Molly Raley
Staff writer
The Southeastern faculty will be encountering something new starting this fall semester. With the help of a Title III grant, an electronic Early Alert Reporting System will now be available for students and faculty.
The report will replace paper reports previously used by organizations and grant recipients for grade checks. The EAR allows professors to comment on things such as attendance and work ethic in addition to grades.
According to Tim Boatmun, associate dean of academic services, the EAR will be a much more efficient method for retrieving progress reports.
Southeastern was one of 13 schools who received the Title III grant. According to a news release posted on the Southeastern website on Sept. 3, Southeastern received federal assistance worth $2 million to be used over five years. This particular grant is specifically designed to “enhance the academic success of its Native American students.”
From the grant, $7,000 was used to purchase the EAR for future reporting.
The reports will be accessed through Campus Connect, where professors can fill out the appropriate information.
Once the report is filed, the student will receive an email with comments and the grade for the course. The student’s adviser will also receive an email with the same information.
Once in Campus Connect students can view all of their EAR reports under advisement history.
According to Boatmun, this process is mandatory for some students, such as student athletes, the Native American Center for Student Success and Project Teach. For others, this report is a tool that can be used for evaluating grades or the student’s progress.
The main purpose of the electronic report system is “to improve graduation and retentions rates,” Boatmun said. Southeastern’s average retention rate over the past 10 years is 60 percent.
“We believe, the more feedback that students get about their progress, the more likely they are to stay on track,” said Boatmun.
The bottom tagline of every email gives references to the learning and counseling centers in case students need assistance.
Every student and faculty member is encouraged to take full advantage of the EAR. According to Boatmun, the report can help students get their grades earlier in the semester and also make life just a little easier for professors.