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Early Alert
What is
Early Alert? What is Early Alert? Early Alert is a committee on campus dedicated
to helping first year students have a successful academic year.
It consists of members from Learning Support Services, Center
for Diversity, Personal Counseling, Residence Life, the
Academic Dean's Office, and the Dean of Students. Why was it created? The college noticed very poor retention rates of
our first year students. In addition, a large number of
freshmen students were on academic probation after their first
semesters, and as a result were either dismissed or left
Edgewood at the end of their first years. Intervention was very difficult, as the original
impromptu committee only had anecdotal information and word of
mouth to determine which students were struggling. Week
Four Rosters and the committee's other tasks were created to
assist with identifying our at risk population. What are Week Four Rosters? Students are often on Academic Probation due to
poor decision making, including skipping classes, not turning in
homework, and not taking responsibility for their actions.
These behaviors are much easier to fix earlier in the semester,
rather than later. Unfortunately, by the time these
behaviors are noticed, it is often too late. The Early Alert Committee created class rosters
at four weeks in an attempt to identify students at risk from
these detrimental behaviors. At the end of week four of
classes, you will receive an email with class rosters in your
inbox
with any students of freshman status listed. We give you
the names of ALL freshmen--not only those which are currently
considered "at risk." Any student has potential to do
well--and also has potential to succumb to irresponsible
behavior. Instructors are asked to indicate whether
students have missed more than two classes or turned in late
work, and also asked to mark whether the student has received
feedback on these behaviors. These rosters are then returned to the Early
Alert Committee. Committee members compile all of the
information. If students appear to have detrimental
tendencies in two or more classes, the committee notifies the
advisor. Why do you contact the advisor instead of the student directly? As an advisor, you have a relationship with the
student, no matter how small it may seem. In the end, if
the student doesn't speak with you, you won't release the AS 400
hold allowing them to register. We have no such incentive
for students and are often ignored. Also, you may know of
different circumstances that we are not aware. It could be
that the student was ill, and did not contact the instructor
(or, that the instructor either forgot, or has an attendance
policy that does not take illness into consideration). If
that is the case, it becomes the perfect time to remind first
year students to check the syllabus for attendance policies,
mention how to speak to an instructor, or refer the student to
someone in Learning Support Services for an appointment.
Also, it is beneficial for you as the advisor to have this
information in your student's file for a later date. Why do you look at Midterm Grades? How is that early? Midterm Grades are usually distributed at the
tenth week of classes. The drop date is a mere two weeks
later. By looking at midterm grades and comparing the
information to that which we gathered at four weeks, we are able
to see if the student is improving, staying the same, or is in a
dangerous spot academically. By moving quickly, we are
able to notify advisors of issues that we see in time for the
advisor to speak with the student before the drop date.
Although midterm grades are not "early" by any means, they are
another tool to allow the committee to contact students and
alert them to potential problems. This notice can serve as
the only notice to a student of problems. Students who were not showing problems at the
beginning of the semester may not be aware of their difficulties
until they see midterm grades. Or, if a student drops from
an "A" at the beginning of the semester to a "C" at midterms,
the instructor may assume, often correctly, that the material
was more difficult later in the course. If this happens in
all of the student's classes, it could point to personal
difficulties that is affecting work. Without this
information, he or she could slip through the cracks and not
return the following semester. What is its success rate? This sort of thing is difficult to quantify.
Freshman retention is up, which can be partially contributed to
the work of the committee. In addition to the academic
work being done, the committee also makes observations and
suggestions to other areas of campus, based on the information
it receives. We also have a lower percentage of freshmen
leaving after their first semester, and a lower percentage of
freshmen on
Academic Probation. Of the students eventually
determined to be "at risk" as a result of Rosters, Midterm
Grades, Academic Alert Notices, etc., on average 93% are in good
standing by the end of the semester. More importantly, we
are aware of those who are not in good standing at the end of
the semester, and have often made every attempt possible to
alert the student to the situation. There are fewer (if
any) "surprises" on the academic probation lists. We have very rich anecdotal evidence, and
testimonials from students who believe the intervention allowed
them to stay in school and graduate. Contact anyone on the
Early Alert Committee for more information. What is my role as an instructor? Our hope is that you continue to give valuable
feedback early and often to all of your classes. Please
return rosters on time, and turn in midterm grades. If you
begin having problems with a student, refer to the "I
have a student who" series, or contact someone on the Early
Alert Committee. You may be the only person to notice a
student's struggle, and could mean the difference between
success and failure for that student. You are also
encouraged to send Academic Alert Notices
if performance is dropping. What is my role as an advisor? Keep doing all of the things you would usually
do as an advisor. The Early Alert Committee will send you
any information it collects regarding your advisees. Many
things you will have already noticed: midterm grades,
academic alert notices, etc. The Early Alert Committee
will continue to send alerts just in case you may have missed
something. And, things will come to the Early Alert
Committee quite possibly before they cross your desk. If you are unable to contact your advisee
regarding these matters, please let us know! We consider
all information to be important, as it paints a picture of the
student's progress--we would not be sending it (or even
collecting it) if we did not feel it important to do so.
If you are unable to contact or are unsuccessful in meeting with
your advisee, please contact
Sara Anderson, and she will attempt to make contact through
the Early Alert Committee. If you were able to contact your advisee, we
also ask that you close the loop and let us know. You do
not need to share details, but we would like you to tell us that
the student was contacted, and the outcome (you met with the
student, made a plan, misunderstanding with instructor, made
referrals, things are okay, things will be okay, etc). The Early Alert Committee is one of your
resources as an advisor. If you are uncertain what to do
in a specific situation, contact us! Someone on the
committee is bound to have insight into your situation.
Feedback Instruments |
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Please email Sara Anderson at
slanderson@edgewood.edu with any questions about this site. Copyright © 2002 Sara Anderson and Edgewood College. All rights reserved. Last modified date: |
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