Faculty Role/Expectation
Faculty are encouraged to use the Early Alert program as an opportunity to improve student learning and successful outcomes in their class. Claflin University’s faculty is committed to student success and has the best and earliest perspective on a student’s ability to successfully complete coursework. Faculty role is to identify these students and connect them to the support services via the TutorTrac Early Alert System.
The Early Alert program recommends expectations and strategies for faculty to intervene early with students facing challenges prior to making a referral:
- Let the student know that you care about their academic success and you are available and accessible to provide support
- Give students a preliminary non-graded assignment early within the first two weeks of class to identify their weaknesses and strengths
- Meeting before or after class to ascertain what is hindering the student’s progress
- Getting contact information from all students enrolled in your class for the semester
- Email or phone communications to reach the student who is not attending class
- Messages on quizzes, tests or assignment, etc. inviting the student in for consultation
- Display a message in the syllabus about Early Alert (see sample below):
The Claflin University Early Alert Program is designed to assist you with your academic success. Should your instructor determine that you need additional help, you will be referred to the Academic Success Center. The Academic Success Center will assist you in successfully completing the course.
Faculty Benefits
The Early Alert program for faculty is designed to develop a more engaged student who is likely to meet course expectations set by professors. Teaching students who demonstrate a genuine desire to learn and to be active members of the University community should produce a more satisfying and highly stimulating classroom environment for students and professors alike. The Early Alert system for faculty:
- Facilitates a communication loop between faculty, counselors, support service personnel, and students
- Generates reports on referrals to distribute among support services for follow up purposes
- Provides the opportunity for counseling and special programs to follow up with a student’s progress
- Keeps faculty abreast of the college’s support services designed to assist students’ successful matriculation
- Acknowledges to faculty that a referred student has been notified
- Makes students aware of their progress early enough to counteract unsatisfactory progress
- Encourages dialogue between students, faculty, counselors
- Develops and opportunity for faculty to get a more engaged and motivated student in the classroom