Product insight
by Jackie Sherlock,
Product Marketing and Community Engagement Manager,
Solutionpath
StREAM offers a range of features aimed at enhancing student success. One such feature, alerts, can be a game-changer in providing timely interventions and support. In this article, we’ll explore four ways in which alerts within StREAM can contribute to the success of students.
Understanding Alerts in StREAM
Before delving into the scenarios, let’s clarify what alerts in StREAM entail. These automated notifications are configured by universities to send emails when there are changes in engagement behaviour based on predefined criteria. Whether its alerting to changes in attendance, engagement scores, or interactions with resources, alerts provide a mechanism to identify individual students who may benefit from some sort of early intervention.
StREAM alerts offer institutions flexibility in who should receive the notifications and when, so you can be sure that the right person is alerted to changes at the right time to effect positive change.
1. Getting Off to a Good Start
Early engagement is a key indicator of future success, making the start of a student’s academic journey crucial. To facilitate a smooth transition, a university can leverage StREAM to create alerts that focus on the initial weeks of the term. For instance, an alert could be triggered if a student hasn’t yet engaged with the virtual learning environment or attended any classes within the first two weeks of term.
An initial alert could go to the student reminding them of how to access the VLE or signpost specific resources available to support them through the start of term. If the student still does not engage a follow up alert can go to their personal tutor and/or student support teams, prompting them to reach out, encouraging them to connect with the student, understand any challenges they may be facing, and provide guidance.
It’s important to approach such alerts with compassion, recognising that the start of term can be a challenging period for many students. Approaching student from a coaching and guidance perspective acknowledges common issues, such as difficulties with accessing technology, digital competencies or external factors like commuting problems and shows understanding. And, help to construct messages that encourage students to seek assistance, now and in the future.
2. Keeping on Track
As students’ progress through their studies, alerts can evolve from identifying non-engagement that signal potential risk. For example, an alert might be triggered if a student’s average engagement drops into a ‘low’ category for the first time or persists for an extended period.
Additionally, alerts can be set up to notify when a student hasn’t interacted with significant digital touchpoints, such as the virtual learning environment or lecture recordings, for a week. You can decide who gets notified first and what support is offered, this could be a simple signpost to useful information or an offer of a meeting with a personal tutor. This proactive approach enables personal tutor or student engagement staff to intervene and offer support before any issues escalate.
3. Celebrating Success
Contrary to common perception, alerts are not solely reserved for identifying potential challenges. Positive reinforcement plays a crucial role in student motivation. StREAM allows universities to set up alerts that celebrate student success, such as when a student moves into the ‘high’ engagement category for the first time.
Sending motivational messages not only acknowledges the student’s hard work but also opens doors to opportunities to offer peer mentorship or additional support. It’s worth noting that spending excessive time in the ‘very high’ engagement category may indicate a risk of burnout. Therefore, communicating with students in higher categories also becomes a valuable avenue to highlight good learning practices and offer resources for maintaining well-being.
4. Staying Motivated
It’s not just the students who are at the ends of the engagement spectrum that can benefit from alerting either. A simple message saying well done to a student who has attended all their sessions for a week can give them that reassurance that their work has been recognised, shows that you have noticed and care, things that all contribute to their sense of belonging.
In conclusion, StREAM alerts provide a proactive and effective means of supporting students throughout their academic journey. Whether identifying early challenges, intervening to keep students on track, celebrating successes or providing motivation, leveraging alerts ensures that institutions can tailor their support to the specific needs of each student, fostering an environment conducive to success.
Learn more about how StREAM works on our product page.
