Academic Advising Center

Orientation

Must Know Details

Understanding the Academic Year
Each academic year consists of two major semesters: Fall and Spring

Each semester is 15 weeks in length
Grades and credits are awarded at the end of each semester
Students may also enroll in courses during summer sessions and QuickTerm (a 10-week term) within the fall and spring semesters
OCC publishes a course schedule every semester that is available at the beginning of each registration period in the Office of Registration & Records and via the OCC Website
- The most current schedule of classes is available on the OCC website via WebAdvisor

You are Responsible for…

Ensuring you are in the appropriate degree program.
Understanding your degree requirements.
Understanding and following academic standards and policies in the catalog and on OCC’s website.
Adhering to academic calendar deadlines in the catalog and on OCC’s website.
Checking your Ocean Cruiser account and opening the WebAdvisor tab view grades, register for courses, complete Program Evaluations, etc.
Registering for “My Cruiser Alert” through Ocean Cruiser if you wish to receive campus-wide Emergency Alerts on your mobile device.

Successful Students...

...accept responsibility for creating the outcomes and quality of their lives.
…discover a motivating purpose, characterized by personally meaningful goals and dreams.
…consistently plan and take effective actions in pursuing their goals and dreams.
…build mutually supportive relationships that assist them in pursuing their goals and dreams.
…gain heightened self-awareness, developing empowering beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that will keep them on course.
…become lifelong learners, finding valuable lessons in nearly every experience they have.
…develop emotional maturity, characterized by optimism, happiness and peace of mind.
…believe in themselves, feeling capable, lovable, and unconditionally worthy as human beings.*

*Downing, Skip. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and Life, second edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company

What is WebAdvisor?

WebAdvisor allows you to:

Search and Register for classes
Access your Financial Aid information
Complete a “Program Evaluation”
Access your:
- Grades
- GPA
- Transcript
- Advisor’s name/department
- Class Schedule

New part-time students will be able to access WebAdvisor through Ocean Cruiser after you have registered in person for your first semester. New full-time students will access WebAdvisor through Ocean Cruiser when they attend new student orientation.

How Do I Read the Course Offerings in WebAdvisor?

Term	Status	Section	Location	Meeting Information	Faculty	Avail/Capacity	Credits
2009 Fall Semester	Open	ENGL 151-01 English I	OCC campus	9/02/2009-12/21/2009 Lecture Mon, Thurs 8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Instructional Bldg. Room 223	TBA	5/30	3
ENGL 151 = Course Number 01 = the section You will need to know the course number, section and title to register.

Read the course description by clicking on the subject in WebAdvisor. Check to see if there is a prerequisite or co-requisite for the course.
Note how many credits the course is worth. Credits usually reflect the number of hours the course meets during the week.
Check the time of each course to ensure there are no conflicts in days/times.

What is Ocean Cruiser?
Ocean Cruiser is your campus-community connection to OCC!

Access your campus email
Download class handouts and forms
Contact classmates and faculty
Receive E-learning information
Store and share files
Check out clubs & student activities
Check announcements for campus events
Search and Register for classes through WebAdvisor

You will be able to log into your Ocean Cruiser account after you have registered in person for your first semester.

Part-Time vs Full-Time
Students are considered part-time when enrolled in 11 credits or less.

As a part-time student, you may take courses at your own pace. One semester you may take one class, the next semester you may take two or three classes.
When a part-time student registers for 12 or more credits, they are then considered full-time.
Part-time students may take several years to complete the degree requirements for graduation. Part-time students may also alternate between full- and part-time status.

Students registered for 12 or more credits are considered full-time.

Many students need to be full-time in order to qualify for insurance, athletic eligibility, or financial aid.
To graduate in two years, you should enroll in 16 credits per semester or be prepared to take courses in the summer or winter terms.