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Erie Community College STARFISH MANUAL
ENGAGING FACULTY, STAFF
AND STUDENTS IN ACADEMIC
SUCCESS, ONE STUDENT AT A
TIME!
Page 1 of 49
Contents I. Welcome to Starfish: An Introduction and Overview .................................................................... 2
Goals Statement ............................................................................................................................... 2
Starfish at E.C.C. ............................................................................................................................... 2
Expectations ..................................................................................................................................... 4
II. Tracking Items: Flags and Kudos ..................................................................................................... 5
Manual Flags/Kudos ......................................................................................................................... 5
Progress Survey Raised Flags ........................................................................................................... 6
System Raised Alerts ........................................................................................................................ 6
III. User Basics ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Logging into Starfish......................................................................................................................... 7
Profile and Settings .......................................................................................................................... 7
Using the Dashboard ........................................................................................................................ 9
My Students Tab .............................................................................................................................. 9
Tracking Tab ................................................................................................................................... 13
IV. Connections, filtering, and sorting ............................................................................................... 19
Filtering Your Students/Tracking Items ......................................................................................... 19
Sorting My Students/Tracking Items ............................................................................................. 20
V. Student Folders ............................................................................................................................. 21
Raising a Flag or Kudos ................................................................................................................... 23
Adding a Note ................................................................................................................................ 24
Sending a Message ......................................................................................................................... 25
Commenting on a Flag ................................................................................................................... 26
Clearing a Flag ................................................................................................................................ 27
VI. Flag Management .......................................................................................................................... 28
Decision Trees ................................................................................................................................ 28
Flag Response Tree ........................................................................................................................ 31
Updating Tracking Items ................................................................................................................ 32
Clearing Tracking Items ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Tips for Managing Flags- Student Support Services ....................................................................... 34
Downloading Tracking Items to Excel ............................................................................................ 35
VII. FAQs ............................................................................................................................................ 36
VIII. Links to Remember ..................................................................................................................... 39
IX. Appendix A – Getting Started with Flag Management ................................................................ 40
X. Appendix B – Tracking Item Names and Permissions .................................................................. 41
Page 2 of 49
I. Welcome to Starfish: An Introduction and Overview
Starfish is a collaborative effort between Faculty and Student Support Staff designed to enhance student success and
persistence at ECC. It provides a user-friendly platform to connect the Students, Faculty, and Support Services in their
outreach to students. This collaboration can optimize academic interventions by identifying an individual student’s
needs and provide access to available resources, from the start of their academic career to its finish. Starfish gives each
participant the opportunity to view the student holistically and make a positive impact on his or her future success.
Goals Statement
1. Provide quick, efficient communication between Faculty and Staff.
2. Link students to appropriate resources (e.g., library services, financial aid, etc.) based on their individual
needs in a timely and holistic manner.
3. Allow Student Support Services staff to prioritize outreach efforts based on student’s level of risk.
4. Assist faculty with classroom management and foster a community of shared responsibility for the success
of E.C.C. students.
Starfish at E.C.C.
Starfish at E.C.C. encompasses 3 main components. Each of these components combine to identify at-risk students and
coordinate interventions that will increase student retention in an efficient, timely, secure manner. Starfish allows staff
members to communicate with students and other staff members, provide links to referrals, and prioritize outreach
based on level of risk. These components include:
I really like the system and have seen positive results
regarding struggling students getting the help/tutoring/etc.
they need.
~Anonymous Starfish User, Faculty/Staff Survey
Page 3 of 49 Early Alert
Notifies student and/or support staff of specific needs to be addressed, including attendance, participation, and general
academic concerns. Flags can be raised manually or during pre-set Progress Survey time periods. Flags can also be raised
automatically by the system when certain conditions are met, such as failing to log in to an online course. Once flags are
raised, support staff receive the information and reach out to the student to find a resolution. Support staff and/or
other personnel can then update notes regarding the student’s progress, or clear the flag if the issue has been resolved.
While clearing, they can close the loop – providing open communication between all concerned parties.
Success Scores
The Success Score is a dynamic, color-coded assessment of an individual student’s risk factors. This score is a
quantitative representation of the student’s relative vulnerability to struggle based on factors outside of the classroom.
Success Scores can be used to target early interventions or to prioritize student outreach. It is important to note,
however, that a high Success Score does not indicate that a student will not struggle nor does a low Success Score
guarantee that they will. Student Success Scores are calculated using a predictive model that is built off of historical data
from prior ECC graduating classes to predict actual educational outcomes. For more information regarding the Success
Score predictors, please go to https://myecc.ecc.edu/starfish/Pages/default.aspx to view several links related to this
subject.
Success Navigator
Success Navigator is designed to give you a holistic view of the critical factors that most greatly influence student
success – academic skills, commitment, self-management and social support. It is a self-administered assessment
designed to measure student skills and strategies relating to college success. The Score Report gives the student, faculty,
advisors, and support services staff a catalyst for improving the skills that are vital to college and workplace success.
This assessment provides qualitative insight into the student’s strengths and weaknesses as related to academic success.
Staff members with the appropriate relationship can see the score report for any student who has completed Success
Navigator in their student folder in Starfish.
Academic, Social or
Behavioral Concern of a
student
Faculty/Staff raise flags or
kudos
Starfish notifies
students of flag via email
Faculty/Staff follow up
with students
Students address issue
Clear flag and close loop
when issue is resolved
Page 4 of 49
Expectations
All students, faculty, and staff have access to the Starfish system as of Fall 2017. The following chart depicts general
expectations of Starfish users:
*Check ECC email daily. Read email
notifications when flags are raised
*Contact appropriate support
offices or your advisor
*Follow up with support services as
recommended
*Raise your hand if you experience any
concerns at ECC
Students
*Review email notifications from
Starfish and/or check tracking items
on a regular basis for new flags to
address
*Reach out to students in need of
assistance
*Record outreach actions in Starfish
via notes, comments, and
messages
*Clear flags when an issue has been
resolved
Academic Advisors/Student
Services Staff
*Complete Early and Midterm Progress
Surveys
*Raise flags at other times as needed
*Raise kudos for those students who
are doing well or showing progress
*Clear flags when progress is made or an issue is resolved
*Optional: Record attendance and
complete the Never Attended Survey
Instructors
*Complete your profile so starfish users know more
about you
*Use your dashboard to track
progress
Everyone
Page 5 of 49
II. Tracking Items: Flags and Kudos
Tracking items are the primary way of communicating information to all parties within Starfish. In Starfish, a Tracking
Item is a broad term referring to both Flags (concerns) and Kudos (positive comments) that can be used to give an
indication of a student’s performance and relative standing both inside and outside of the classroom. Your Role and
Connection to a student will determine which Tracking Items you can Raise, View, Manage, and Clear. See Appendix A
for a list of all Tracking Items that are available in Starfish at the time of this publication.
There are three primary ways to raise an alert on a student:
Manual Flags/Kudos
Raising a Flag
The goal of creating a flag is to focus on observable behavior in
addition to graded performance, to alert a student and/or staff
of a pressing issue or concern a student may be having in a
course, or other academic concern. Raising a flag triggers an email to the student that includes the comments made by
the flag raiser. Flags also trigger emails to Student Support Staff and other relevant Starfish users. Each flag type has a
different set of permissions and notifications that are pre-programmed into Starfish. (For detailed information on who
will be notified when a flag is raised, see Appendix A.) Manual flags should be raised whenever a student issue is
detected. We strongly encourage faculty and staff to raise flags during the first 3 weeks of classes to allow for proactive
intervention and prevent early struggles from becoming in-class problems. Raising flags early will allow for targeted
interventions to be administered in collaboration with faculty recommendations. For detailed information on how to
raise a flag, see the User Basics and/or Student Folder section of this manual.
Giving a Kudos
If a student is doing well and the faculty member wants them to receive encouragement, the Kudos give positive
acknowledgement of the student’s progress, achievement, or persistence in a course or academic career. Kudos include
an email to the student with comments from the person who has given the kudos. For detailed information on how to
give a kudos, see the User Basics and/or Student Folder section of this manual.
Although Kudos do not require a comment, it is strongly recommended that comments be included, and should
reference specific behaviors, rather than general traits.
“Raise your flags sooner rather than later...
and if I raise a flag on a student, I mention it to
them the next time I see them, to see if the
notification was effective, and to let them
know that someone's paying attention."
~Andrew Hyzy, English Department, Starfish
Power User
Page 6 of 49
Progress Survey Raised Flags
Two progress surveys will be sent to
faculty during the semester. Faculty will
receive emails regarding completion of a
survey for each of their courses. The links
to Progress Surveys will also be seen on
the Home Dashboard and can be accessed
when faculty log in to Starfish. When you
respond to a Progress Survey, the input
will raise Flags in the same way as if you
had raised them manually. The Progress
Survey defaults to a value of “No
Feedback”, indicating you have no
concerns in the areas listed on the Survey
for that student. If that is the case, log in
and select the Submit button on each
Progress Survey. This lets Support Staff
know that you have received the survey, have no concerns (or have already reported those concerns using a manual
flag), and provides valuable information regarding student progress.
System Raised Alerts
These alerts are raised by Starfish based on specific data conditions and are usually cleared automatically within a few
days. These alerts are triggered by information within the student’s file, including frequency of logging in to online
courses, whether or not the student is on academic probation or in danger of losing financial aid due to failure to make
satisfactory academic progress, or if the student is potentially registered for too few courses to make satisfactory
progress towards a degree.
Page 7 of 49
III. User Basics
Logging into Starfish
The easiest way to log in to Starfish is through MyECC. Look for the ECC Quick Links and click on the Starfish icon. If a
login is required, use your MYECC login credentials to enter the Starfish portal.
Alternative ways of accessing Starfish include:
Enter https://starfish.ecc.edu into your web browser. This will bring you directly to the login page for the ECC Starfish
portal.
Starfish MyECC page: https://myecc.ecc.edu/starfish/Pages/default.aspx and click on the Starfish icon on the top of the
page.
Profile and Settings
Managing Your Profile
To edit your contact information and provide students a general overview and biography:
1. Find your Picture and Name on the upper right hand side of Starfish, and open the Menu
2. Click Institutional Profile to open your profile for editing
3. Edit your contact information by adding in any additional phone numbers or email addresses.
4. Select where you would like your Starfish notifications to be directed.
5. Select your preferred default page to view on login (you can select the Dashboard, your My Students tab, or
your Tracking Items tab).
6. Select Submit to save any changes to your profile.
*Note: Faculty/Staff photos cannot be changed. They are imported from Datatel*
Page 8 of 49 Managing Your Email Notifications
To change email frequency, timing, and triggering events:
1. Find your Picture and Name on the upper right hand side of Starfish, and open the Menu
2. Click Email Notifications to open your settings for editing
3. Select whether you would like to receive summary emails daily or weekly and the timing of theses summaries
4. Select which events in Starfish will trigger an immediate email
5. Email notification rules can be changed at any time!
6. Emergency flags will bypass notification settings and send an immediate email to all parties with permissions
on that flag type (see Appendix A for details on flag permissions)
7. Do not reply to email notifications from Starfish, as they will go into a general Starfish email inbox and will not
be received by the flag raiser or commenter. Instead, please log into Starfish and add your comment directly to
the flag/student folder/etc.
Reminders are great! Forced me to look at the students as far
as attendance and grade earlier.
~Anonymous Starfish User, Faculty/Staff Feedback Survey
Page 9 of 49
Using the Dashboard
Once you log in to Starfish, you are in the Home tab and are viewing the Dashboard. Here you will see current flag
activity, a list of flags to be managed, and an overall view of current active flags. To the left you may see messages for
you, or links to current Progress Surveys.
You are able to update the location of items on your dashboard, as well as the default update frequency of each of the
widgets. Simply change the filter settings or drag the widget to the location of your choice.
In order to begin viewing your student list and/or processing flags, you will need to click the Students Tab.
My Students Tab
On the My Students tab you will see a list of all of the students in Starfish who have a relationship with you, whether
they have flags raised on them or not. You can view this as your ECC filing cabinet – giving you access to the records of
every student at ECC who you may have contact with now or in the future. As such, it will be a VERY long list, but it is
searchable. To search this list, simply put the student’s name or ID number in the search bar:
From within the My Students list, you will be able to select an individual student’s file or perform an operation on
multiple students at once. For a description of each Tab, see the “Student Folders” section of this manual.
Page 10 of 49 Sending a Mass Email from the My Students Tab
1. Click the small box in front of the student name for each student you want to have receive the email. You can
click the box for as many or as few students as you would like. Please note that sending a message to more than
25 students at once may result in delivery delays.
2. Choose the blue Message box above the student list.
3. Type the message you want to send to the students. Be sure you are sending a general message only to those
students you want to receive it!
4. Enter a subject for your message.
5. We recommend always sending a copy to yourself.
6. Submit the message and all selected students will receive your message. It will appear to come from your email
address, but will be logged under Notes in the students’ Starfish student file.
7. Should you change your mind about sending the message at any time while working in Starfish, click “Never
Mind” or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the message.
Page 11 of 49 Bulk Raising Flags/Kudos
1. Click the small box in front of the student name of each
student for which you are raising a flag. You can click
boxes for as many or as few students as you need to.
Please note that raising a flag on more than 25
students at once may result in delivery delays.
2. Choose the blue Flag or Kudos box above the student
list.
3. Select the flag/kudos that you wish to raise using the Flag drop down.
4. Where appropriate, indicate the Course
Context for the flag/kudos.
5. Many flags will not require a Comment, but it
is best practice to include a comment for all
flags and kudos. Be sure to include a general
comment that is relevant to all students and
only to those students who you want to have
receive it!
6. Starfish will determine who has Permissions
to view, manage, and clear flags and kudos.
You can see the details of these permissions
at the bottom of the flag and kudos dialog
box. For detailed information on flag
permissions, see Appendix A.
7. To finish raising the flag, click Save
8. Should you change your mind about raising
a flag/kudos at any time while working in
Starfish, click “Never Mind” or the “x” in the
upper right hand corner to discard all work
on the flag/kudos.
Kudos are a great idea. I was surprised to have
students thank me for them.
~Anonymous Starfish User, Faculty/Staff Survey
Page 12 of 49 Adding a Note to Multiple Student Files
1. Click the small box in front of each student name for whom you want to add a Note. You can click the box for as
many or as few students as you would like.
2. Choose the blue Note box above the student list.
3. Select the note type using the Note Type drop down.
4. Type the Note you want to include in the text box. Be
sure you are creating a note that will apply to all
selected students.
5. Enter a Subject for your note (optional).
6. Each note type will display options for who you want
to receive a copy. We recommend always sending a
copy to yourself.
7. Notes can also be Shared or Private, which will
influence the note Permissions.
8. Check the note Permissions to determine who will be
able to view the note within Starfish. For detailed
information on Note permissions, see Appendix A.
9. To finish creating the note on the students’ files, click
Submit.
10. Should you change your mind about writing a note at any time while working in Starfish, click “Never Mind”
or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the note.
Page 13 of 49
Tracking Tab
On the Tracking tab you will see a list of all tracking items (flags and kudos) that have been raised for those students
with whom you have a relationship. This is the list you will want to focus on during your outreach to students. You can
view this as your inbox, containing all items that currently require attention. To search this list, simply type the student’s
name or ID number in the search bar:
It was a pleasure to utilize this program. I found it very user friendly and uncomplicated. I
liked the features including the Kudos (which I did use). I look for even more feedback as the
roll-out continues.
~Terri Blake, Counseling Mentor, Starfish Early Adopter
Page 14 of 49 Sending a Mass Email from the Tracking Tab
1. Click the small box in front of the tracking item for each student you want to receive the email. You can click
the box for as many or as few students as you would like. Please note that sending a message to more than
25 students at once may result in delivery delays.
2. Choose the blue Send Message box above the student list.
3. Type the message you want to send to the students. Be sure you are sending a general message for all
students and only to those students you want to receive it.
4. Enter a subject for your message.
5. We recommend always sending a copy to yourself.
6. Submit the message and all selected students will receive your message. It will appear to come from your
email address, but will be logged under Notes in the students’ file.
7. Should you change your mind about sending the message at any time while working in Starfish, click
“Never Mind” or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the message.
Page 15 of 49 Bulk Commenting on Flags/Kudos
1. Click the small box in front of the tracking item for each tracking item for which you are adding a comment. You
can click the box for as many or as few tracking items as you would like. Please note that commenting on more
than 25 tracking items at once may result in delivery delays.
2. Click the blue comment box above the student list
3. Type the Comment you want to include in the text box. Be sure you are creating a Comment that will apply to all
selected students.
4. Enter a Subject for your note (optional).
5. Each note type will display options for who you want to receive a copy. We recommend always sending a copy
to yourself.
6. To finish creating the note on the students’ files, click Submit.
7. Should you change your mind about writing a note at any time while working in Starfish, click “Never Mind”
or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the note.
Remember that everything written in notes and comments
within the student file may be either visible to or accessible by
the student under FERPA disclosure laws. Treat Starfish records
as you would any other academic record here at ECC. For more
information on FERPA disclosure, see Appendix A.
Page 16 of 49 Bulk Clearing a Flag/Kudos
1. Click the small box in front of the tracking item for each tracking item you are clearing. You can click the box for as
many or as few tracking items as you would like. Please note that clearing more than 25 tracking items at once may
result in delivery delays.
2. Click on the blue Resolve box above the student list.
3. Select “Clear Flag” to open the dialog box to comment
on the flag.
4. Type the message you want to include in the Clear
Comment. See the Flag Management section for a set of
standardized clear comments.
5. Type the message that you want to include to “Close the
Loop.” This message will be sent to the flag raiser.
6. Submit the message and all selected students will receive
your message. It will appear to come from your email
address, but will be logged under Notes in the students’
Starfish student file.
7. Should you change your mind about sending the message
at any time while working in Starfish, click “Never Mind” or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all
work on the message.
Page 17 of 49 Attendance Tab
On the Attendance tab, you will find a list of all of your students where you can digitally record and report on
attendance in your courses.
You can access your attendance record from the home page, by selecting the “Record Attendance” button:
Attendance can be recorded separately for each class and per meeting time by selecting the appropriate course section
and date from the drop down menus:
Once selected, a class roster, complete with student photos (removed here for privacy), will appear to allow faculty to
indicate whether a student was present, absent, excused, or tardy. A running class-wide tally is also provided to the right
of the attendance entry window.
Faculty who use the attendance tool
feature will not be required to turn in
paper rosters at the end of the semester.
Page 18 of 49 Attendance reports are also available on the “Attendance” tab within your “Students” menu:
Reports can be filtered by date range and by attendance status, allowing faculty to quickly and easily determine a
student’s attendance status or to view class-wide patterns of attendance. Attendance reports can be downloaded for
easy integration into faculty gradebooks or other reports.
Remember that date of last attendance is required for
any failing grade. Filter your attendance report to
“present” for the duration of the course to quickly
determine date of last attendance for each student.
Page 19 of 49
IV. Connections, filtering, and sorting
Filtering Your Students/Tracking Items
Connections
Your particular Connection has been established for you based on your relationship to the student. You may have more
than one Connection to students, which you will see in the Connection drop-down box. Select the Connection that suits
your needs and/or focus at that point in time.
**Note: Starfish will remember your most recent Connection selection and will default to this selection the next time
you log in. **
Views
In the View box, you can see certain subsets of the tracking items to which you have access. For example, you may want
to focus on Active Flags, in order to target your outreach only to those students with active concerns in Starfish. To do
so, select Flag Inbox in the View menu.
For your convenience, each view gives a brief description of the type of tracking items you will see if you select that
particular view.**Note: Starfish will remember your most recent View selection and will default to this selection the
next time you log in ****
Page 20 of 49 Custom Filters
Use the Edit Filters button to further filter the students or tracking items you see. This will help you better manage
workflow throughout the week. Once in the Additional filters tab, you will see options on the left hand side. These
options include Tracking Items, Cohorts & Relationships, Success Plans, Success Scores, and Attributes. Most users will
select the “Tracking Items” tab and choose the Active Status, Flag Tracking Item Type, and a particular Item Name
based on the outreach intended, such as “In Danger of Failing Concern.”
Hint: Your Connections don’t change, but your filters change when you add/delete them, and will affect how many and
which students you see in your Tracking list. Starfish will remember your most recent Filter selections and will default
to these selections the next time you log in.
Sorting My Students/Tracking Items You can sort each of the tabs within Starfish by any of the columns in your default view. For example, you may wish to
sort your Tracking Items by student name to better enable you to find those students with multiple flags within the
same term. To do so, click the column title. When a view is sorted by a particular column, you will see an upward or
downward pointing arrow to indicate whether the column is sorted in an ascending or descending fashion.
Page 21 of 49
V. Student Folders
Anywhere in Starfish that you see a student’s name as a Hyperlink you can click on the student’s name to view the
student folder. Depending on your level of access, you may find information such as grades, notes, tracking items, and
the student’s Success Network.
From inside the student’s folder, you can:
• Raise a flag/kudos
• Send a message
• Add a note
• Comment on a flag/kudos
Overview
The Overview tab provides a quick look at
student attributes (e.g., GPA, Military Status,
and Educational goals) that have been selected
by ECC for inclusion in Starfish.
The overview tab also includes a graph of
active flags by course, which is color coded by
course context. You can control which course
flags you see on the graph by clicking the
course name on the legend to determine
whether or not they appear in the graph.
Info
The Info tab includes demographics and admissions information. It also includes term-by-term data generated from
Datatel, including major of study, GPA, course loads, and financial aid eligibility.
Courses
The Courses tab includes information on all courses the student is taking in the current term, and has taken in previous
terms. If a course is utilizing Blackboard for grades and assignments, those grades will be imported into Starfish and will
be visible on this tab. Although counselors and mentors will have access to all courses in which a student is enrolled on
this tab, instructors will only see those courses with which they are affiliated.
“The student information is excellent. Good to
see all the information regarding a student’s
background and goals.”
~Anonymous Starfish User, Faculty/Staff Survey
Page 22 of 49 Tracking
The Tracking tab lists all tracking items (flags and kudos) that have been raised on a student. Items can be filtered to
display only active flags, resolved flags, or both. Details (e.g. raise comments, outreach comments) regarding the
tracking items can be viewed via the Tracking tab by pressing the “+” sign to the left of the tracking item.
You can also clear or add comments to a flag or remove a kudos from the tracking view by clicking the blue arrow icon
on the bottom right-hand side of the flag.
Notes
The Notes tab provides a quick look at all of the comments that have been saved in a student’s file in Starfish. This will
include all notes, messages, and flag comments on a student’s file. To view the details on the note, click the “+” sign in
the left-hand column.
Network
The Network tab provides information on all individuals with whom the student has a connection, along with their
contact information. This list will include counselors and mentors at all three campuses, as well as all current course
instructors.
Page 23 of 49
Raising a Flag or Kudos 1. Open the student’s folder
2. Choose the blue Flag or Kudos box on the top of the student’s folder
3. Select the flag/kudos that you wish to
raise using the Flag drop down box.
4. Where appropriate, indicate the Course
Context for the flag/kudos.
5. Many flags will not require a Comment,
but it is best practice to include a
comment for all flags and kudos. Be sure
to include a general comment relevant to
the students you want to receive it.
6. Starfish will determine who has
Permissions to view, manage, and clear
flags and kudos. You can see the details of
these permissions at the bottom of the
flag and kudos dialog box. For detailed
information on flag permissions, see
Appendix A.
7. To finish raising the flag, click Save
8. Should you change your mind about
raising a flag/kudos at any time while
working in Starfish, click “Never Mind” or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the
flag/kudos.
“When writing a kudos – why not take a bit of extra time and give a specific comment
to the student? We know that research on praise suggests that positively reinforcing a
specific behavior is the best way to see lasting behavioral change and growth.”
~Liza Franz, Early Childhood Department, Kudos power user
Page 24 of 49
Adding a Note
1. Open the student’s folder
2. Choose the blue Note box on the top of the student’s folder.
3. Select the note type using the Note Type drop down.
4. Type the Note you want to include in the text box.
Be sure you are creating a note that will apply to all
selected students.
5. Enter a Subject for your note (optional).
6. Each note type will display options for who you want
to receive a copy. We recommend always sending a
copy to yourself.
7. Notes can also be Shared or Private, which will
influence the note Permissions.
8. Check the note Permissions to determine who will be
able to view the note within Starfish. For detailed
information on Note permissions, see Appendix A.
9. To finish creating the note on the students’ files, click
Submit.
10. Should you change your mind about writing a note at any time while working in Starfish, click “Never Mind”
or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the note.
Page 25 of 49
Sending a Message
1. Open the student’s folder
2. Choose the blue Message box above the student list.
3. Type the message you want to send to the students. Be sure you are sending a general message for all
students and only to those students you want to receive it!
4. Enter a subject for your message.
5. We recommend always sending a copy to yourself.
6. Submit the message and all selected students will receive your message. It will appear to come from your
email address, but will be logged under Notes in the students’ Starfish student file.
7. Should you change your mind about sending the message at any time while working in Starfish, click
“Never Mind” or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the message.
Page 26 of 49
Commenting on a Flag
1. Open the student’s folder and select the “Tracking” tab
2. Find the flag you want to comment on and hover over the flag icon to open the flag menu.
3. Select “Add Comment” to open the dialog box to comment on the flag.
4. Type the message you want to include in the flag Comment.
5. Enter a subject for your message (optional).
6. Select who you will send a copy of the comment to. We recommend always sending a copy to yourself.
7. Submit the message and all selected students will receive your message. It will appear to come from your email
address, but will be logged under Notes in the students’ Starfish student file.
8. Should you change your mind about sending the message at any time while working in Starfish, click “Never
Mind” or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the message.
Remember that everything written in notes and comments
within the student file may be either visible to or accessible by
the student under FERPA disclosure laws. Treat Starfish records
as you would any other academic record here at ECC. For more
information on FERPA disclosure, see Appendix A.
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Clearing a Flag
8. Open the student’s folder and select the “Tracking” tab
9. Find the flag you want to comment on and hover over the flag icon to open the flag menu.
10. Select “Clear Flag” to open the dialog box to comment on the
flag.
11. Type the message you want to include in the Clear Comment.
See the Flag Management section for a set of standardized
clear comments
12. Type the message that you want to include to “Close the
Loop.” This message will be sent to the flag raiser.
13. Submit the message and all selected students will receive your
message. It will appear to come from your email address, but
will be logged under Notes in the students’ Starfish student
file.
14. Should you change your mind about sending the message at any time while working in Starfish, click “Never
Mind” or the “x” in the upper right hand corner to discard all work on the message.
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VI. Flag Management
The Student Support Services response groups are responsible for addressing raised flags by providing outreach and
making recommendations to the student as needed. This outreach should be done via email, phone call, or in person,
and may include recommending additional actions, such as meeting with an instructor, using a tutoring lab, or seeing
someone in the library for appropriate resources. It is important that once a Student Support Services staff member has
addressed a flag, that a comment be made and a copy sent to the flag raiser, even if you are not clearing the flag at that
time. Once the issue has been resolved, the SSS staff member would typically be responsible for clearing the flag. For
example, a Counselor would clear a flag after meeting with a student who has had multiple flags raised, and together
have developed a plan for improvement. A faculty member would clear an attendance flag after meeting with a student
who has subsequently improved their class attendance. In both instances, a comment should be placed on the flag to
update all parties on the student’s progress.
In order to promote consistency in note-taking and flag management, the following standardized decision trees and
tracking item comments have been developed:
Decision Trees
The following decision trees illustrate how faculty and staff can efficiently integrate Starfish into their daily routines, i.e.
course or case management. Objects in orange indicate those that may trigger a tracking item, while those in blue are
decision paths. Outcomes are listed in green for positive outcomes (e.g., those that indicate the student is showing
progress or the issue is resolved) and red for negative outcomes (e.g., hose that indicate the student cannot be reached
or has failed to show progress).
Remember to check Tracking items at least once per
week and clear any tracking item where the student is
showing progress.
Page 29 of 49 Staff Decision Tree
Page 30 of 49 Faculty Decision Tree
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Flag Response Tree
The diagram below illustrates who is expected to respond to flags. If a student is only associated with your office,
respond to the flag in the way you normally would if a student came into your office for help, depending on the needs of
the student. Students who are not affiliated with any specific support office (e.g., Say Yes, Veterans, etc.) are triaged to
the Student Support Center at their home campus. Depending on the flag type, it will be directed to the person best able
to meet the student’s needs, e.g. tutors, skills labs, library staff. Tier III addresses students affiliated with multiple
offices:
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Updating Tracking Items
Comment: Made on a particular flag
Related to a unique issue
Readily visible to faculty member who raised flag
Can cc the student and flag raiser and functions like an email
When to Use: Comment on an alert whenever contact with the student is made or attempted, even when not clearing
the alert, based on the following criteria. Include a student specific comment whenever plausible. Use these standard
comment codes when updating a flag that you are not clearing. Multiple codes can be used in the same comment. For
example, if you left the student a phone message and followed up with an email, you would use both B and C.
A. Emailed Student: An email was sent to the student, but the issue is not resolved. Please indicate if you
attempted contact (but did not reach the student) or made contact with the student but further action is
necessary. Also indicate next steps and a follow-up timeline for student outreach.
B. Called Student: A phone call was made to attempt to contact the student, but the issue is not resolved. Please
indicate if you attempted contact (but did not reach the student), left a voicemail, left a message with someone
who was not the student, or spoke with the student, but further action is necessary. Also indicate next steps and
a follow-up timeline for student outreach. Add a new comment when that follow up is complete.
C. Other Student Outreach/Communication: Outreach was attempted to the student that was not via email or
phone. Please indicate if you attempted contact (but did not reach the student) or made contact with the
student but further action is necessary. Also indicate next steps and a follow-up timeline for student outreach.
D. Recommended Faculty Meeting: Contact made with the student; factors presented can only be resolved by
meeting with the instructor or academic representative. Include a specific note to the student and faculty
member regarding your recommendation. Send a copy of your comment to the student and faculty member.
E. Recommended Staff Meeting: Contact made with student; factors presented require meeting with a Support
Services Staff member. Include a specific note to the student and staff member regarding this recommendation.
F. Made an Appointment: Set up an appointment in the future with the student; the issue is not yet resolved.
When using this item, please indicate the time and date for the appointment and any planned follow up during
that appointment.
G. In Person Meeting: Met with the student either spontaneously or by appointment; the issue is not yet resolved.
When using this item, please indicate what the next steps are with the student and a planned follow up timeline.
H. In Person Meeting (After Class): Met with the student after class; the issue is not yet resolved. When using this
item, please indicate what the next steps are with the student and a planned follow up timeline.
I. Group Session/Workshop: Student attended a group session or workshop related to the flag concern; the issue
is not yet resolved. When using this item, please indicate next steps are for the student and a planned follow up
timeline.
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Clearing Tracking Items
Resolve an alert based upon the following criteria, including a student-specific comment whenever plausible,
remembering to “close the loop” with the flag raiser. Standard close reasons will appear whenever a flag is cleared.
Please select one of the close reasons when resolving the flag. You can also add additional information in the comments
to provide additional context.
A. Positive: The concern was successfully addressed and/or an action plan was developed with the student.
B. Negative: The concern was not successfully addressed, the student could not be reached after multiple outreach
attempts, and/or the student refused additional assistance.
C. Non-Registration: Student is no longer active in course due to cancellation or withdrawal.
D. Error: Flag was raised in error (e.g., should have been a kudos, clicked the wrong student, etc.)
E. Not Enough Information: I don’t have enough information to address this flags. Please re-raise the flag with a
more specific comment.
Using Notes: A note is made on a student file
It is not readily visible to the student, like a message is
Can be visible to others depending on their relationship to the student
Using Message: A message is a direct email to the student
Not linked to a specific flag
Will not be seen by those without rights to view
Sent by and recorded in Starfish
Can address each specific flag issue or a general concern
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Tips for Managing Flags- Student Support Services
Starfish is a unique tool designed to reach students who may never walk through your door or call your office, and
allows you to manage student outreach more efficiently. Here are a few steps to assist in this effort:
1. Plan to spend time daily reading flags, outreaching to students, and clearing flags, incorporating it into your daily
routine. The amount of time spent will depend on the type and amount of flags you are receiving, and will also
increase during Progress Survey times. We suggest that you keep track of your contacts via an Excel spreadsheet
that has been saved to your desktop so that you can easily follow up on contacts and update regularly with new
flags. Flags should be cleared within 2 weeks of being raised by faculty. You may receive reminder emails to
follow up on aging flags during peak periods of flag raising.
2. Add Comments to flags whenever contact with the student is made. Resolve flags whenever a student has
started showing progress towards their educational goals. See the Clearing and Updating Tracking Items sections
of this manual for more information.
3. Check for new flags in your tracking daily. Prioritize critical flags and plan to outreach to those first. Filter flags in
a way that prioritizes student needs. For example, a Missing Resources flag during the first week of school would
need immediate attention at that time, while an “In Danger of Failing” flag would take priority before or during
Midterm week.
4. Mark your calendar for Progress Survey dates and be aware that the heaviest flag raising will occur during the
Early Term and Midterm Time periods in the semester. It is especially important to outreach to students during
add/drop week, at midterm, and the week prior to the last day to withdraw. The Progress Surveys have been
timed to coincide with these important times.
5. Handle Flags in the same way you would if a student called you for help. It is important to attempt to connect
with the student in a variety of ways, i.e. email, phone, cellphone. A phone call should be the first outreach,
along with an email. Remember, these are students in need of assistance, and Starfish gives us the opportunity
to reach them before it’s too late!
6. Set your email notifications appropriately, so that you can manage critical flags as soon as they are raised, and
to better manage your inbox.
7. Update your Profile to reflect any changes in your contact information, so that you are quickly and easily
accessible to students.
8. Keep in mind that your efforts are for the student’s benefit. You may not be able to reach every student, but
you can make a significant contribution to the academic success of many.
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Downloading Tracking Items to Excel
Starfish allows you to download Tracking Items to a handy Excel document that you can use as a reference regarding
active flags, comments, and student contact information. This Excel document can be used to prioritize your outreach
by giving you the ability to sort and filter only the information that you need. This will also allow you to keep track of
your contacts without having to return to each flag in a student’s folder.
To download tracking items into an Excel document:
1. Login to Starfish through MyECC.
2. Open the Tracking Tab under “Students”.
3. Filter for flags you want to concentrate your efforts in resolving (e.g., In Danger of Failing Flags, Attendance
Concerns, Etc.).
4. Click the blue “Download” button.
5. Open the downloaded file and use Save As to save a copy to your desktop and change the name of the file. Once
the spreadsheet is on your desktop, you can add students and contacts daily.
6. Conditioned formatting within Excel allows you to change the look of the information to make it easier to manage.
For example, highlighting the name column and selecting “duplicate” under conditioned formatting will identify
students with multiple active flags.
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VII. FAQs
Who can raise a flag or kudos on a student?
Anyone with a role/connection in Starfish can raise a flag on a student. Your unique connection to the student will
determine which flags you are able to raise, view, and manage. For detailed information on flag permissions, see
Appendix A.
How can I send a general email to a large group of students? Can I use Starfish to email all of my students at once?
In your tracking tab, in front of each student’s name, you will see a small box. Click on the box in front of each
student you wish to send a message to and click “Message.” For more information on sending a mass email to your
students, see “Getting Started – My Students Tab – Sending a Mass email” earlier in this manual.
How do I know who is notified when I raise a flag?
Does the student see the flag?
Each flag has its own set of rules regarding who is
notified when it is raised. You can find this
information at the bottom of the flag raising dialog box
under “Permissions.”
Each of the roles found on the permissions list could be
notified, but will only receive a notification if they
have an active relationship with the student.
Relationships are built into Starfish based on the
information found in Datatel.
What’s the difference between the Students tab and the Tracking tab?
The My Students tab is a list of all students in the Starfish program with whom you have a relationship. For many
Student Services Staff members, this will be all students at ECC. Use this list to raise flags or find a student’s folder.
(Please keep in mind that during the pilot period, this will not be a selection of all of your students, but only those
enrolled in the pilot). The Tracking tab is a list of all of the Tracking Items that have been raised on any student with
whom you have a relationship. Use this list for managing your outreach efforts, or to download Tracking Items.
Can I add a comment to a Progress Survey if it has already been submitted?
You cannot add comments after you have submitted a Progress Survey, so be sure the survey is exactly the way you
want it before clicking submit. If you need to leave the survey before finishing, click on the “Draft” button to save
the work you have completed thus far. You will then be able to go back into the survey and finish it later. However, if
you wish to add a comment to a flag after a survey has been submitted, you can do so by searching for the students
in your tracking list, clicking on the flag you raised and adding a comment. Please note that you will only be able to
add a comment to a flag if you have permission to view, edit or manage that flag.
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What is the difference between “In Danger of Failing” and “Poor Performance”?
An “In Danger of Failing Concern” flag should be raised if a student is currently earning a failing grade in the course
and/or if their current pattern of course completion and behavior will likely result in a failing grade in the course. An
“In Danger of Failing Concern” flag is an emergency flag. Emergency flags bypass individual notification settings
regarding Starfish emails. “Poor Performance” flags are a standard flag (i.e. they follow the typical email notification
rules) for those students who are showing difficulty on one or more in class assignments and/or have a low, but not
failing, grade in the course. See Appendix A for a list of those who receive notifications on each of these flags.
How do I manage which Tracking Items I see?
Tracking items can be controlled by the use of filters. Some filters are pre-made in the form of views and
connections. You can also manually create filters by selecting “Add Filters” in the upper right hand corner of both
your My Students and Tracking tabs. For more information, see the “Getting Started – Knowing Your Role, Filtering,
and Sorting – Filtering your Students/Tracking Items” sections of this manual.
What is the difference between messages, notes, and comments?
Messages, Notes, and Comments each serve a separate function in Starfish. Messages send an email to the student.
That email will be logged in the student’s file, which makes others aware of your outreach efforts. For more
information on how to send a message to a student, see the “Getting Started – View a Student Folder – Sending a
Message from a Student Folder” section of this manual. Comments are flag specific messages used to provide
updates on specific issues or include information on attempted outreach regarding that issue. Comments can also be
addressed to the student, allowing you to email students and simultaneously log a comment on a specific flag. For
more information on how to add a Comment to a Flag, see the “Getting Started – View a Student Folder – Adding a
Comment to a Flag” section of this manual. Notes are student specific messages that can be placed on a student’s
file. Notes do not need to be related to one particular issue, but rather to the student as a whole. For more
information on how to add a Note to a student’s file, see the “Getting Started – View a Student Folder – Adding a
Note to a Student Folder” section of this manual.
How are FERPA and other student privacy concerns addressed?
Confidentiality and privacy are taken seriously at ECC, and we value each student’s privacy. The Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) does, however, allow the college flexibility to designate what campus officials can see
portions of a student’s education records. Instructors can only see the flags they have raised on a student, not flags
for other courses. Advisors and support staff who provide outreach can see all flags raised on a student, in order to
have an overview of what might be going on with the student. In this way, we can restrict access to flags to only
those school officials with an educational interest in the student’s flags.
Why do I see students from other campuses listed in my Tracking list, and Support Services offices from other
campuses in their network?
Check that Tracking is being properly sorted and filtered. If you are still seeing a student from a different campus,
the student may have changed their major after the semester began, which may not have been changed in Datatel.
You will need to check Datatel to see what their current major is, and whether or not they are taking classes at more
than one campus. A change of major would result in other Student Support Staff showing up in the student’s
network as well. You may choose to outreach to the student at a different campus or send the information to the
SSS office at the student’s home campus.
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How does a student use Starfish?
Students are able to log in to Starfish in order to view their active flags and kudos, their course enrollments, and
their success network. They will see each of the following general areas:
Dashboard: Shows currently active action items within Starfish, including active flags and kudos.
My Success Network: Shows all college personnel with which a student has an active relationship. This is a listing of
all SSS members to whom students can reach out for assistance.
Raise Your Hand: By using the “Raise my hand” feature in their folder, a student can identify a specific concern
regarding a course. An Instructional Support Specialist receives an email regarding the raised concern, and refers
the student to the proper Support staff to address the student’s concerns. The I.S.S. also sends a copy of the note to
the student and the professor of the course in which the concern was raised. Please address emails received from
the I.S.S. in a timely manner.
Students currently have three options regarding the “Raise my hand” feature:
1. “I need help in a course” – Students with concerns related to a specific course use this option to indicate the
need for help in that course. This flag will notify the instructor and related support services staff of the student’s
concerns.
2. “I need help paying for college” – Students with general financial concerns or who are experiencing financial
difficulty use this option to indicate they need help paying for college. Financial Aid personnel will be notified of
the student’s request for assistance.
3. “I need help with technology” – Students who need assistance with educational technology on campus can use
this flag to reach out for training.
4. “I need help” – Students select this option for general assistance, if their needs do not fit the other two options,
or if they are unsure where to start. Students can (optionally) select a course context for this request for
assistance.
Courses: This list will include all active course enrollments.
History: This will list all past activity in Starfish. While the Dashboard will show current needs, students will maintain
the ability to look back using the history channel.
Once I have raised a flag on a student, how do I know if/when the issue has been addressed or resolved?
Students will receive an email regarding some flags, with any comments an instructor makes. For detailed
information on which flags will result in notification to the student, see Appendix A. The staff member who
addresses the flag will add a note/comment to the flag regarding the outreach they have completed. When the issue
has been resolved, they will “close the loop” with an email to the person who raised the flag. Keep in mind that
because Starfish is new to ECC, many flags may not be cleared within the expected timeframe. Just because a
student’s flag has not been cleared, does not mean they haven’t met with someone or been referred to a campus
resource. If you meet or speak with a student and you feel the issue is resolved for now, please clear the flag! You
can always raise a flag again later if the issue arises again. Also, if you have already spoken to the student about the
issue and the student can be expected to address it, you do not need to raise a flag. Use flags when it is the best way
to communicate your concerns to the student and the student’s network.
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How long should I keep a flag open?
We ask that you follow-up on flags within a 2 week time period. If you have had no contact with a student, despite
various attempts, you can clear the flag with the appropriate comment. Using your case management system, you
should be clearing aging flags on a regular basis. For more tips, please see the Flag Management section of this
manual.
Why do I get an error message when I log into Starfish through my web browser?
Occasionally, you will receive a notification that you are unable to login to Starfish via your web browser. First check
that you are using the correct URL: https://Starfish.ecc.edu. If you still cannot log into Starfish, try logging in
through MyECC by using the Starfish logo. If you are still unable to log in, contact an I.S.S. for assistance by emailing
VIII. Links to Remember
Starfish URL: https://starfish.ecc.edu
MyECC: https://myecc.ecc.edu
Starfish on MyECC : https://myecc.ecc.edu/starfish/Pages/default.aspx
Email: [email protected]
Starfish Team
Terrie Page Instructional Support Specialist North Campus [email protected]
Erica Goddard Instructional Support Specialist South Campus [email protected]
Heather Cruz Dean of Students – South Campus and Starfish Project Manager
South Campus [email protected]
Fabio Escobar Interim AVP, Institutional Research
Assessment Accreditation and Planning
City Campus [email protected]
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IX. Appendix A – Sample Processes
Having trouble getting started with Starfish? Do you want to engage students, faculty, and staff, but you cannot decide
how to integrate this tool into your current workflow? Your Starfish team is here to help. Consider the following
suggestions regarding how to integrate Starfish into your daily, weekly, and monthly organizational process.
Sample Process for Faculty
1. Raise a flag manually whenever you have a concern about a student.
a. If you talk to the student in person first, use the flag to summarize your conversation
b. If you have not spoken to the student, use the flag as you would an email
c. If it is not an issue you can resolve, use the flag to tell the student where to get help
2. Check in with Starfish at times when you would typically review your students’ progress in the course. For
example:
a. When entering grades for your most recent exam
b. When checking on homework completion rates
c. During Progress Surveys/Mid Term Grade Reporting
d. Just before the add/drop period ends
3. Add comments to any existing flags that require updates, rather than raising new flags.
4. Clear any flags that are no longer concerns (see the Updating and Clearing tracking items sections of this
manual).
For more information, see the Flag Management – Tips for Managing Flags section of this manual
“I love that as a professor, I have the ability to raise concerns regarding a student before
they get so far behind that catching up becomes impossible. As an adjunct with limited
on-campus hours this program allows me to stay on top of my students even when I am
not physically accessible to them.”
~Anonymous Starfish User, Faculty/Staff Survey
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Sample Process for Student Support Services
1. Log into Starfish through the MYECC Starfish icon.
2. Go to Students Tab/Then Tracking Tab. Check for students that may have withdrawn or add/dropped a course
and clear those flags first.
3. Prioritize students by Filtering by flag type.
4. Send out any mass email messages or comments based on the flag type via the Tracking tab.
5. Download Tracking to an Excel document.
6. Sort in Excel the students with multiple flags by using Conditional Formatting (highlight in red) and outreach to
those students first. An alternate sort would be by date (oldest flags first). Save the Excel document to your
desktop to assist in follow up/case management.
7. When reviewing a flag, you have choices:
a) Clear the flag because it doesn’t need further attention; leave a comment and close flag.
b) Send an email message to student in Starfish, add comment, call student for follow-up; make notes on
your Excel spreadsheet about the contact types, date and result so that you can go back to it 7-10 days
later for follow-up and closure (within 2 weeks).
c) Refer student to a different department as needed using the Network in Student’s folder. For
example, refer student to financial aid, registrar’s office, library, etc. in a Starfish message, and send a
copy to the person to whom you are referring student.
d) Always leave a comment regarding your outreach efforts so that the flag raiser knows an intervention
has been attempted. Use standard comments referenced in this manual.
For more information, see the Flag Management – Tips for Managing Flags section of this manual
“I believe Starfish is a great tool with the cooperation of each professor. In my case, most of
the professors have been very proactive with contacting me and addressing the flags for each
student.
~Louis Eve, Say Yes Mentor, Starfish Power User
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X. Appendix B – Tracking Item Names and Permissions
Item Name1 When to Use View/Raise/Manage/Email2
Academic Research Resources (A)
Raise this flag when a student needs help developing skills in academic research, including assistance with identifying scholarly sources, assistance with research projects, or navigating electronic academic databases. An email will be sent to the student connecting him or her to available online resources. Librarians will have access to this concern and the details you provide in case a student seeks library assistance. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA Comments Required
Flagged Student (E-R) Advisor Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Department Chairs & Heads EOP Counselor EOP Mentor ESL Student Success Specialist General Advisor Instructor (R, M) International Student Services Case Manager Librarian (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Say Yes Mentor Skills Center Technical Assistant (M) Starfish ISS (M) Student Access Center (SAC) Counselor – All Campuses Student Access Center (SAC) Technical Assistant - All Campuses Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator
Attendance Concern (A)
Raise this when a student isn't attending class regularly and you believe their academic success is affected by the attendance concern. This flag is included in the Week 3 Progress Survey. Please provide a comment detailing the attendance concern. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA No Comments Required
Flagged Student (E-R) Academic Leadership (M) Advisor Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Counseling Chair (M) Department Chairs & Heads EOP Counselor (M) EOP Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) ESL Student Success Specialist (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Financial Aid Counselor General Advisor Instructor (R, M) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Starfish ISS (M) SAC Counselor - All Campuses (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Student Services Leadership (M) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (M, E-C, E-A, E-R)
Behavioral Crisis Concern (S)
Raise this flag when you believe a student presents a physical threat to self, others, or the campus. This flag is confidential and is not shared with the student. Faculty and
Academic Leadership (Raise only) Academic Support (Raise only) Advisor (Raise only) Associate Vice President of Student Engagement (R, V, M) Athletics Mentor (Raise only)
1 Flag type is designated in parentheses. Academic (A), Social (S), Financial (F), Health (H), Kudos (K) & System (Sys). 2 The roles listed are able to View flags, unless otherwise specified. It is designated who can raise (R) or manage (M) the flag within parentheses. Emails can be sent on clear (E-C), raise (E-R), and when the flag is assigned (E-A).
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Item Name1 When to Use View/Raise/Manage/Email2 staff who raise the flag will not be able to view or manage it. Note: As per ECC protocol, please first notify Campus Security at 1133 (City), 1633 (South), and 1433 (North). Flag is NOT visible by Flagged Student. Not disclosable under FERPA Emergency Notification! Comments Required
Counseling Chair (V, R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Dean of Students (V, R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Department Chairs and Heads (Raise only) Distance Learning Mentor (Raise only) EOP Counselor (Raise only) EOP Mentor (Raise only) ESL Student Success Specialist (Raise only) General Advisor (Raise only) Instructor (Raise only) International Student Services Case Manager (Raise only) Say Yes Mentor (Raise only) Skills Center Technical Assistant (Raise only) Starfish ISS (V, R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) SAC Counselor – All Campuses (Raise only) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses (Raise only) Student Services Leadership (Raise only) Student Services Support (Raise only) SSC Counselor - All Campuses (Raise only) SSC Mentor - All Campuses (Raise only) Technology Mentor – North Campus (Raise only) Technology Mentor – South Campus (Raise only) Veterans Coordinator (Raise only)
Course Materials Concern (A)
Raise this flag if the student does not have the required course materials. The flag will be available to the Library, Department Chairs and Heads, and Academic and Student Affairs Leadership teams. Provide a list of missing materials in the comments field. The student does not receive an email for this flag. The Starfish Instructional Support Specialist will collaborate with appropriate support staff and leadership teams to attempt to secure the necessary course materials and take charge of student communications. This is a critical flag. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA Comments Required
Flagged Student (E-R) Athletics Mentor (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Distance Learning Mentor (R, M) EOP Counselor (R, M) EOP Mentor (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) ESL Student Success Specialist (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Instructor (R, M, E-C) International Student Services Case Manager (R) Say Yes Mentor (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Skills Center Technical Assistant (R) Starfish ISS (R, M) SAC Counselor – All Campuses (R, M) SAC Technical Assistant – All Campuses (R, M) Student Services Leadership (R) Student Services Support (R) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses (R) Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses (R) Technology Mentor – North Campus (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R)
In Danger of Failing Concern (A)
Raise this when a student is in danger of failing a course. Please provide details on whether and how the student can avoid failure in the time remaining in the term. The student is immediately notified of the concern, as are any support offices with which the student is associated. Support service contact information is included in the email that is sent to the student. Flag is visible by Flagged Student
Flagged Student (E-R) Academic Leadership (M) Academic Support Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Counseling Chair (M) Department Chairs and Heads Distance Learning Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) EOP Counselor (M) EOP Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) ESL Student Success Specialist (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) General Advisor Instructor (R, M) International Student Services Case Manager
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Item Name1 When to Use View/Raise/Manage/Email2 Disclosable under FERPA Emergency Notification! Comments Required
Say Yes Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Starfish ISS (M) SAC Counselor - All Campuses (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Student Services Leadership Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses (M) Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses (M) Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (M, E-C, E-A, E-R)
I Need Help (S) Student selects this option when he/she knows they need help for a personal (non-academic) concern but doesn’t know where to start. Please enter the best way to contact you, including your most recent phone number and email address. A counselor or mentor will attempt to contact the student. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA Emergency Notification! Comments Required
Flagged Student (R, E-R) Academic Leadership (M) Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Counseling Chair (M) EOP Counselor (M) EOP Mentor (M) ESL Student Success Specialist (M) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (M) Starfish ISS (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) SAC Counselor – All Campuses (M) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses (M) Student Services Leadership (M) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses (M) Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses (M) Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (M)
I Need Help In A Course (A)
Students select this option when assistance is needed in a course. Your instructor and the appropriate support services will be notified. Don't forget to include your latest email address and phone number. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA Comments Required
Flagged Student (R, E-R) Academic Leadership (M) Advisor Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Department Chairs and Heads (M) Distance Learning Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) EOP Counselor (M) EOP Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) ESL Student Success Specialist (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) General Advisor Instructor (M, E-R) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Starfish ISS (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Student Services Leadership (M) SAC Counselor - All Campuses (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) SAC Technical Assistant – All Campuses (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses (M) Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses (M) Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (M, E-C, E-A, E-R)
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Item Name1 When to Use View/Raise/Manage/Email2
I Need Help Paying for College (F)
Select this option when you need assistance with financial concerns. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA Comments Required
Flagged Student (R, E-R) Academic Leadership (M) Advisor Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Counseling Chair Department Chairs and Heads EOP Counselor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) EOP Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) ESL Student Success Specialist International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Starfish ISS (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) SAC Counselor - All Campuses (M) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses Student Services Leadership (M) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (M, E-C, E-A, E-R)
Kudos - Keep Up the Good Work (K)
Raise this kudo for students who are performing well. Kudos is visible by Student Disclosable under FERPA No Comments Required (Please consider providing a comment to the student that specifically identifies the behavior(s) that are working well for them.
Flagged Student (E-R) Academic Leadership Advisor (R, M) Athletics Mentor (R, M, E-C, E-R) Counseling Chair Department Chairs and Heads (R, M) Distance Learning Mentor (R, M) EOP Counselor (R, M) EOP Mentor (R, M) ESL Student Success Specialist (R, M) Instructor (R, M) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (R, M) Skills Center Technical Assistant (R, M) Starfish ISS (R, M) SAC Counselor - All Campuses (R, M) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses (R, M) Student Services Leadership (R, M) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses (R, M) Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses (R, M) Technology Mentor – North Campus (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (R, M)
Kudos - Showing Improvement in a Course (K)
Raise this kudo when a student has shown improvement. Kudos is visible by Student Disclosable under FERPA No Comments Required
Flagged Student (E-R) Academic Leadership Advisor (R, M) Athletics Mentor (R, M, E-C, E-R) Counseling Chair Department Chairs and Heads (R, M) Distance Learning Mentor (R, M) EOP Counselor (R, M) EOP Mentor (R, M)
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Item Name1 When to Use View/Raise/Manage/Email2 ESL Student Success Specialist (R, M)
Instructor (R, M) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (R, M) Skills Center Technical Assistant (R, M) Starfish ISS (R, M) SAC Counselor - All Campuses (R, M) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses (R, M) Student Services Leadership (R, M) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses (R, M) Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses (R, M) Technology Mentor – North Campus (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (R, M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (R, M)
Missing Assignments (A)
Raise this flag when a student is missing or late with assignments. Please provide details of the missing assignments and any information on whether submissions are still being accepted or how the student can catch up. Comments are required for this flag. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA Comments Required
Flagged Student (E-R) Academic Leadership (M) Academic Support Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Department Chairs and Heads Distance Learning Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) EOP Counselor EOP Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) ESL Student Success Specialist (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) General Advisor Instructor (R, M) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Starfish ISS (M) SAC Counselor - All Campuses (M) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses (M) Student Services Leadership (M) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses (M) Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses (M) Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (M, E-C, E-A, E-R)
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Item Name1 When to Use View/Raise/Manage/Email2
Online Participation Concern (Sys)
This system flag is raised when a student fails to log in to an online course for ten consecutive days during a fall or spring semester. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA System Raised System Cleared – On Login
Flagged Student (E-R) Academic Leadership Academic Support Advisor Athletics Mentor (E-C, E-A, E-R) Department Chairs and Heads Distance Learning Mentor EOP Counselor EOP Mentor ESL Student Success Specialist General Advisor Instructor (E-C, E-A, E-R) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor Starfish ISS (M) SAC Counselor – All Campuses SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses Technology Mentor – North Campus (E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator
Participation Concern (A)
Raise this flag when a student fails to meet a required course participation component in a course. Please provide details of the participation policy and how the student can improve. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA No Comments Required
Flagged Student (E-R) Academic Leadership Advisor Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Department Chairs and Heads (M) EOP Counselor EOP Mentor (M) ESL Student Success Specialist (M) General Advisor Instructor (R, M) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (M) Starfish ISS (M) SAC Counselor - All Campuses (M) SAC Technical Assistant – All Campuses (M) Student Services Leadership Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (M)
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Item Name1 When to Use View/Raise/Manage/Email2
Poor Performance (A)
Raise this when a student performs poorly on or fails to submit one or more assignments (tests, quizzes, papers, etc.). Provide comments detailing the poor performance and a follow-up plan for the student to improve. Flag is visible by Flagged Student Disclosable under FERPA Comments Required
Flagged Student (E-R) Academic Leadership Athletics Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Department Chairs and Heads Distance Learning Mentor (M, E-R) EOP Counselor EOP Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) ESL Student Success Specialist (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) General Advisor Instructor (R, M) International Student Services Case Manager Say Yes Mentor (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Skills Center Technical Assistant (M) Starfish ISS (M) SAC Counselor – All Campuses (M) SAC Technical Assistant - All Campuses (M) Student Services Leadership (M) Student Support Center Counselor - All Campuses (M) Student Support Center Mentor - All Campuses (M) Technology Mentor – North Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Technology Mentor – South Campus (M, E-C, E-A, E-R) Veterans Coordinator (M, E-C, E-A, E-R)
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XI. Glossary of Terms
Comment – Comments are flag specific messages used to provide updates on specific issues or include information on
attempted outreach regarding that issue. Comments can also be addressed to the student, allowing you to email
students and simultaneously log a comment on a specific flag.
Closing the Loop – When a flag is cleared by someone other than the Flag Raiser, that person will be given the option to
Close the Loop. This message will be sent to the Flag Raiser giving them an update about why the flag is being cleared.
This can be written like an email message to the Flag Raiser, and should include details on what was done with the
student and why the flag is being cleared.
Flag – When a concern is raised within Starfish, it generates a flag. A flag documents a single particular issue for a
specific student. A student can have multiple flags raised in the same course. If, for example, the student has not been
attending class or completing assignments, they may have an Attendance Concern Flag and a Missing Assignments flag.
They may also have two of the same flag for multiple courses. If, for example, they are not attending their English or
their Mathematics course, they may have an Attendance Concern flag for each course.
Kudos – When a student is doing well, or is showing a positive effort in a course, a kudos can be raised to provide
positive feedback to both the student, and their Success Network. A kudos can be used for those who are performing
exceptionally well in the course, who are showing improvement after a rough patch, or for those who are demonstrating
positive course related behaviors regardless of their grades. It is best practice to include a comment with a kudos, so
that a student knows which behavior(s) they should continue.
Message – Messages are the equivalent of sending an email to a student. Those emails will be logged in the Student
Folder within Starfish and will be visible to anyone who has access to that student’s folder. Messages will appear to the
student as if they are from your email address, and students will be able to reply directly to you.
Note – Notes are student specific messages that can be placed on a student’s file. Notes do not need to be related to
one particular issue, but rather to the student as a whole.
Success Score - The Success Score is a dynamic, color-coded assessment of an individual student’s risk factors. This score
is a quantitative representation of the student’s relative vulnerability to struggle based on factors outside of the
classroom.
Success Network – A student’s Success Network is a listing of all college personnel with which a student has an active
relationship in Starfish. This is a listing of all individuals to whom students can reach out for assistance on campus.