Mid-Term Alerts FAQ

What is the University policy?
University policy for the Twin Cities, Rochester, and Morris campuses states:
  1. Instructors are required to provide mid-term alerts for all 1-XXX courses to students who, on the basis of performance to date in the course, appear to be in danger of receiving a grade of D, F, or N. Such notification will be provided no later than the seventh week of class, and earlier if possible, to allow students to improve their classroom performance or to withdraw by the eighth week. Mid-term alerts will not be recorded on transcripts.
  2. Instructors are encouraged to provide mid-term alerts for all other courses.
  3. The provision of mid-term alerts is a courtesy to the student. Failure to receive a mid-term alert does not create the right for a student to contest a grade in a course.
When will the system be available for use?
The mid-term alert system will be available from 6:00 a.m. on the Monday of the 4th week of the semester through midnight of the Monday of the 8th week of the semester. This time frame is consistent with the University policy and will allow faculty who want to issue an earlier alert to do so.
The mid-term alert system will be unavailable from 3:30 a.m.-6:00 a.m., Monday-Saturday and 3:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Sunday for system backup.
Why are we doing this?
Providing students in 1xxx-level courses with mid-term alerts was part of the recommendations from the Graduation and Retention Task Force Report from the Twin Cities Council of Undergraduate Deans. Research shows that timely feedback can enhance student learning. The Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) believes that if students are provided early warning that they are performing poorly in a class that they could have time to improve their class performance. SCEP had a special concern about students who are new to the University: "timely feedback to students, especially those new to university-level work, enhances student learning."
When do mid-term alerts need to be submitted?
University policy calls for mid-term alerts based on work completed through the sixth 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.
I already notify students of their mid-term grade status. Do I need to use this new system?
If you are teaching a 1xxx-level course and your college/campus does not operate its own system of mid-term alerts, you are asked to use the new system. 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-level courses?
The University policy was directed at 1xxx-level courses because of a special concern about helping students who are new to the University 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 University 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?
Resources available to students needing assistance.
I teach a large 1xxx course with recitation and/or lab sections. Do I have to submit the mid-term alerts or can my TAs?
If your TAs are listed as the instructor of record for their section, they will have access to the mid-term alert system.
What do students think of a mid-term alert system?
Students at the University of Minnesota have supported the development of a mid-term alert system. When the University of Missouri implemented their "Early Alert System", they surveyed students. The Executive Summary of their 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.
Executive Summary of Student Survey
How do I do this?
Submitting mid-term alerts is very simple. First you will connect to the mid-term alert system. This system will become available for use on Monday, September 22, 2003. 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 and password contact your campus helpline at:
Morris: (320) 589-6391
Twin Cities: (612) 301-4357
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
Sample of Mid-Term alert notification sent to students
SAMPLE OF MID-TERM ALERT NOTIFICATION SENT TO STUDENT
Hello Kelly Student,
Your instructor in "HIST 1601" is sending this message to inform you that your academic performance to date is unsatisfactory and that you are at risk of receiving a grade of D, F or N for this class. We understand that there are many factors that may be contributing to your performance in class, and every student's situation is different. For example, some instructors allow students to drop a grade before final grades are determined. Whatever the case may be, keep in mind that there is still plenty of time to improve your performance in this class.
Your instructor's assessment is based on the following factors:
  • work due to date, your grade would be "D+"
  • 10% of total course work for the semester
  • attendance records indicate - "Intermittent attendance"
  • records indicate that you stopped attending class on Dec19
Additional comments from your instructor:
This is a free form field for the instructor to add additional comments.
Here are some suggestions to assist you in improving your performance:
Your adviser has been notified of your instructor's concern about your performance to date and is available to assist you in taking the necessary steps to insure your future success in this class.
Please do not reply to this message but send inquiries to your instructor or adviser.