Instructors using Blackboard or Canvas have the ability to create academic “flags” in our student retention software MyPLAN. Flags can be raised for Academic Performance, Attendance, and Missing Assignments. Students are alerted when you raise flags and these can help reinforce outreach you are already doing in and out of the classroom with your students.
A student’s academic advisor is alerted each time a flag is raised on one of their students and the flags are logged in the student’s advising record. These flags are invaluable in helping advisors have a better sense of how their students are actually doing in the classroom. Oftentimes students say all their classes are “fine” or “okay,” but if advisors can see that instructors raised concerns over poor test grades, multiple absences, or missing homework, they can have more informed discussions with their students. This is especially important for advisors working with students on academic probation who are at-risk for being academically dismissed from the university.
Instructions on how to raise flags in MyPLAN can be found here: http://go.unl.edu/raiseflags.