Starfish Troy University

“I made a difference for that one.” What is Starfish? Starfish is… A Student Success Company A Student Retention System Starfish believes... The campus community engaged with a student will lead to that student’s success. Starfish helps… Identify. Which students are at risk now? Guide. Where do I go to get/offer help? Connect. When can I get help? Optimize. How are services performing? “I made a difference for that one.”

Starfish Solutions Early Warning & Student Tracking System Student concerns can be manually flagged when observed or through periodic surveys. Automatic flags are raised based on information in Blackboard. Recommendations can be communicated to the student. Appropriate personnel are informed of flags raised and cleared. Educational Support Networking System Each student has personal My Success Network of instructors and advisors. Online scheduling for individual and group appointments. Appointment confirmation by email. Documentation of contact with students through private and shared notes. Success Network of available support resources.

The Home Page Recent Changes - shows you the recent flags that have been raised for your students. Flags I’m Managing - shows you the flags that are active for your students. Appointments - shows you the appointments that have been scheduled with you. My Success Network - shows you the resources that are available for your students. Courses I’m Taking – shows you the courses you are enrolled in as a student.

The Appointments Page Add Office Hours - allows you to set up office hours for students to schedule appointments with you through Starfish. Add Appointment – allows you to enter appointments with students yourself. Add Group Session – allows you to set up a group session for students to participate in. Reserve Time – allows you to reserve time that you are unavailable for appointments. Scheduling Wizard – allows you to map out your availability for an entire week or the entire term.

The Students Page MY STUDENTS – within this tab you will find a list of your students. You can raise flags for students, send students a message, add notes to student folders, or download a file of students. Click the box next to the student name and click Raise Flag, Send Message, or Add Note. To view a student’s folder, click the name of the student. When you raise a flag for a student, the student and the student’s advisor(s) will be automatically notified via email. TRACKING – within this tab you will find the flags that have been raised for your students. You can resolve or clear flags, add comments or notes to student folders, send students a message, or download a file of students. Click the box next to the student name and click Resolve, Add Comment, or Send Message. To view a student’s folder, click the name of the student. ATTENDANCE – within this tab you can track the attendance of your students. PROGRESS SURVEYS – within this tab you will find the surveys that are available for you to complete and submit. You will receive an email reminder when there is a new survey available for you to complete and submit. When you raise a flag for a student using the survey, the student and the student’s advisor(s) will be automatically notified via email. You will not see this tab unless you have a survey available.

The Services Page The Starfish Services page shows you the resources that are available for your students. A link is provided to the website of each resource. Your students will also see this page in Starfish. For the students, this page is called the Success Network page.

The Profile Page To access the Profile page, click your name in the top right corner of the Starfish screen. INSTITUTIONAL PROFILE – within this tab you may enter additional contact information, your time zone, a general overview about your course or services, and your biography. You may also upload a photo of yourself. Recommended file formats for the photo are JPEG, GIF, and PNG. Click the Save button once you have entered information. APPOINTMENT PREFERENCES – within this tab you may enter preferences regarding your appointments and office hours. Click the Save button once you have entered information. EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS – within this tab you may enter preferences regarding your appointment notifications and tracking item (flag) notifications. Click the Save button once you have entered information.

System-Raised Flags System-raised flags initiated from data in Blackboard – for fully online courses only Flag Name Description Email notification goes to… Inactivity for 7 Days The student has not accessed course in Blackboard during the last seven days. Student Instructor Advisor(s) Inactivity for 10 Days The student has not accessed course in Blackboard during the last ten days.

System-Raised Flags - continued System-raised flags initiated from data in Blackboard – for fully online courses only Flag Name Description Email notification goes to… Instructor Notification – 3 Days The instructor has not accessed course in Blackboard during the last three days. Instructor Instructor Notification – 4 Days The instructor has not accessed course in Blackboard during the last four days. Academic Supervison

System-Raised Flags - continued System-raised flags initiated from data in Blackboard – for fully online courses only Flag Name Description Email notification goes to… First Time Student This flag is raised for students who are taking an online course during their first term with Troy University. Student Instructor Advisor(s) Online Courses Have Begun This flag is raised for students who do not access their online course(s) during the first 3 days once the term begins or once they have registered.

Instructor-Raised Flags Flags available for instructors to raise for students – for all courses in Blackboard Flag Name Description Email notification goes to… Low Grade Concern The student has a grade average in the course that is not meeting the instructor’s expectations for success. Student Advisor(s) Poor Participation The student’s participation in course activities is not meeting the instructor’s expectations for success.

Instructor-Raised Flags - continued Flags available for instructors to raise for students – for all courses in Blackboard Flag Name Description Email notification goes to… Incomplete Assignments The student is not completing assignments as the instructor expects for success. Student Advisor(s) Outstanding Academic Performance The student’s academic performance in the course is outstanding.

Progress Survey The progress survey is an easy way for instructors to raise flags for multiple students at once. Instructors will receive an email informing them that an optional progress survey is available for them to complete and submit for the students in their course(s). You will find your survey(s) by going to the Students tab and then choosing the PROGRESS SURVEYS tab. Open the survey, check the appropriate boxes, and click Submit to raise flags for your students. Students and their advisor(s) will automatically receive an email notification of the flags you raise.

Example Email to Student Subject: Low Grade Concern: ETROY-PSY2200XTIA-11T1 From email address: studentsuccess@troy.edu Reply-to email address: studentsuccess@troy.edu   Dear Jane, Your success is important to Troy University! Your instructor for ETROY-PSY2200XTIA-11T1 is concerned about your grades in the course. Please contact your instructor if you need assistance with your course. This notification is part of a student success initiative provided by Troy University called Starfish. Resources for help, instructor contact information, and advisor contact information can be found in Starfish on the Home page under My Success Network. To access Starfish, login to Blackboard and click the Starfish link at the top of the page. Again, if you have questions about this notification or need assistance, please contact your instructor. Sincerely, Troy University eTROY Student Success Team

Specific Expectations Instructors Review email notifications of system-raised flags Submit survey as necessary Follow up with students as necessary Raise/Clear flags as necessary Add notes Advisors Review email notifications of system-raised and instructor-raised flags Schedule appointments with students as necessary Students Review email notifications when flagged Contact instructor and/or advisor when assistance is needed Everyone Complete your Profile so everyone will know more about you Consider using online appointment scheduling

How To… Access Starfish Find your student list View a student folder Configure your profile Set appointment preferences Set email notification preferences Add office hours Schedule an appointment Use Scheduling Wizard Find resources for questions/help

Access Starfish Login to Blackboard Click the Starfish link at the top of the page

Find Your Student List Click the Students tab. Click the MY STUDENTS tab. Search for a student by entering the student’s name into the Search field, choosing your Connection, and choosing the Term. To organize your student list by flag, select the TRACKING tab. You can sort the list by using the View, Student, or Connection boxes or the Advanced Search button. You can resolve flags, add comments, or send messages to students. To clear multiple flags at once from the Tracking tab: Check the boxes to the left of the flags you want to clear, then click the Resolve button at the top.

View a Student Folder Click the Students tab. From the MY STUDENTS tab or the TRACKING tab, click the hyperlink of a student’s name. This brings you to the student’s folder. Depending on your level of access, you will find… Overview (summary) Courses (past/current) Tracking (summary of flags) Appointments (past/upcoming) Notes (you added/shared with you) Network (contacts for students) Anywhere you see a student’s name as a hyperlink will take you to their student folder.

Configure Your Profile Click your name in the top right corner of the Starfish screen. Edit your contact information. Upload your photo to help a student put a face to your name. Select the Upload Photo link. Browse for a photo on your desktop (JPEG, GIF, PNG). Click the Upload Now button. Complete the General Overview and My Biography sections so students can learn more about you. Click the Save button. Students will see your profile information when they click to view your online appointment calendar.

Set Appointment Preferences Click your name in the top right corner of the Starfish screen and click the Appointment Preferences tab.  Select your Minimum Appointment Length. Select your Scheduling Deadline – e.g., if appointments must be made by 5 p.m. the day before. Establish My Locations so students know where they can meet with you. Delegate Calendar Managers – colleagues who can see your calendar and make any edits/deletes.  Click the Save Button. When students sign up, they see time slots for the appt lengths you allow. If you check the box to allow walk-ins after the deadline, students will see this noted in your calendar.

Set Email Notification Preferences Click your name in the top right corner of the Starfish screen. Then, choose Email Notifications. Under Appointments Notifications and Tracking Item Notifications, set your preferences for if/when you want to be notified of appointments and flags. To receive iCal attachments, check the boxes to receive an individual email every time there is a new or cancelled appointment. Click the Save button. You can change your email notifications settings at any time.

Add Office Hours Click the Appointments tab. Then, choose Add Office Hours. Give your block a title. Indicate which day(s) of the week this block occurs. Specify the start and end time. Set the location. You can set up multiple locations by clicking your name in the top right corner of the Starfish screen and selecting Appointment Preferences. Enter any special instructions, or specify a Start/End Date if it is part of a series. Click the Submit button. How do I edit or delete? Click the icon to see options for managing your office hours blocks.

Schedule An Appointment Click the Appointments tab. Then choose the Add Appointment link. Search for a student name in the “With” field. Complete the fields to specify the date, time, and duration of the appointment. You will receive an email confirmation for this appointment. As the calendar owner, you can add appointments at any date and time, regardless of whether they occur within available blocks. Click Submit. Students can never see other students’ information. If a time slot is taken, it is marked as unavailable in your calendar.

Use Scheduling Wizard Click the Appointments tab. Click Scheduling Wizard. The Scheduling Wizard makes it easy for instructors and advisors to schedule multiple office hour blocks for multiple days in a single week. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Resources for Questions/Help Contact: Cindy Peel at cpeel@troy.edu or studentsuccess@troy.edu Find Help Online: Starfish now offers built-in help. Simply go to Starfish and click help in the upper right corner of the page.