Mid-Term Alerts

Mid-Term Alerts Frequently Asked Questions

When will the system be available for use?

The mid-term alert system will be available from 5:30 am on the Monday of the 6th week of the semester through midnight of the Friday of the 8th week of the semester. This time frame will allow faculty who want to issue an alert time to do so.
The mid-term alert system will be unavailable from 4:00am-5:30 am, Monday-Saturday and 4:00 am-12:30 pm, Sunday for system backup.

Why are we doing this?

If students are provided early warning that they are performing poorly in a class that they could have time to improve their class performance. Use of the mid-term alert system will assist UMD adviser and staff in efforts to help students remain in good standing and reach graduation.

When do mid-term alerts need to be submitted?

Mid-term alerts should be based on work completed through the 8th week of the semester so that students who are in academic difficulty (those who appear to be in danger of receiving a D, F or N for the course) will have time to improve their performance.

Do I have to assign a specific grade?

No, a warning of "unsatisfactory progress" for a student in danger of receiving a grade of D, F or N meets the policy. Instructors may choose to provide additional information to students including any or all of the following: a specific grade for work to date, comments on attendance, or comments on any other aspects of course performance.
Instructors can also use the same system to inform other students of their progress to date.

Do I need to use this new system if I provide students written evaluation of their progress in my courses by the end of the sixth week of the semester?

If you are teaching 1xxx- or 2xxx-level course you must use this system to send notices to students who are doing D work or lower. A key difference is that advisers will be notified when students appear headed for academic difficulty and can help re-enforce the need for a student to improve his or her study skills and seek appropriate help. The help from advisers can be especially important when students are having difficulty in more than one class, a situation that would usually be unknown to a single instructor.

Is this only for 1xxx- and 2xxx-level courses?

The mid-term alert system is directed at 1xxx- and 2xxx-level courses because of special concern about helping students who are new to the University to make a smooth transition to university level work.
Instructors, if they choose, may use the same system to notify students in other courses of their mid-term course performance.

Do I have to submit the alerts all at once?

No, you may submit any number of alerts at one time. However, you can only enter a mid-term alert for a student once. You may not submit multiple alerts for the same student nor may you change an alert once it is finally submitted. The system will ask you to review alerts before final submission.

How will students be notified of the alert?
An e-mail message will be sent that evening to the student's U of M e-mail account. Additionally, a copy of the alert will be sent to any adviser of record in PeopleSoft.

Will the mid-term alerts system be operating for May session or summer term?

No.

What help is available for students whose work is unsatisfactory?

For assistance in improving their performance, students may:
- talk with their instructors or teaching assistants
- talk with their advisors
- visit the Tutoring Center in Solon Campus Center 40
- visit the Supportive Services Program web site at <http://www.d.umn.edu/student/ssp/> for more information on special programs designed to assist them.

I teach a large 1xxx course with recitation and/or lab sections. Do I have to submit the midterm alerts or can my TAs?

If your TAs are listed as the instructor of record for their section, they will have access to the midterm alert system.

What do students think of a mid-term alert system?

Students in the University of Minnesota system have supported the development of a mid-term alert system. When the University of Missouri implemented its "Early Alert System", it surveyed students. The executive summary of its report includes the following:
When students were asked what their reaction was to receiving the Early Alert notice, the majority said it served as a real "wake-up call" to do something.
When asked what action students took as a result of the Early Alert notice, the majority stated that they studied more, talked to their parents and peers, discussed the issue with their TA or instructor, and/or reduced time socializing and partying.

How do I do this?

Submitting mid-term alerts is very simple. First you will connect to the mid-term alert system. You will need your Internet ID (X.500 Username) and password to log into the mid-term alert system. Your Internet ID is the prefix before the @ sign in the University assigned e-mail address. For many people this is the first five letters of their last name and three digits. Passwords are individually set. If you need assistance with your Internet ID password contact the ITSS help desk at 726-8847.

After you have logged into the system, you will be prompted to choose the course for which you wish to submit mid-term alerts. Your choice of courses will be based on the courses for which you are listed in PeopleSoft as the instructor of record. Once you have chosen the appropriate course, you will be given a list of students officially registered for the course. At this point you can choose to send an alert to all students at one time, called a batch alert, or you can send an alert to students individually.

The batch alert process asks you to first identify those students who should receive an alert. You can then choose to send a message of "Unsatisfactory Progress" to all students or you can tailor separate messages for individual students.

Individual messages, whether in batch or individual process let you choose from a range of options that include the following:
- Student progress (required): choices include Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, or a specific letter grade
- Progress based on (optional): choices include percentile ranges of coursework completed
- Attendance frequency (optional)
- Date attendance stopped (optional)
- Comment (optional) space for an individual comment of your choosing

Page Coordinator: Vickery French.