UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starfish mid-semester progress reports opened Monday, Oct. 2, and will close Wednesday, Oct. 25.
During this period, all instructors and teaching assistants of full-semester undergraduate courses will receive an email prompt to provide feedback to students in the form of to-dos, flags, kudos and comments. The expansion of to-dos during fall 2023 marks a change in progress reports, with more focus given to recommending specific actions to students.
Instructor participation in progress reporting can help students achieve success in their courses by activating a support network, if necessary. Academic advisers can view progress reports and help students respond to challenges.
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.
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. More information on academic advising at Penn State can be found at advising.psu.edu, the Division of Undergraduate Studies' hub for advising resources.
Students should contact their instructors or academic advisers if they receive a flag or to-do and need help in improving their coursework. They also can 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.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education, the academic administrative unit that provides leadership and coordination for University-wide programs in support of undergraduate teaching and learning at Penn State.