Student Success

Early Alerts: Faculty Resources

The Early Alerts Program at PSU provides advisors and faculty the opportunity to work together, identifying and offering support to students who are struggling in their classes. This page and the resources linked are here to help you understand the process and enable you to provide the best support for your students.

Early Alerts are available all term through the Student Success Dashboard, in the Early Alerts section. This process does not fulfill the Initiation of Attendance requirement.

Use the Getting Started section below to view the email(s) you should expect to receive, our step-by-step guide for submitting Early Alerts, and our full Faculty Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) page, which talks about the lifecycle of an alert. 

Getting Started

When to Submit an Early Alert versus a CARES referral

Early Alerts and the CARES Team are both here to support students who are having a difficult term. Review the guidelines below and use your best judgment to connect the student with the appropriate resources. We realize you may not know what a student is experiencing outside of the classroom, but our team will escalate an Early Alert to CARES when appropriate.

Neither of these processes fulfills the Initiation of Attendance requirement.

Submit an Early Alert when a student:

  • Has multiple absences or very little engagement in class.
  • Needs additional academic assistance through Student Academic Support Services.
  • Has incomplete assignments or multiple low scores.
  • Needs help with accessing or using technology.
  • Is not connecting or responding to outreach from you.
Submit an Early Alert about this content

Submit a CARES referral when a student:

  • Exhibits any substantial change in behavior, mood, or appearance.
  • Fails to maintain academic boundaries in and out of the classroom.
  • Expresses significant personal or family problems in conversations, emails, or assignments.
  • Has experienced a death/significant illness of a family member or friend.
  • Has been hospitalized, injured, or is experiencing a significant illness.
  • Has indicated severe resource insecurity affecting access to housing, food, or any other basic needs.
Submit a CARES Referral about this content

More Information on early alerts