Early Alert System Referral Form

INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS ABOUT EARS

The Most Often Asked Questions by Students about EARS

 What is the Early Alert Referral System (EARS)?  How did I get identified for EARS?  Who participates in EARS?  What do I do if me advisor contacts me because of an EARS report?  Does it get put on my permanent record?  Does getting a letter mean that I am failing the course?

What is the Early Alert Referral System (EARS)

EARS is a computerized system of early notification and follow-up for students identified as having academic or personal difficulties (or unusual successes) early in the semester AND a feedback procedure for faculty and staff regarding the specific actions taken by their identified students. It consolidates all traditional "academic progress reports" into one form and establishes a systematic referral process for students experiencing difficulties. It is designed to be efficient and user-friendly for faculty and staff, as well as informative, direct and non-threatening for students.

How did I get identified for EARS?

Your instructor (or professional staff member) has noticed that, due to a particular reason, your work is not up to par with the class (or, that you are performing extremely well in class). It could be that the problem is attendance, test scores, English language, writing ability, or any number of possibilities. The purpose of EARS is to inform you, through your advisor, of serious academic problems early in the semester so that support systems can be sought out and implemented. This could include tutoring, study groups, a counseling appointment, a library tour, an appointment with your instructor and so on.

Who participates in EARS?

All instructors, both full-time and part-time, and all professional staff, may access EARS. Instructors receive course rosters which listing all registered students, their student numbers, and their academic advisors. If an instructor notices specific problems or exceptional performance of a student, the instructor will access EARS and enter your student number or name, and provide information about his/her concerns. The completed form will then be forwarded to the appropriate Dean’s office, as well as to your advisor (and, if applicable, your athletic and/or AEP/ADP advisors). You will then be contacted by your academic advisor to discuss the content of the EARS form with you. Many students receive assistance in some form as a result of EARS, either improving their academic performance, or dealing with the personal issues that were affecting their performance. Who do I do if my advisor contacts me because of an EARS report?

If you are contacted by your advisor, set up an appointment as soon as possible. Communication about the situation is paramount for your success in the class, and more broadly, at La Salle. You and your advisor can work out the next steps. Your advisor might direct you to classes, tutoring or workshops that may assist in your student success. Perhaps you will be requested to contact the instructor who sent the EARS report to get clarification from your instructor and find out where you stand. Can you make up any assignments? Would it help you to receive tutoring? Are you in a course that is too difficult or too easy? What can you do to improve your status in that course? Occasionally an instructor identifies a student who should not have been referred to EARS. This is a good opportunity to resolve a mistake and to get acquainted with your instructor!

You may also be directed by your advisor to speak to someone in the Counseling Center. Your advisor might direct you to the Student Health Center, Financial Aid Office, or Career Planning. In all cases, immediate action will be suggested by your advisor to try and remedy the situation before it gets worse, or before it is too late in the semester to attempt to fix the problem.

Does it get put on my permanent record?

Absolutely not! This information is part of EARS, and will not become part of your academic transcript.

Does getting a letter mean I am failing?

When you advisor contacts you because he/she received an EARS report, this does not necessarily mean that you are failing. Your advisor will have specific information from the sender of the EARS report about the area(s) the sender is concerned with, such as excessive absences or poor quiz/test performance. In some cases, your advisor will be calling to congratulate you, perhaps for outstanding class performance, election to Student Government, or athletic achievement. INFORMATION FOR FACULTY/STAFF ABOUT EARS

EARLY ALERT REFERRAL SYSTEM (EARS)

La Salle University is committed to student success and retention. However, for retention to be significantly improved it takes the efforts of many. Therefore, this "early alert" process was developed to allow faculty to contribute directly to the University's efforts to improve student persistence and academic success. The purpose of EARS is to identify and effectively intervene with students who are exhibiting "at risk" behaviors, or to congratulate student who are performing far beyond expectations. The goal of the system is to provide assistance in resolving any situations that are affecting a student’s academic performance. EARS reports will make the advisor aware of possible, impending problems and allow the advisor to offer resources to help overcome those problems, thus improving the chances of success in a course, and on a broader scale, in the University.

OUTLINE OF THE EARS SYSTEM

The accompanying flowchart of the EARS system provides an overview of the flow of information and the actions taken by specific individuals in response to an EARS report. If a student is identified as exhibiting some signs of at risk behavior, the faculty or staff member should immediately attempt to communicate directly with the student. If the student is non- responsive (or, if the student is doing exceptional work or extra-curricular activities), then an EARS report should be filed as soon as possible.

When the EARS information is submitted, the report will go to the student’s academic advisor for action. Contact will be made with the student, and the advisor will discuss the concerns with the student, and/or make appropriate referrals (such as to the Counseling Center, Career Planning, or the Student Health Center) for intervention. Development of an action plan with the student will be stressed.

If the student does not respond in a timely manner, then the advisor will contact the appropriate School’s Dean’s Office for follow-up. When other members of the community have been able to either successfully or unsuccessfully intervene, those interventions will be communicated back to advisor.

Feedback regarding intervention results will be entered in EARS and made available to the faculty/staff member who initiated the EARS report.

LOCATION OF EARS REPORT

The EARS report will be noted as a separate tab on mylasalle, appearing after the faculty/staff user has logged on. When submitted, the report will automatically go to the appropriate school coordinator, to the student’s faculty/staff advisor, and, if applicable, to the student’s AEP/ADP, Honors, and/or Athletics advisor(s). The faculty/staff advisor has the primary responsibility for contacting the student as soon as possible after receiving the EARS.

The Action Taken form will also be located in this section of mylasalle. Any action taken as a result of an EARS report will be reported here.

ACCESS TO EARS FORMS All faculty and professional staff should have write-only access to the EARS form.

In additional, the following faculty/staff should also have read access to the completed EARS reports:

1. Assistant Dean, A&S 2. Assistant Dean, SBA 3. Assistant Dean, Nursing 4. SBA Advising Coordinator 5. Dean of Students 6. Sabrina DeTurk (member of Advising Group) 7. Nancy Jones (member of Advising Group)

DATABASE All EARS information will be maintained in one database file, and will be sortable by school, student name, etc. LA SALLE UNIVERSITY EARLY ALERT REFERRAL SYSTEM (EARS) FORM 1: INITIAL REPORT FORM

Name of faculty/staff

Phone number ( ) -

Student ID If unknown, enter student name. Student name (Last, First) AUTO Faculty/staff advisor AUTO Course enrolled in (if relevant) Date when issue first noticed

Poor attendance Excellent attendance Low test/quiz scores Excellent test/quiz scores Reason(s) for referral Minimal class participation Financial problems (you may check more than one) Missing/late assignments Major/career choice issues Homesickness Substance abuse Other (please specify in comments below): Comments

Submit

In the rare circumstance where this form is not sufficient to address your concerns, please call the appropriate coordinator:

1. If an A&S student, call the Assistant Dean/A&S, Ext. 1042 2. If an SBA student, call the SBA Advising Coordinator, Ext. 1491 3. If a Nursing student, call the Director, UG Nursing, Ext. 1902 LA SALLE UNIVERSITY EARLY ALERT REFERRAL SYSTEM (EARS) FORM 2: ACTION TAKEN FORM

Name of faculty/staff advisor

Student ID If unknown, enter student name. Student name (Last, First) AUTO Date when action taken

Met with student and discussed problem Referred for tutoring Action(s) taken Referred for counseling (you may check more than one) Student did not respond to phone/e-mail request for contact Student made appointment, did not show up Other (please specify in comments below): Comments

Submit