Faculty Guide to Using Early Alerts

Early Alerts are a communication and support feature within the Viking Success system. They allow faculty to share timely, written feedback with students and, when needed, connect them with direct academic support. This guide explains how to choose the appropriate alert option and how to write effective notes.

An Early Alert allows you to:

• Communicate academic concerns directly to a student
• Provide clear, written feedback about performance or engagement
• Trigger additional outreach from academic support staff when needed

Every alert includes a written note from you.

That written note is the most important part of the alert.

Who Are Early Alerts Designed to Support?

Early Alerts are intentionally focused on students where timely feedback and outreach have the greatest impact on academic momentum and retention. During this review period, alerts are prioritized for the following groups:

• Students enrolled in gateway courses, developmental and pre-transfer courses within 12- and 15-week sessions, where early intervention can help prevent small challenges from becoming barriers to course completion.
• Students participating in Opportunity Programs (Viking ROADS, TRIO, and EOP) who are enrolled in gateway courses, developmental and pre-transfer courses and their other courses, as these students receive coordinated, proactive outreach from academic support teams.
• Student-athletes who are enrolled in gateway courses, developmental and pre-transfer courses and their other courses, as these students receive coordinated, proactive outreach from academic support teams and academic concerns may affect both eligibility and overall progress.

Focusing Early Alerts on these groups allows faculty feedback to be reviewed, shared, and acted upon efficiently ensuring students receive the right support at the right time.