Advisor Training Day Spring 2012 May 18, 2012 Kim Osada, START Office

1. Use Your EARS!
Helping Students in Distress

2. EARS: Early Alert Response System
 EARS v.1 introduced Fall 2008
 EARS v.2 introduced Spring 2012
 Fall 2008: 64 Early Alerts submitted
 Fall 2011: 538 Early Alerts submitted
 Goal:Increase student
success and persistence
through early
intervention.

3. Top Reasons for Early Alerts…

4. The Importance of Early
Intervention

6. Academic Issues
Alerts can be placed on
students at any time, but
we’ve found that we can
do the most good during
the first 4-6 weeks of the
semester.

7. Personal Issues

8. EARS: Workin’ the System

9. To submit or respond to an Early Alert…
 Log into EIS and
search for “Early
Alert Homepage”
 Click on “Student
Early Alert”
 Add a new Alert or
Search for existing
Alerts by EMPL ID
or Student Name.

10. Documenting Early Alerts
 Each contact
attempt is
documented in the
“Alert Actions” box.
 For each contact
attempt, an Action
is selected from the
drop-down menu.
 Alert Notes should
be added for each
student contact.

11. In one “EAR” and out the other…
1. Alerts are immediately (and automatically!) routed to appropriate
offices.
2. Automatic confirmation email sent to initiator (instructor).
3. Worklist email created and sent through staff portal.
SMMC
Learning Center
CARE Team
Toulouse
Advisors
START Office

12. Responding to an Alert
What we have found:
Reaching the student:
 Mobile number listed in EIS
 UNT and Personal email
 Minimum of 3 contact attempts
 Follow-up
Ongoing EARS and FERPA training required for
responders!

13. Working with Distressed
Students
How to be a “positive” enabler

14. Situation #1
 You have contacted a student about her attendance
issues in PSCI 1040. You have gently reminded her
that attendance counts as part of her final grade and
asked if there is anything she thinks she needs to be
more successful in this class. She repeatedly
minimizes the issue saying, “It’s really no big deal.”
 How do you respond?
 Possible response:
 “I understand you don’t think it’s a big deal, but I want you
to know that I think it’s a big deal and I’d like to help you.
Missing class can have several negative effects such
as…”

15. Situation #2
 A student you advise wants to repeatedly “vent” to
you about his personal problems, but doesn’t want to
seek more appropriate help. When you bring up
going to a counselor, he responds with, “I can’t talk
with anyone else, you’re the only one that I trust. Tell
me what to do.”
 How do you respond?
 Possible response:
 “I’m glad you trust me. I want to help. That’s why I’m
advising you to talk with a counselor to help you figure out
what to do. Why don’t we call and make an appointment?”
Scenarios / responses are taken from The American University Counseling Center website.

16. Thank You!
Questions about EARS? Contact Kimberly Osada or Laura Flanders at 940-
565-4403
All dogs shown are available for adoption at Operation Kindness:
www.operationkindness.org