Early Alert Warning

Faculty-initiated Early Alert Warning guidelines

The Early Alert Warning (EAW) is an effort to sustain student momentum and facilitate early identification of students with academic issues. The goal is to be proactive with students that need additional support to facilitate their completion and retention. These guidelines serve to formalize the process and provide instructions to faculty.

One alert will be sent ahead of the first course exam taking stock of homework scores, attendance, and other aspects to provide a snapshot.

Indicators

These indicators are classroom behaviors that signal a need for additional support to help students be successful:

  • Low class attendance (stopped attending)
  • Poor performance on quizzes and assignments
  • Difficulty completing assignments
  • Sudden decline in academic performance

Aspects of the EAW

Faculty can refer students using the Student Engagement Roster (SER) in Canvas.

The SER can be used for positive feedback for students or concerns when it is being used for an EAW.

Referrals will go to the student and their assigned academic advisor.

The outcome of the intervention is up to the student to share with the instructor. Advisors will reach out to the student and may not be able to inform faculty of the interaction.

How to submit Early Alert Warnings and positive feedback

The ideal time is between weeks 2 to 5, but it can be done at any point. This is the same time frame as the early feedback requirement sent by the Registrar. Depending on the duration of the course (e.g., 16 or 8 weeks) the deadline for withdrawing may be considered, though an EAW does not imply withdrawal.

Follow the steps below to create an EAW:

  1. Go to the SER in Canvas and select specific “observations” that indicate academic concerns in the course (e.g., low class attendance, poor performance on quizzes and assignments, difficulty completing assignments, sudden decline in academic performance).
  2. Under “recommendations,” select “consult with academic advisor.” This will generate an email notification to the student’s assigned advisor. The advisor will only see the observations selected. Their conversation will be based on those observations.
  3. Other assistance can also be selected if the instructor would like the student to see them or the teaching assistant in addition to seeking other academic services (tutoring).

Large lecture courses can use the bulk feedback feature in Canvas.

A Care Referral can be made through Canvas by selecting the “Care Referral” option or going to the submission form. Reasons to submit a Care Referral include:

  1. Noticeable or sudden change in behavior or appearance
  2. Disclosure of concerning information
  3. Troublesome or hostile content/statements within assignments, the classroom, or communications

To provide positive feedback to the student:

  1. Refer to the guidelines for providing meaningful SER feedback.
  2. Do not select "consult with academic advisor" in these situations.

Recommended statement for the syllabus

"In this course, the instructor wants to make sure you connect with resources that will help you be successful. If you receive a message through the Student Engagement Roster that asks you to consult with your advisor, please know that the message is sent to both you and your academic advisor, who will follow up and view the feedback from this course."