Graduate and undergraduate students can keep track of their progress toward graduation with the new Degree Evaluation feature on SAIL. The comprehensive tool, which will launch Oct. 1, offers a myriad of ways to track progress toward a degree or certificate at Oakland University.

The School of Business Administration has been using the Degree Evaluation feature since Sept. 13 and students and administrators can already see the usefulness of the application.

The Degree Evaluation feature helps students navigate the sometimes complex and diverse course requirements within each program by:

• Determining progress toward current degree
• Identifying courses remaining for degree
• Running what-if scenarios to find out how many of current courses would count if they changed majors
• Checking progress against General Education requirements
• Plus, elementary education students can determine if they are on track to receive their teaching certificate.

“I found it really useful for degree audits and honors calculations prior to graduation,” said Tricia Westergaard, coordinator of Undergraduate Advising in the SBA. “What used to take days, I can now do in no more than a couple of hours.”

Westergaard said the Degree Evaluation program should impact advising as well. SBA students will be able to use computer kiosks in the Undergraduate Leadership and Development Center, where students go for advising, to print compliance reports for advisers to use as reference.

“This will allow the adviser to spend more time checking in with students, working on course and career planning, and less time focusing on the paperwork,” Westergaard said. “Students who review the information can be more prepared when they come in for advising appointments and some students will find the answers to their questions by simply reviewing the degree evaluation report.”

Chris Valmassoi, a student in the SBA, recently used the new Degree Evaluation program and he said the information in it will be useful to students, especially during scheduling time. Students will be able to see what requirements they have met and what they still have left to do. The degree evaluations also allow for students to plan for alternate scenarios, like changing majors.

“I will use the program to check to see how I am progressing. This will also handle many headaches come scheduling time and make that task much less stressful,” Valmassoi said. “Overall the program is easy to use and I think it will be a big success.”

To use the Degree Evaluation after Oct. 1, log in to SAIL and click Student Services & Financial Aid, then Student Records, then Degree Evaluation.