ARTICLE INTENDED FOR:
Faculty and Staff users of Starfish

INTRODUCTION:
Starfish allows instructors and advisers to provide feedback to students at any time of the semester through the Flag and Kudos buttons. Each role provides access to a different set of Flags and Kudos. For example, only Instructors and TAs can provide feedback about a student's progress in a course.  

Flags and Kudos can be raised at any time of the semester.

Even if you teach a large course or have no grades to report, you still have access to vital student information that should be shared via Starfish.

Some early data points to look for include:

• Missing homework assignments, quizzes, or exams
• Missing clicker submissions or other indicators of participation
• Absences from lecture, recitation, or lab sections

If similar concerns are registered by multiple instructors, this could signal larger problems about a student’s academic performance or even, in extreme cases, that a student is missing or in crisis.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Log in to Starfish.

2. Click on the triple bar navigation icon in the upper left to open the navigation menu.

3. Go to the Students section.

4. Select the desired Connection (e.g., a particular course section).

5. Check the box for the desired student(s).

6. Choose the Flag button to raise a warning or choose the Kudos button to provide neutral or positive feedback.

7. Select the desired Flag or Kudos from the selection list.

8. Select the Course Context.

9. Add a comment, if desired.

10. Click Save.

Once you click Submit, Starfish starts generating emails to students, their assigned advisers, and creating a tracking item in each student's Starfish folder. This can take some time to completely process.

LINKS:

• Log in to Starfish: http://starfish.psu.edu
• Information on Early Progress Reporting
• Faculty Senate Policy on progress reporting
• Provide Information to Student’s Academic Support Network
• Messages sent to students and their support network when Flags or Kudos are raised
• Complete a progress survey (Instructors and TAs only)
• Use Canvas grades with the Zoom In feature (Instructors and TAs only)
• Get help with Starfish