UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Starfish early progress reporting window for fall 2023 will open Tuesday, Sept. 5, and close Wednesday, Sept. 13.  

Instructors, academic advisers and students will notice some changes to progress reporting in fall 2023, with fewer “flags” and the expansion of “to-dos” that encourage students to take specific actions. Students can indicate they received the advice by marking the to-do as complete in their Starfish dashboard. Other people who work with the student can also mark the to-dos complete. Instructors will be able to see these responses in Starfish. 

Instructors can fill out progress reports by clicking a link, checking boxes for each student and, if they wish, providing written feedback to students. A video for instructors and teaching assistants on how to complete a progress survey is available on Kaltura. 

The two progress survey flags are: 

• never attended or logged in to course (early progress survey) 

• in danger of earning less than a C (mid-semester progress survey). 

The new survey to-dos are: 

• instructor’s recommendation: participate more consistently 

• instructor’s recommendation: come to office hours 

• Instructor's recommendation: seek tutoring 

• instructor's recommendation: talk with your adviser (comments required)

The two progress survey kudos are: 

• outstanding performance 

• meeting expectations

Early intervention can increase the chance for student success 

Progress reporting, which is highlighted with two campaigns each semester, helps alert students and those who support student success outside the classroom to not only act proactively but also reinforce an instructor’s expert recommendations. Feedback can help with course-based challenges or identify other challenges such as severe illness or lack of access to technology before a student gets too far behind. 

Students who are alerted to the need for changes in their learning strategies during the first four weeks of the semester are more likely to pass the course than students who receive alerts in week five or later, according to data collected by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, which is responsible for leading advising across Penn State. Students who learn of the need for adjustment to their learning strategies too late have little opportunity to significantly alter their grade.  

By the mid-semester progress reporting period, the main decision for students is whether to late-drop a course and interventions have a more limited chance of making a difference in course outcomes, according to a presentation from DUS to the Administrative Council on Undergraduate Education.  

Data from fall 2022 show students who receive flags early in the semester are less likely to earn a drop, fail or withdrawal (DFW) in the course. Fifty-three percent of students who received flags during weeks 1-4 passed their class with a C or better. Among students who received flags during weeks 5 or later, only 45% earned a C or better. 

Since few grades are recorded in the early weeks of the semester in some courses, instructors can also consider if students are doing optional work and participating in course discussions when considering whether to give a student a flag or to-do. Early alerts can help nudge students into successful strategies. 

How academic advisers and students can respond to instructor feedback 

Academic advisers are encouraged to close the loop with instructors when possible by letting them know the result of outreach. Even if a student does not respond to the academic adviser’s recorded outreach, raising a flag or to-do still helps Penn State learn more about interventions and student success over time. Sometimes, a student who doesn’t reply directly to outreach will respond with increased participation. For more information on how academic advisers close the loop with instructors and students, visit the Starfish info webpage. 

Two academic advising seminars are scheduled for Sept. 7 and Oct. 5.

“Progress Reporting Follow-up" from noon-1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, will explore how to use Starfish to find students who may need additional advising support and discuss recommended practices for documenting outreach and follow-up efficiently. Visit advising.psu.edu to find links to the Sept. 7 seminar and other professional development events.

“Elevate for Academic Advising” from noon-1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 will cover how Elevate, a companion tool to Starfish, can help academic advisers gain insight into student’s academic engagement and focus on students who need more support. Visit advising.psu.edu to find links to the Oct. 5 seminar and other professional development events. 

Students should contact their instructors or academic advisers if they receive a flag or to-do and need help in improving their coursework. They can also seek tutoring or other services such as counseling through 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 report data should not be interpreted as the absence of concern or need for change. 

Commonwealth Campuses lead the way for progress reporting 

In fall 2022, Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses showed the strongest participation in progress reporting, with 79% of all course sections recording at least one tracking item. World Campus sections saw 66% participation and the University Park campus saw 46% participation. 

The Division of Undergraduate Studies is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.