Having conversations with advisees, particularly ones you don't know well, can be challenging. One way to reduce the stress of the meeting, make sure you cover all pertinent information, and make it likely that the student will leave with a clear sense of how to get back on track is to get the student to write up a “contract.”

Contracts can:

• Help faculty by providing structure for their meetings with students;
• Encourage students to take ownership of their own learning;
• Facilitate conversations with students who are shy or quiet;
• Provide a “map” for students, complete with resources, contact information, a course of actions and due dates; and
• Make it more likely a student will get back on track. Research indicates that people who write down their goals are much more likely to complete them.

Here are some sample contracts for Academic Improvement.

Contract for Academic Improvement:
(PDF) (WORD)

Early Intervention Checklist:
(PDF) (WORD)