Intended Outcomes
The goal of this initiative is to leverage the 1:1 connection that students have with their academic advisor to ensure students stay on track in courses. Advisors reach out to assigned students who have been referred by a faculty member for class absence, other reasons, and sometimes academic difficulty.
Timeline for Intervention
Fall: Late September – end of the semester
Spring: Late February – end of the semester
Intervention Process
- When faculty members create alerts (either via a progress report campaign or on a
standalone basis), advisors receive an email notification for their assigned students.
- Class Absence alerts are automatically assigned to the advisor.
- Poor Grades alerts are assigned to the Student Success Center first. Cases may be reassigned to advisors if the SSC is unable to make contact with the student or if the individual scenario is best addressed by an advisor.
- Cases with “other” reasons are triaged by SSC and UAC case managers and assigned to the appropriate person for outreach.
- After the first round of progress reports, faculty may report a student as at risk for "Other- Grade above F is unattainable"
- Perform initial outreach to at-risk students via email, text messages, and/or phone call within two days of the case being assigned.
- Conduct additional outreach attempts over the course of two weeks (or until the student
is reached).
- Please consider the variety of methods available to contact your students. All professional staff advisors have access to texting through EAB Navigate. Navigate texts cannot exceed 160 characters but can be a great way to reach students who are unresponsive to email.
- Consider “elevating” the contact method with each subsequent attempt to reach the student.
- Cases should be closed within two weeks of the case being assigned.
Objectives
- Student returns to class/improves attendance
- Student makes contact with instructor regarding absences and makes a plan to get back on track if needed
- Student utilizes academic support resources as need to catch up on missed content/work
- Student drops the class (if it is no longer possible to pass and the W/WF deadline has not passed)
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Reason for Concern (from comments, EAB, etc.) |
Outreach Type | Example Outreach Language |
| General concern | Email- initial outreach | Hi (student), Checking in to see how you feel (course) is going! Your professor submitted notice that your attendance is a concern. Is there something prohibiting you from getting to class? We know students who participate in class tend to be more successful. I’m wishing for your success! Please let me know how I can help you stay engaged and successfully complete (course). |
| General concern | Text- initial outreach |
From USC Advisor: Checking in to see how (course) is going. Your faculty shared that attendance may be a concern. How can I help? or Hey (student), this is your advisor, (name). It sounds like you might be having a hard time making it to (course). Are you doing okay? |
| General concern | Email- follow up | Hi (student), I'm reaching out to follow up with you about my previous message regarding your attendance in (course). Your professor let me know that you haven't been attending recently. Are you doing alright? Please let me know how I can help! |
| General concern | Text- follow up | Hi (student), this is your advisor, (name). I want to follow up about your attendance in (course). Is there anything I can help with? |
| General concern- near WF deadline | Hi (student), I got an alert from your (course) instructor that you have been missing classes. Are you doing okay? We are close to the WF deadline, so I wanted to check in to see how you’re feeling about the class. Let me know how I can help! |
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| Student at risk to fail the class |
Hi (student), or Hello (student), |
|
| Known illness included in comments | Text | From USC advisor: Your (course) prof. shared recent absences due to illness. Checking in to see if you are okay? Please let me know how I can help. |
| Student isn't feeling connected to campus | Hi (student), Your instructor recently shared with me that you are feeling disconnected from USC, and it may be affecting your educational experience here. I'd like to connect you with ways to get involved. Let me know some things you are interested in and I'm happy to share resources. We can also discuss more the next time we meet. |
Using Email vs Text
When determining how to reach out to a student, consider their unique case and your prior relationship/communication. Be aware that there are character limits on text messages, so be mindful of which method you select and how you craft your message. Text messages can be a great way to grab the student's attention, and emails will allow for deeper/extended conversations. It is recommended to use both methods when possible.
Advisors should attempt multiple outreach efforts over a period of up to two weeks including email and text messaging through Navigate. Once advisors have either made contact with the student or have exhausted outreach efforts, they can close the case by clicking the “Close Case” button. Before closing the case, always check the box labeled "Allow closed comments to be shown in email."
This will prompt the advisor to note how the case was closed. You can choose one of several options:
Select "Connected with Student- Concern Addressed" if communication was established with the student (via email, phone call, video call, or in-person meeting) and the concern was addressed. This may include a course of action plan and does not necessarily mean that the situation is resolved. The discussion could have included, but was not limited to: barriers to student success, strategies for effective time management and study skills, or development of a success plan.
Select "Connected with Student- No Plan of Action" if you made successful contact with the student but the issue was not discussed and/or no plan of action was made. This may include students who decline assistance.
Select "Student Unresponsive to Multiple Approaches" if you were unable to make contact with the student after several outreach attempts using various platforms (email, phone calls, and/or text messaging).
*Case close reasons are intervention specific. Please only use the above reasons when closing a progress report/alert case. If the above reasons don't capture your specific situation or you believe there is an error with the alert, please contact Alyssa Stephens.
When a case is closed, the faculty who originally submitted the alert/progress report will receive an email informing them that the case is now closed. Please leave a detailed comment in the comment box that includes your outreach attempts and any information gleaned from contact with the student. Then, check the box labeled "Allow closed comments to be shown in email" and close the case. This will ensure the faculty are informed on the status of their referral and the student.
Faculty and instructors can submit academic alerts until the end of the semester. While you may not be able to work miracles at that point, advisors are encouraged to use the opportunity to build trust and rapport, educate referred students about services they may not have used, and let them know that you are there to support them.
Encourage the student get in touch with their faculty member to be sure they have all necessary information, then assess the academic and other support that might be needed to finish the semester.
In some circumstances, it might be appropriate for the student to ask the referring instructor faculty if they would be willing to give an incomplete, let the students get through the rest of their finals, and then turn their attention to the incomplete when the their other courses are behind them. This is, of course, a case-by-case situation. Faculty members who refer late in the term and indicate that the student still has a chance, be open to the incomplete option.
Finally, consider adding the student to a watchlist and checking in with them early in the following term.