Academic Affairs

Office of Academic Affairs 651.638.6800 | cas-academic-affairs@bethel.edu | bethel.edu/undergrad/academic-affairs

BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACADEMIC SUPPORT The mission of the Office of Academic Affairs is to foster an educational environment grounded in the Christian liberal arts that leads to student success. While most students do not interact with our office directly, our work impacts their lives through the various academic components with which we are involved.

FACULTY AND CURRICULUM Bethel’s faculty are experts in their field and committed Christians. They want to help students develop the skills, knowledge, and ability that will lead to success while at Bethel as well as in life, work, and service after graduation. This is achieved through the implementation of a liberal arts education, which ensures students have the breadth of knowledge, critical thinking skills, and experience that equip them to engage with our rapidly changing world. All faculty have weekly office hours. Encourage your students to talk with their professors if there are things they don’t understand about their coursework or liberal arts training. Our faculty are excited about teaching in a university that promotes holistic growth and learning and are well-equipped to address any concerns.

ACADEMIC ADVISING AND COURSE REGISTRATION A team of faculty advisors creates the schedule for students their first semester at Bethel. The schedule takes into account the information students have submitted about preferences for majors and general education courses, the number of credits students prefer to take, and any credits they have transferred to Bethel. Students are assigned an academic advisor before classes begin. After their first semester at Bethel, students consult with their advisors but register themselves. Registration takes place in November for Interim and Spring and in April for the next fall.

The academic catalog (bethel.edu/undergrad/academics/catalog) lists all requirements for majors, general education, and other graduation requirements. It also includes our academic policies. The catalog is available in print form and online.

Students can use our digital portal (my.bethel.edu) to access their academic records, including transcripts and a degree evaluation. The degree evaluation shows students the requirements they have already met and ones they still need to meet. There are many other resources available to students on Bethel’s Advising Center website (bethel.edu/advising-center) and the Registrar’s office website (bethel.edu/registrar).

TECHNOLOGY AND ACADEMICS Most faculty use a course management tool called Moodle where students will find their course syllabus, information about assignments, class resources, and discussion forums. Students should check Moodle at least once between class meetings.

We are committed to students’ academic success. When students are not doing well in a course, faculty submit course progress reports to Beacon, Bethel’s early alert system. Students receive a copy of the course progress report through their Bethel email account. A member of our student success team may follow up with students who are struggling in more than one class. Students should check their Bethel email regularly to ensure they are receiving such important communication.

OFFICE OF ACCESSIBILITY RESOURCES AND SERVICES (OARS) We are committed to providing access to resources and services for students with disabilities. If your student has a documented or suspected disability, please connect with our office to talk about accommodations or services that can help support them in their academic endeavors. Examples of accommodations include: testing in a reduced-distraction environment, having more time on exams, having access to class notes, assistive technology, flexibility on due dates and attendance, and using alternate texts. We also offer housing accommodations and can help students with the process of using an emotional comfort animal or service animal on campus. For more information, call 651.638.6833, or send an email to accessibility-services@bethel.edu.