requirements of a traditional college course. Students will have access to many services to assist them through their courses, such as the online writing center, NetTutor, and Magale Library.
- Absences – Attendance is important for college courses (both virtual and face-to-face). It is a requirement for students to attend and participate accordingly. Sometimes just missing a few class periods could have negative results on the student’s final grade. Help establish the importance of this by checking in on your student to make sure they are logging on to their online courses daily. Also, please keep college courses in mind as you plan family trips, doctor appointments, etc.
Benefits of Concurrent Enrollment for your student
- Students can earn high school and transferable college credits simultaneously
- Gain Early Exposure to college-level work
- Reduce the time to attain a college degree
- Offset future college expenses by getting reduced and/or free tuition hours while in high school
About FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1984, also known as the Buckley Amendment, helps protect the privacy of student records. The Act provides for students the right to inspect and review educational records, the right to seek to amend those records and to limit disclosure of information from the records. The Act applies to all institutions that are the recipients of Federal funding.
It also provides students with privacy of their student record upon turning 18, or upon enrolling in college classes at any age. As a result of FERPA, colleges are not able to share information about a student’s record with anyone other than the student without a FERPA waiver on file. Students participating in Concurrent Enrollment can utilize MySAU through Campus Connect to show others their progress in classes and grades.
Students are required to complete a FERPA form upon admission and registration to the SAU Concurrent Program.
How to request a transcript for your student
SAU offers the first transcript request for free to all of our concurrent students. Request your first free transcript.
For all other transcripts, requests must be made here.
SAU College Catalogs
The SAU Catalog offers information for students about the University, degree programs, Course descriptions, and PACT 8 plans.
Arkansas Course Transfer System
The Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) is a post-secondary education resource service coordinated by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). ACTS provides course information to facilitate student transfer within Arkansas public colleges and universities.
Advising
Advising is a crucial part of the concurrent process. Students should look at their degree plans at the University they will be attending for their Undergraduate degree to see which CE courses would be most beneficial to them. If you have questions about our CE courses and which ones would be the right fit for your student, please get in touch with our CE office for an advising appointment at concurrent@saumag.edu or 870-235-4129.
How to schedule a campus tour at SAU for your student
At SAU, we pride ourselves on our personalized approach to campus tours. We offer a tour experience that is customized to your interests.
