Subject: Eastern's Early Alert System

The Early Alert System (EAS) is a simple, accessible means to allow you to alert support staff to key issues that might affect your students’ success and retention.  These issues may be related to assignments (missing assignments or poor performance) or attendance, both of which may jeopardize students’ academic success.  Over the past two years of the program’s existence, hundreds of students have been submitted by our faculty for one-on-one intervention.  In AY 14, 24% of students who received an alert withdrew or dropped the course; 34% received a passing grade (A, B, C) in the course; 42% received a D or F.  While it is impossible to know the outcome without the EAS, with it, students can see the consequences of their actions and can be directed to help with their academics and study skills.  Support staff in Academic and Student Affairs followed up on each of these alerts with students’ individually.

Thus, at the beginning of this new academic year, I want to encourage all faculty—especially those teaching lower-division courses—to participate in the EAS, particularly in the first 8 weeks of the semester.  It is vital that our students take appropriate action while there is still time to correct behaviors that threaten their success. 

To use the EAS, go into PAWS, click on the faculty/advisor tab, and scroll down to the bottom of the list to click on “Early Alert System.”  Your course roster will appear and you can simply click a couple of boxes to submit; you may also write a comment if you choose to give the EAS staff additional information.  More information can be found at http://castle.eiu.edu/~core/.  Questions may be directed to Dr. Karla Sanders, CASA, kjsanders@eiu.edu. 

Please help us to aid our students’ success and to maintain the excellent retention rate for which EIU is known.