UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starfish mid-semester progress reports opened on Monday, Feb. 20, and will close Monday, March 20. In spring 2023, mid-semester progress reports will be open for more than double the time of past semesters over three class weeks, not including spring break.
The longer reporting period will give instructors the opportunity to complete the survey at the time that works best for their class. All instructors and teaching assistants of full-semester undergraduate courses will receive an email prompt to provide feedback in the form of flags, kudos and comments.
When an instructor raises a flag in Starfish, it alerts a student’s academic adviser to potential issues and helps activate a broader network of support. The Starfish Success Network includes services such as Penn State Learning, the Morgan Academic Center and the Multicultural Resource Center. A video for instructors and teaching assistants on how to complete a progress survey can be found on Kaltura.
“Our goal with progress reporting is to help students know that they are seen and supported at Penn State,” said David Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies. “The more we can create a coordinated, intentional learning environment, the more opportunities our students will have to achieve their academic goals.”
In spring 2023 early progress reports, 52,880 students received a flag or a kudos from 2,726 instructors. Overall, 59% of all courses participated across Penn State’s colleges and campuses. The Commonwealth Campuses saw the highest rates of participation, with 65% of all courses participating.
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 still helps Penn State learn more about interventions and student success over time. Students may change their behavior on their own, which won’t be reflected on a Starfish flag. For more information on how academic advisers close the loop with instructors and students, visit the Starfish FAQ page.
How students can respond to Starfish feedback
Students are highly encouraged to act upon messages they receive in Starfish by contacting their instructors or academic advisers if they receive a flag or by reflecting on what has helped them to succeed so far if they receive a kudo. 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 dashboard and profile.
Students should not assume their instructors have no concerns about their progress just because they did not receive any flags in Starfish. It is always helpful for students to track their own progress in a course by checking in with both instructors and academic advisers.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.