Starfish Progress Surveys

Starfish Surveys allow faculty members to raise concerns (flags) or send compliments (kudos) related to a student's participation and academic performance at specific points during the semester. We will be deploying a week 1 Attendance Survey and a midterm Academic Progress Survey to allow faculty to provide feedback on course participation and performance to students.

For step-by-step instructions for filling out a Starfish Survey: Click here for the how-to guide! Click here for the how-to video!

Each flag or kudo sends a standardized email, including any comments entered, directly to the student on behalf of the faculty member. The message is visible to the student’s academic advisor, keeping advisors better informed about student performance and possible needs.

For students whom you'd like to send feedback, please select a single, most relevant flag/check box.  (This strategy avoids sending the student multiple emails and helps academic advisors better triage their outreach to your student.)

• Never Attended (UW danger) - Student is in danger of earning a UW; never attended, never logged into Canvas, or has entirely stopped participating in course
• In Danger of Failing - Student is not passing course but is participating (Multiple possible reasons: low scores, missing work, and/or absences)
• Low Quiz/Test Scores - Student grade(s) on assessment(s) are below course expectations (as defined in the syllabus at discretion of faculty member or program)
• Late/Missing Assignments - Student has pattern of missing, late or incomplete work. It is at the discretion of the faculty to determine the type of assignment to consider/exclude when raising this flag.
• Attendance Concern - Student has pattern of absences or lack of engagement time in Canvas (if online course); use particularly when the student's grade could be negatively effected or if you/your department has an attendance/participation policy
• Great Start to the Semester - Student is actively/effectively participating
• Keep Up the Good Work - Encourage continued effort for continued success

For questions about the Attendance Survey and Progress Survey and student follow-up, see our FAQs or contact us at starfish@weber.edu.

Other items to consider:

• Best Practices - 4 tips for using Starfish flags & kudos 
• Urgent academic concern before survey launches?  You can raise a manual tracking item. You can also raise referrals to tutoring and many other campus offices in Starfish.
• Multiple Concerns?  Select one most relevant reason(s)/flag(s). (Students receive a separate email for each box you check in the progress survey.)
• Optional: Use the Zoom-in Tool to identify students you want to reach out to. (Note: This function does not work for cross-listed "child" Canvas grade books.)
• No feedback? - When filling out a Progress Survey, you don't have to select a flag or kudo for every student in your course. If you leave all the checkboxes blank for a student, no feedback is assumed and no email notifications will be sent. To indicate no feedback for an entire course section, simply open the progress survey and click the submit button. 
• Your Comments: Your comments in surveys are valuable. See below

Example Comments:

Attendance Concern

“I am glad you have been able to attend class this week and contribute your ideas. Your earlier 4 absences have caused you to miss activities and 2 peer review sessions, which has significantly lowered your grade for this course. I recommend you utilize the WSU Writing Center (https://www.weber.edu/writingcenter) and/or visit me during my office hours to get feedback on your draft of Essay 2. If you are experiencing a barrier to regular attendance, please discuss your challenges with me and an academic advisor to make a realistic plan for your semester and competing needs or priorities. Please reply to this email and let me know how I can support you."

Comments appear in Student Dashboard - Notifications