Approving Study Abroad Courses

APPROVED COURSES FOR STUDY ABROAD BY UNIVERSITY

Approving SA Courses

The Process

Students going abroad are required to have course equivalencies pre-approved by their academic advisors.  Although pre-approvals happen online, students are told to initially meet with an advisor in person to have a conversation about their plan of study.  Additional equivalencies, after the first meeting, can be approved online with no meeting required.  This is a student-driven process.  Academic advisors do not need to do anything until contacted by a student.

Our Credit Equivalency Guide may be useful in this process.

Reviewing Equivalency Requests

Once a student is in your office or has asked for a pre-approval by email:

1. Click the right-most login link on the horizontal black banner towards the top of this page and enter your normal NAU login. 
If you cannot log in, close all internet browser windows, reopen one, and try again.  If that doesn't work email your EmplID number to Angelina.Palumbo@nau.edu.  If a student is in your office and waiting, call x6700 for immediate access.

2. Go to Applicants (on the top bar) - Search - enter the student's name

3. Click on the student's application.  Click on the Course Equivalency tab.

4. Here you will see a list of equivalencies submitted by the student.  You can:

Add a new course equivalency to the student's application
a) Click on New Equivalency Request above the student's name
b) Enter the foreign course.  Leave the grade blank.  Enter the number of foreign credits if you have that information.
c) Click on Option 3 Search Home Courses to see if the NAU course is already in the database.  If it is not, click Cancel and use Option 2 (see "d" below).  Option 3 will be populated by Education Abroad as equivalencies get approved over time.
d) For Option 2 "Code" refers to the course code (BIO 340) and "Title" refers to the course title (Microbiology II).  Do not enter a grade but do enter the number of units.  Click Next. 

Edit an existing equivalency before approval
a) Click the pencil icon to the right of the equivalency.
b) Here you can edit the foreign course by clicking on the pencil next to it.  Or, you can edit the NAU course.

Approve an existing equivalency
Click on the Course Status drop down menu under the appropriate equivalency.  Choose "Approved." 

Waiting for a syllabus before approving an existing equivalency
Leave the status of the class as "In Progress."  You can click on the Comments tab to register a note saying that you are waiting for more information for a particular course.

Deny an existing equivalency
Click on the Course Status drop down menu under the appropriate equivalency.  Choose "Denied." 

Permanently remove an equivalency from a student's record
Click on the red "X" to the right of the equivalency.

5. Tell the student where their equivalencies stand.  It is then their responsibility to let Education Abroad know once their equivalencies are ready.

Seeing what has been changed in the past in Course Equivalencies

The History Log tab will show all past equivalency changes, who made those changes, and when they were made.

Comments

Any comments regarding the student's equivalencies can be noted in the Comments tab.  You can note things such as comments on particular requests, if a faculty-member other than you approved the courses, or anything else.  Course descriptions can be entered here.  These comments will be viewable by the student and will be noted as submitted by you.

Emailing the Student

You can email a student directly from Studio Abroad by clicking on the Email tab in their profile.  The email will look like it came from your email address.  When students reply their emails go to your regular inbox.

Questions

Questions can be directed to the Education Abroad Advisor for the region where that student is going.  Advisors and their regions can be found here.