Advising & Early Alert System
MSUM’s in-house designed and built system used to proactively identify at-risk students in order to provide outreach and connection to resources. Additionally, this system provides a space for advisors to track advisee meetings, communications, and view information including Academic Success Center tutoring visits.
Where do I find it?
- https://my.mnstate.edu/EarlyAlert
- Log in using your StarID and password
- Link will also be emailed with requests for Week 5 and Week 10 Academic Progress Checks
Who uses it?
- Faculty: enter Week 5 and Week 10 Academic Progress Checks
- All users: enter academic Concerns for students as needed
- Staff: address Academic Progress Checks and Concerns with students, follow up outreach is handled by staff with the closest campus connection to the student needing help
- Advisors: use the system to manage advisee communications, document meeting notes, reference student information (e.g., course placement), and to gain insight into advisees who might be struggling academically
- Tutoring Staff: use the system to track students’ Academic Success Center tutoring visits
Why Use this System?
- Gathering and acting on information shared by faculty and staff is critical to reaching students who need help in a timely manner
- Documenting student advising and academic coaching along with Academic Progress Checks and Concerns provides faculty and staff with a holistic view of students’ academic progress
- Based on data collected from 2021-2022 Academic Progress Checks (View the full assessment report):
- Male students, first generation students, Pell-eligible students, students of color, and freshmen all had significantly higher deficiency percentages at weeks 5 and 10 of both fall and spring semesters.
- Week 5 and week 10 deficiency percentages are the strongest individual predictors of fall-to-spring retention in a model controlling for student demographic factors, indicating progress checks are useful for identifying students at risk for attrition, above and beyond current key indicators.
- Students with higher deficiency percentages are likely in need of more intensive intervention and support mechanisms given the risk of attrition rises significantly alongside deficiency percentage.
- Students responded to outreach at the highest rates during Fall week 5 (55.8% responsive), with declining rates of responsiveness thereafter. Male students responded at significantly lower rates than female students. No significant differences were found in responsiveness based on first generation status, Pell eligibility, race/ethnicity, residency (international/domestic), or class year.
- Fall week 5 responsiveness was associated with significantly lower rates of deficiency at fall week 10, indicating week 5 in fall is a critical opportunity for proactive outreach and intervention.
- Students who are not responsive to outreach have significantly lower rates of retention, indicating a need for more focus on students who are non-responsive in addition to future research on the direct impact of intervention.
How to Use the System
- Quick Guides:
Questions?
Loren Baranko Faught
(She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Director of Academic Success
Academic Success Center