The Academic Alert system is an outreach program designed for early detection and intervention of scholars exhibiting signs of academic distress. The system utilizes Vol Academic Connect, a campus-wide communication information system, to allow faculty to report scholar progress or distress. Reports entered by faculty are viewable by academic coaches, academic advisors, and scholars. The information provided in the reports enable the Academic Coaches in the Academic Success Center to connect with scholars, create a plan for success, and refer them to other appropriate campus resources. Research shows that early intervention has a lasting impact on scholar performance (Lizzio & Wilson, 2013).

What Faculty Can Do

You can do a great deal to make the University of Tennessee a better institution by providing feedback on scholar engagement and performances early in the term. There are several ways you can do this:

Process for University Requested Academic Alerts

When an academic alert is received through the campaign link, the student scholar will be connected to their assigned academic coach in the Academic Success Center. The coach will contact the scholar, connect them with the appropriate resource(s) on campus, and work together to create a plan for success. The alert issuer will be notified when the alert is submitted and when the case has been closed by the academic coach.

Referring Scholars to the ASC with Ad Hoc Alerts

If you have concerns about a scholar who is not appearing on your alert roster, or if you have not received an alert “progress report campaign” request, you can submit an Ad Hoc Alert through Vol Academic Connect (Navigate). These submissions are reviewed regularly by ASC staff and scholars will be connected to the appropriate resource based on their particular needs. This may be academic coaching, Vol Study Center, the Writing Center, or one of the many other resources around campus. The alert issuer will be notified when the alert is submitted and when the case has been closed by an academic coach. For more information about the academic alert campaign, ad hoc alerts, and when to use each, please review this document. Steps for submitting Ad Hoc Alerts:

1. From your main page on Vol Academic Connect/Navigate, select “Issue an Alert” on the right side of the page under “Actions”
2. Search for the student for whom the alert is being issued
3. Select the alert reason
4. Select the class (when appropriate)
5. Provide additional comments as needed
6. Submit

Faculty and Staff General Referral

The Faculty and Staff Referral to Resources form is also still available for the Spring 2021 semester. This referral form can be filled out at any point in the semester by faculty or staff and can be completed for any student who could use additional assistance, even those who are performing well academically. Please note that an ASC staff member will reach out to the referred student to recommend resources once this form is submitted. If you have questions about this form, please contact Jennifer Hewerdine at jhewerdi@utk.edu.

Rationale

Student success, persistence and graduation are vitally important to the campus. Research on first-year scholar retention supports early identification. intervention programs as high impact activities that positively affect student success.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding the administration of this program, please email Jenny Ludwig, Assistant Director of Academic Interventions at jludwig2@utk.edu.