Developing & Implementing A Web-Based Early Alert System

Early intervention is critical to campus retention efforts. Early alert systems offer institutions systematic approaches to identifying and intervening with students exhibiting at-risk behaviors before the behaviors reach the acute stage. Many of these systems rely on a common format for student referral to a central receiving point. Systems at larger institutions use web-based technology to allow for a scalable approach to at-risk intervention. This presentation describes the development, implementation, and assessment of a web-based, fully integrated early alert referral system at a large, public university in the Southwest.

There are three sections to the program. First, the program describes the development of the system from a conceptual perspective. This section includes how administrative, faculty, and student service input guided development. The second section details the technical aspects of system design, presented from the end-user perspective. The section emphasizes the integration of the system into the campus student information system. The program concludes with a thorough description of the first term’s experience implementing the system, including aggregated descriptive data for those using the system, the students referred, and the follow-up to the referrals. There will be ample opportunity for discussion of all aspects of the early alert project.