A stand-alone PC-based advising aid for students

Next to grading, student advising involves some of the most tedious and onerous tasks that faculty encounter. This paper describes a modest approach to utilizing computers to make the advising process more productive, and pleasant for both faculty and students. The advising software, which features a graphical user interface, allows students to request only courses for which they have appropriate prerequisites, corequisites and standing. The program also offers rule-based advice to students regarding special circumstances that it spots. The software is designed for straightforward modification, without programming, to accommodate addition or deletion of courses, prerequisites, corequisites and rules.