EAB Starfish

Starfish allows faculty to identify students who need assistance because of poor academic performance, class participation, and/or attendance issues, and refer them to an Academic Coach who can help the student access appropriate support systems. This type of intrusive advising has been demonstrated to be effective in increasing the retention and overall academic performance of a variety of high-risk students.

Providing intervention assistance early in the semester is critical to student persistence and completion. The earlier an academically at-risk student is identified, the better the prognosis for success. Therefore, the program targets ALL students, not just freshmen or students in specific academic programs, during the initial four weeks of the fall and spring semesters. However, the system may be used throughout any semester.

Both the course instructor and the coach should explain that the referral does not mean the student will fail, nor will it be reflected in their academic transcript. The referral simply means that the instructor is concerned about certain issues that might present an obstacle to the student's success.

TSC faculty are recommended to:

• Check in with students periodically.
• Update assignments and grades periodically. It is imperative that students know if they are passing a course.
• Utilize Starfish throughout the semester to track student performance issues for immediate intervention. Faculty may also use Starfish to provide “Kudos” to students who are excelling in their courses. For more information about how to use Starfish, faculty may contact their Department Chairs
• Faculty must enter their office hours into TSC Self-service at the beginning of each semester in order to populate Simple Syllabus and Starfish.
• Please note that students are only permitted withdrawal from six courses on their transcripts.