UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starfish midsemester progress surveys are open now until March 19.
Instructors and teaching assistants formally listed as instructors of record in LionPATH will receive an email prompting them to complete progress surveys for their full-semester undergraduate courses, numbered 499 and below. Progress surveys can be completed by clicking the survey link either in the email or under “Outstanding Surveys” in the Starfish dashboard, checking boxes with feedback options for each student and, if desired, providing written feedback. Instructors can raise a flag, give kudos or recommend a student “to-do.”
Although thoughtfully assessing and sharing students’ course progress takes time, progress surveys remain one of the most efficient methods of communicating concerns about students’ performance in a course.
“Our instructors have a great deal of knowledge of what it takes to be successful in their courses and, often, the student supports available in their areas. Even so, the factors impacting an individual student and the more personalized resources available to help them are not always readily apparent,” said David R. Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
The network of support activated by progress surveys in Starfish includes academic advisers, who are asked to follow up on instructors’ concerns and requests for adviser assistance by reaching out to students and closing the loop on flags and to-dos. The Starfish Success Network also extends beyond advisers. A range of other Penn State roles and services has access to progress survey information and use it to provide more proactive outreach and personal and informed support to students.
“All our students have the potential to succeed at Penn State, but not all our students have the same knowledge of how to effectively navigate the rich network of resources available to them here,” Smith said. “Because Starfish is also the system in which students schedule appointments for many of these resources, Starfish progress surveys can teach students how to find and use these resources independently.
“With the unprecedented challenges our students are facing today, even students who have been successful in navigating University resources before may find themselves confronting new situations that challenge their existing approaches. No one instructor, academic adviser or student will know how to address every situation," Smith added. "That is where having a technology like Starfish can fill in the gaps.”
Early Indicators Progress Survey participation
The Starfish Early Indicators Progress Survey closed on Feb. 5. For 52,988 students across 6,950 course sections, instructors and TAs raised 7,177 flags, 13,418 to-dos and 103,972 kudos.
University-wide, 47% of course sections participated in the spring 2025 early indicators survey: 63% at the Commonwealth Campuses, 30% at University Park and 53% at World Campus. Overall, 69% of undergraduate students received early feedback about their course progress.
How instructors and TAs can provide feedback outside of progress survey periods
Instructors and teaching assistants have other options for sharing student progress in Starfish, including ones that may be better for those needing to share progress for select students outside of survey periods or for a large class using Canvas Grades.
How students can respond to flags and to-dos
Students should contact their instructor or academic adviser if they receive a flag or to-do and need help in improving their coursework. They also can seek tutoring or use resources and services suggested in progress survey emails such as learning support, disability services, basic needs support or personal support through University Health Services or Counseling and Psychological Services. The Division of Undergraduate Studies released a video tutorial for students on how to find Penn State support services, as well as how to use the Starfish dashboard and profile.
It is always important for students to track their own progress in a course. The absence of progress survey data should not be interpreted as the absence of concern or need for change.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is the second largest unit of enrollment at Penn State and leads academic advising across the University. It is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.