It is important that a student's success network perform outreach when a flag is raised in order to provide support and resources to help the student succeed at Valpo.
Below are charts of the various tracking items, describing when to use each, and recommendations on how to respond.
Flags (Faculty/Staff Raised)
Tracking Item | Description | Comments required for context? | When is it available to raise? | Student Support Network: How to respond? |
Academic Performance Alert | Instructors will raise this flag to indicate: a student is not participating, not performing well on homework, has missing or late assignments, etc. | Yes | • Manually | Reach out to the student to meet with you so you can discuss. Based on your conversation, you can determine the best resource or support for the student. Use Starfish Referrals to alert a campus resource that you've recommended your student to their office. Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
Attendance Concern | This flag is raised by the instructor when the student has only attended class a few times or does not regularly attend. | No | • Manually | Reach out to the student to meet with you so you can discuss. Learn if there are any factors causing the student to miss class. Offer support with time management tips. Act as a liaison in connecting the student with their instructor to review a plan for attending and catching up on missed work. If needed, you can determine the best resource or support for the student. Use Starfish Referrals to alert a campus resource that you've recommended your student to their office. Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
General Concern | Use this flag to express any general academic concerns you have about a student that are not otherwise covered by a Starfish flag. Comments are required in order to provide context so the student can be supported. | Yes | • Manually | Reach out to the student to meet with you so you can learn more about the situation. There are many offices and resources on campus that can help support our students. Make sure to connect them as needed. Use Starfish Referrals to alert a campus resource that you've recommended your student to their office. Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
In Danger of Failing | Raise this when a student is in danger of failing a course. | Yes | • Manually | Reach out to the student and strongly encourage them to meet with their instructor to see if they can still complete the course with a passing grade. If so, help facilitate a plan to get them back on track, if needed. If the student is in a situation where they are not able to complete the course with a passing grade, walk them through their options (withdraw if within window to do so, etc.). Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
Low Quiz/Exam Scores | Raise this when a student receives a poor grade on a quiz or test. | Yes | • Manually | Reach out to the student to meet with you so you can discuss. Recommend they meet with their instructor to review the quiz/exam and ask for tips on how to better prepare for future quizzes/exams. If needed, use Starfish Referrals to alert a campus resource that you've recommended your student to their office. Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
Missing Textbook/Course Materials | Use this flag if a student is missing their textbook and/or other required course materials. | Yes | • Manually | When this flag is raised, students receive an email letting them know textbooks and course materials that are available through our University bookstore can be charged to their student account and paid throughout the semester rather than all at once at the time of purchase. Follow up with your student to make sure they are able to make the purchase through the University bookstore. Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
Multiple Flags | This automated system flag is used to notify advisors if a student has accumulated 3+ flags. This can be used to help prioritize caseload management | N/A | • System generated | Reach out to the student to discuss the situation and determine what is feasible for them to successfully complete the semester. Utilize campus resources and help the student reach out to faculty to set up a plan to remedy the situation. Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
No Show | Use this flag to indicate that a student has never attended your class. | No | • Manually | Reach out to the student to learn about their plans for the course. In some cases, students think they dropped a course, but did not. You may consider helping them complete a CAPS petition for registration change after the deadline if the situation is appropriate. Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
Non-Returning or Transferring: Early Alert | Use this flag as an early alert to a student's success network that a student is considering not returning to Valpo or transferring to a different institution. | Yes | • Manually | Reach out to the student to meet with you so you can discuss. Based on your conversation, you can determine whether or not we have the resources or support for the student that can help them work through and resolve any issue that may be causing them to consider not returning to Valpo. Use Starfish Referrals to alert a campus resource that you've recommended your student to their office. Once you have addressed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
Flags (Student Raised)
Tracking Item | Description | Comments required for context? | Notes | Student Support Network: How to respond? |
I Need Help In A Course | Students select this option when they need assistance in a course. Their instructor will be notified. | Yes | Students can use the "Raise Your Hand" feature at any time and select one of these options. | Instructor: Reach out to the student to let them know how they can set up a time to meet with you. Once you have met or discussed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
I Need Help | Students select this option when they know they need help but are not sure where to start. Their advisor will be notified. | Yes | Advisor: Reach out to the student to learn in what area(s) they need help so you can best support them and /or refer them to the right resource to help them. Once you have met or discussed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. | |
I Need Spiritual Direction | Students select this option as a way to to connect with our chapel on campus. Campus Pastors are notified. | Yes | Pastors: Reach out to the student to let them know how they can set up a time to meet with you. Once you have met or discussed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. | |
I Need Help Paying For College | Students select this option when they need assistance with financial aid. Their advisor and the Financial Aid office will be notified. | Yes | Financial Aid: Reach out to the student to let them know how they can set up a time to meet with you. Once you have met or discussed, document notes in Starfish and close the loop by clearing the flag. |
Kudos
Tracking Item | Description | Comments required for context? | When is it available to raise? | Student Support Network: How to respond? |
Meeting Expectations | Use when a student is meeting expectations, but may have room for improvement. This kudos will primarily be used for progress surveys. | No | • Manually | Acknowledge their good work! (Optional) |
Nice Job! | Use for students who have done well in or out of the classroom. | No | • Manually | |
Showing Improvement! | Use to acknowledge when a student has shown improvement. | No | • Manually | |
Thank You! | Use to thank a student for their work, participation, etc. | No | • Manually | |
You Are off to a Good Start! | Use to acknowledge a student has had a good start to the semester. | No | • Attendance Surveys |