SAASS provides academic support services to all student-athletes throughout their time at SDSU. Our Academic Advisors are highly knowledgeable about SDSU major and general education requirements, University policies and procedures, and MWC and NCAA eligibility requirements. They use this expertise to assess all student-athletes in order to create individualized, comprehensive academic support plans to ensure academic success. This includes providing students with weekly mentor meetings, free course-based tutoring, and, if applicable, connecting them with the Student Ability Success Center for academic accommodations. Academic Advisors assist students in planning class schedules, providing priority registration, tracking progress toward degree and graduation requirements, communicating with professors, and monitoring NCAA eligibility. Advisors also serve as liaisons to faculty and various departments on campus and assist students in finding the appropriate resource when they need assistance with academic or personal issues.
MentoringThe SAASS mentoring program was created to assist the department in implementing each student's individual academic plan. Student-athletes are paired with an Academic Coordinator at the beginning of each semester to receive support with academic and life skills on a weekly basis. The Academic Coordinators work one-on-one with student-athletes to help them improve on time management, study techniques and habits, creating to-do lists and task prioritization, communication skills, and critical-thinking and resourcefulness. The Academic Coordinators also help maintain academic reports throughout each semester, detailing updates and overall progress through each course. This information is shared with Academic Advisors and coaches, and provides an opportunity for early intervention and support when academic difficulties arise. Learning Support SAASS has Learning Specialists who are responsible for liaising with the Student Ability Success Center to provide academic accommodations for students who have diagnosed physical and learning disabilities. The Learning Specialists also work one-on-one with students who have documented learning disabilities, have ADHD, or are academically at-risk. Tutoring Academic tutors are hired and trained to assist student-athletes in course-based content. Tutors foster student independence, active learning, and motivation in the learning process by utilizing techniques that encourage students to engage with the course content on their own. The role of the tutor is to improve students’ thinking and to clarify course material during individual and group tutoring sessions. Academic integrity is of the utmost importance, and our student tutors are trained and evaluated each semester to ensure compliance with all NCAA, MWC, and SDSU guidelines for academic integrity and ethical behavior. There is also tutoring available for all SDSU students on campus at the Writing Center, Math & Stats Learning Center, College of Business, College of Engineering, and Department of Economics. Orientation & Summer Bridge SAASS coordinates a student-athlete orientation session for incoming freshmen and transfer student-athletes at the beginning of each academic term. This orientation is a great opportunity to introduce new student-athletes to the resources provided both in athletics and on campus. Some incoming freshmen also participate in the SAASS Summer Bridge program during the summer term. This program is intentionally designed to assist new freshmen with their transition to college. During this program, student-athletes enroll in one 3-unit general education course, and the SAASS staff provides course-specific academic support as students progress through this course. The students also receive educational programming as they learn about the online systems and how to navigate the academic landscape at SDSU. In addition to the academic programming, these student-athletes participate in workshops on topics including drug and alcohol education, community living, sexual assault prevention, and mental health AcademiC Resources & Links |
