The Starfish technology is now available to all instructors, academic support staff, and students for the spring semester. Starfish is an early-alert system that allows UNCG to take a more holistic approach to student success. Starfish allows instructors, advisors, and other staff members to track student progress and remain in the loop about their shared students. Users can log into Starfish at starfish.uncg.edu.
Updates & Reminders
- Communication Plan for flagged students: Students who are issued academic flags and/or kudos via Starfish will now receive email communication addressed from their course instructors. This change was implemented in Fall 2018 as a result of consistent feedback received from faculty and instructors at UNCG. This update to email communication will further personalize the correspondence that students receive and enhance engagement with their course instructors. Instructors may reference the Starfish for Faculty & Instructors webpage to see sample email templates. Previously, these emails were addressed from the Students First Office.
- Flag Options for Advisors: Academic advisors now have the ability to issue Starfish flags to their advisees! Two flag types will be available for advisor use this spring: Personal Concern flag and Retention Concern flag. Advisors should raise the Personal Concern flag to report non-emergency concerns for student well-being to the Dean of Students Office. Advisors should raise the Retention Concern to notify UNCG when they become aware of students who may not remain at UNCG in the current and/or upcoming semester. More information about these flag options will be shared with advisors via email.
New to Starfish? Here is some information on how UNCG currently uses this technology.
Instructors and faculty use Starfish to:
- Raise alert flags for your students with academic and personal concerns so that they can connect with the resources and people that may help them
- Give kudos to students who are performing well or showing improvement
- Issue referrals to connect students to campus resources that may help them
- Complete Academic Status Reports throughout the semester to flag many students at once. Instructors will receive email alerts on the following dates in Spring 2019: February 5 & 26
- Post office hour availability and manage student meetings
Advisors & academic support staff use Starfish to:
- Receive updates on which advisees have been flagged for academic concerns and provide additional support
- Issue referrals to connect students to campus resources
- Raise Personal Concern and Retention Concern flags on their advisees
- Post appointment availability and manage advising appointments, as well as maintain appointment notes and outcomes
- Clear flags as concerns are resolved
Students use Starfish to:
- Keep track of the academic feedback they get from their instructors
- Know when to take action to improve course performance and meet with instructors
- Receive campus resource referrals from instructors, advisors, and support staff
- Schedule appointments with their instructors and advisors who use Starfish for online scheduling
Instructors, staff, and students may refer to the Starfish website for more information about Starfish. Training requests and technical support concerns can be emailed to starfish@uncg.edu.
