Student Guide to Academic Alert

We developed the Academic Alert program because the administration, faculty and staff were concerned about the number of UMM students who may be “slipping through the cracks,” and we wanted to do something to make it more likely those students would be academically successful and have a good experience at UMM.

Nation-wide studies and information gathered here at UMM indicate that Academic Alert is a good idea for our campus. Here’s why:

• Students here at UMM indicated in a survey that if a professor took the time to contact them personally to express concern about his or her academic performance, students would be grateful and respond well.

• Often an entire semester’s success is determined in the first month of school. Early feedback on performance could help you avoid academic disaster.

• Students who transfer from UMM or drop out of college entirely sometimes do so because of poor academic performance. Some of those students report that they had no idea how badly they were doing in their classes until it was too late to do something about it. Their frustration caused them to leave UMM.

• Even though UMM is a small campus, sometimes students know they need help but aren’t sure where to go or how to get it. A student who receives an Academic Alert will learn what resources are available.
  
  

How Can I Be Academic Alerted?

If you are showing signs of being in academic trouble, your professor may choose to Academic Alert you. Your professor will look for the following signs:

• You aren’t attending class regularly
  
• You are turning in failing work
  
• You aren’t turning in work at all
  
• You have failed an exam
  
• You are showing signs that you might be experiencing mental or physical health problems

Your professors can access the Academic Alert website and electronically submit a form that will go to the Early Alert committee. The form tells the committee why your professor is worried about you, and someone from the committee will contact your advisor and ask him or her to contact you.

Your advisor will give you advice. If the nature of your trouble is academic, he or she may suggest you head over to the Academic Assistance Center to enroll in the Learning to Learn Study Skills Course or sign up for a tutor. If you are having difficulty managing depression or a disability, he or she may suggest you head over to counseling or the Disability Services Office.

The Academic Alert committee is made up of individuals from a variety of campus resources. Faculty, coaches, housing staff, the Academic Assistance Center and Disability Services office, and Multi-Cultural Student Program are some of the groups involved. If someone in the group knows you personally, he or she may contact you directly.

Who Participates in Academic Alert?

Participation in Academic Alert is not mandatory for anyone. Your faculty may choose, for whatever reason, not to early alert students. If you have been earning poor grades in your course, or you are not attending class, but have not been early alerted, don’t assume that you are doing well.

Staff may also alert students. If your campus employer, for example, is concerned about you for any reason, he or she can also early alert you. Although most students are Early Alerted for academic reasons, some are for personal reasons. If a staff member feels a student is not coping effectively with physical or emotional stress, he or she may write an early alert.

Even if he or she doesn’t have you in a class, your advisor can send an Academic Alert. Advisors may do this if they receive your transcript and are worried about your grades, or if other faculty members have expressed concern about you. Usually, advisors will try to contact you first, but if you choose not to respond to them they may Alert you so that someone else, such as your coach or Resident Director can try.