The Academic Alert Program is designed to identify students who are having academic difficulty at any point in their four or five years at AAMU, especially first-time freshmen. By identifying these students, an Academic Specialist in the Office of Retention and Academic Support (ORAS) can attempt to address their needs, thereby increasing the likelihood of their success. The primary goal of this program is to assist faculty and staff in improving the motivation and performance of students at risk of failing in an effort to better AAMU’s capacity to retain these students.
While the faculty member should always be the first person to establish contact with the student and address issues, it is true that often faculty do not have the time or resources to get to the root of each student's problem. The Office of Retention and Academic Support can support faculty in their efforts to help students be successful in their studies.
How does Academic Alert Program work?
• Academic Alert is a system for identifying students who are having difficulties in a given course. Faculty awareness of potential student problems constitutes the backbone of the Academic Alert Program. Students may be identified for Academic Alert for a variety of reasons, including frequent absences, lateness, poor test scores, language skills, and writing ability. Faculty members and instructors who have identified such issues should submit names via the Academic Alert form on the ORAS webpage.
• Once the notice is received, the Office of Retention and Academic Support contacts students via e-mail or telephone to set up an individual appointment with an Academic Specialist to discuss steps to improve their performance in the class. The Specialist will also suggest resources for the student to access. A follow-up e-mail is sent to the student and referring faculty within 48 hours.
How is a student identified for Academic Alert?
• A student is identified when an instructor notices the student’s work does not meet the standards of the class and needs improvement. The identification is made on the basis of poor performance on an early test or quiz, attendance issues, language or writing ability, or any other number of possibilities. The instructor makes the decision as to what behavior is causing concern regarding the student’s success.
Who participates in Academic Alert?
• Faculty members, instructors, advisors, and staff work together to provide an effective system of early intervention to improve student retention and success. All instructors are encouraged to participate in the Academic Alert Program.
When should an instructor use the Academic Alert Program?
• Any faculty member who is concerned about a student's failure to attend classes and /or a student's poor performance in class is encouraged to submit the student’s name at any time in the semester. ORAS encourages instructors to assess students’ progress during the first two to three weeks of class and provide the students with immediate feedback. Research shows that the earlier the student is made aware of faculty concerns regarding his or her performance, the earlier interventions can be initiated to increase the student's potential to achieve academic success. Some instructors submit names immediately after the first test, while some wait for two tests to see if there is a pattern. While some instructors submit names of students who have scored below a C on the first test, others prefer to only send in names of students with failing grades. A section on the Academic Alert Form allows faculty to indicate reasons other than low test scores/attendance issues when students are Alerted.
What should I tell the students in my class about the Academic Alert Program?
• Some faculty members place information about the Academic Alert Program in their syllabus, and also announce it as part of the class introduction. The following example may be used in your syllabus:
Hello to all General Biology (BIO 101) students. AAMU has implemented an Academic Alert Program for students who are having difficulty in their classes. I have agreed to participate in this program and submit the names of all those students who score less than 70 percent on the first exam. This is an excellent program that is designed to assist students in being successful this semester. I have included a description of the Academic Alert Program below:
o This program is a retention tool to improve students’ academic persistence and to provide students with resources to support their efforts. It is designed for faculty to identify, report, and provide feedback for students who are at risk of failing in a course. Faculty members will be able to email detail concerns regarding student performance and behavior or simply provide a list of Alerted students to the Office of Retention and Academic Support (ORAS).
o These referrals will be reported to ORAS. Within 24 hours of a referral, the Office of Retention and Academic Support will make contact with the student, and offer a meeting with the student to discuss concerns and to connect the student to campus resources appropriate to the student's needs. ORAS will conduct ongoing assessment to evaluate the level of student response and outcomes of the effort.
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