Dear Faculty Colleagues,
Course progress rosters are now open for faculty review and action. The course progress system tracks student engagement and allows you to flag academic or personal concerns early—no matter how minor these concerns might seem to you.
Prompt reporting by faculty relatively early in the semester enables administrative deans and academic advisers to coordinate timely support, giving students the opportunity to adjust and succeed before falling behind.
How course progress reports work
Students struggling in one subject often face challenges across multiple courses. Administrative deans gather course progress reports reports to identify broader patterns and step in when two or more alerts are raised for a single student.
One of the strongest early warning signs of academic trouble is absenteeism. While formal alerts are tied to mid-semester and exam periods, please notify an administrative dean anytime a student exhibits noticeable difficulties, from missed classes or poor grades on individual assignments to broader concerns.
Please know that students and faculty advisers will receive copies of the course progress alerts in their Colgate email accounts. Students who receive alerts will be encouraged to meet with you, their academic adviser, and their administrative dean for help in making improvements. Again, your feedback conveyed through these reports is important, especially for first-year students.
How to issue a course progress alert
Course progress alerts are available directly within the Colgate portal. Select the appropriate class from the Faculty Dashboard to see your course roster. Clicking on this link will bring up a form for that student that allows you to select from several different concerns (this can be customized using the "Other" checkbox, which allows you to add your own text) and to select from a list of recommendations for the student. You will also have space to add an optional note that will be visible only to the student's administrative dean. After you have filled in the appropriate information, you should review the course alert. Once you are satisfied with the course alert memo, you must press the "Approve and submit" button at the bottom of the screen. The course alert will immediately be sent to the student via email with a copy sent to the academic adviser, administrative dean, and all faculty members listed as the instructors of record for the course.
Importance of timing
The purpose of this system is to identify issues proactively so that students can get the assistance they need to improve the quality of their work. Even so, some students may elect to withdraw from your course with a grade of "W." This semester, the last day to withdraw with a "W" is Wednesday, October 28, by 4:30 p.m. We strongly recommend submitting course progress alerts well before this date, to allow students time to consult with their academic adviser and administrative dean about their best course of action.
Many thanks in advance for your help in ensuring our students have the best opportunities for academic success.
Sincerely,
Lesleigh Cushing, Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Mark S. Siegel University Professor in Religion and Jewish Studies
Paul J. McLoughlin II, Vice President and Dean of the College