UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starting Sept. 8, instructors can use Starfish early progress surveys to provide students with holistic feedback and help set the trajectory for their course behavior and success.
Open from Sept. 8-17, during weeks three and four of the semester, the early progress survey period comes at a critical time, when early intervention can make the biggest difference on course performance.
The mid-semester progress survey period will be open from Oct. 6-22, during weeks seven to nine, to help students make informed decisions about course enrollment.
“The timing of these survey periods is informed by what we know about students’ ability to make positive changes that allow them to be more successful in their courses and respond to challenges appropriately,” said David R. Smith, executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) and associate dean for advising.
Starfish data show that Penn State students have a better chance of passing a course in which they are experiencing difficulties if they receive feedback about course progress by the fourth week of the semester. However, learning to recognize the earliest signs of student performance before major assessments, captured in the early indicators survey, can be a challenge when each instructor has their own pedagogical style, as well as different course sizes, structures and assessments with which to contend.
New resources released for instructors
The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, in partnership with DUS, recently released two guides to address these challenges and help instructors offer meaningful, early feedback: identifying early indicators of student success and sample messages to help students contextualize this feedback and interpret it productively.
“Instructor-student communication is an important part of effective instruction and crucial for student learning and academic success,” said Angela Linse, executive director of the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and associate dean for teaching.
There are many ways that instructors offer this type of feedback, but completing Starfish progress surveys during the designated survey periods is one of the simplest and most effective ways to share insights on student progress and activate a broader support network when needed.
“Academic advisers, academic success coaches, tutors and others in a student’s academic support network are in a position to reinforce instructors’ recommendations and encourage students to take a more proactive approach to their learning,” Smith said. “However, to know where this kind of support is needed, people in these roles rely on the expertise and insight of instructors and teaching assistants. We hope these guides will help instructors to consider what they could be looking for even before progress surveys open.”
How to complete progress surveys
During Starfish progress survey periods, instructors and teaching assistants who are formally listed as an instructor of record in LionPATH will receive an email inviting them to complete progress surveys for their full-semester undergraduate courses numbered 499 and below. The surveys can be completed by clicking the provided link, selecting options for each student and including written comments, if desired.
Instructors can raise flags, offer kudos or recommend specific actions for students to take. Academic advisers and others will follow up on concerns and recommendations, reach out to students and close the loop on recommendations to help provide effective support.
The early indicators progress survey will be open from Sept. 8-17, and the mid-semester progress survey will be open Oct. 6-22.
How to share course progress information in Starfish outside of progress surveys
Instructors and teaching assistants have other options for sharing student progress in Starfish, including ones that may be better for those needing to share progress for select students outside of survey periods or for a large class using Canvas Grades.
Faculty members who have concerns about religious observances coinciding with the survey period can speak with their academic unit head about using an alternative method.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is the second-largest unit of enrollment at Penn State and leads academic advising across the University. It is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.