Retention and Student Success

Faculty & Staff Resources

As a faculty or staff member at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), you are a critical component of the institutional mission to retain, and ultimately graduate, students. Research shows that faculty provide a tremendous influence in a student’s decision to stay in school.

To help support and strengthen this commitment, the Office of Retention and Student Success provides you with a variety of resources and tools. We hope that you will utilize them and aid in our philosophy that “Graduation Starts Today.”

Start-Up Student Success

Research suggests that quality faculty interaction is a critical factor in student success. Start-Up Student Success is a recommended set of simple activities for faculty to utilize during the first four weeks of the semester that will greatly enhance your student’s opportunity for success.

• 1. Require attendance for the first four weeks of the semester.
  2. Get to know the names of every student in your class.
  3. Ensure that students understand what is expected of them to achieve success in the class.
  4. Establish learning communities within the class setting. You can also encourage students to utilize messaging systems within Blackboard to set up their own learning communities or study groups.
  5. Have assessments/graded assignments within the first few weeks in order to provide feedback to students about how they are doing in your course.
  6. Raise a flag or a Kudo in Starfish to demonstrate the support for students who are struggling as well as those who have achieved success.
  7. Participate in the EASE program early. Within the first 5 weeks, we would like for faculty to assess student success in the course and raise concerns as soon as they are evident. Concerns include low performance and attendance, poor performance, and being at risk of failing the course.

EASE Program

What is the EASE Program?

EASE stands for the Edwardsville Academic Success Evaluation. This is a process that faculty should engage with in order to communicate to students and their academic advisors about issues the student is having in the course that could impact student success in the course. The evaluation is done through the Starfish Retention platform. Within Starfish, faculty can provide information regarding the student’s current grade, attendance issues, and other areas that may hinder a student from being successful.

The Office of Retention and Student Success, in collaboration with advising units and other departments on campus, will work with students on a plan to move back toward personal success.

How does EASE work?

Beginning in Fall 2020, after the 5^th week of the semester, an email will be sent to all faculty members. On the assessment, faculty will be able to provide information regarding any student’s grade, attendance or other information for staff members to follow up.

Staff members will then attempt to work with the student to address the issues in the class, create an action plan to increase their success in the course, or adjust the student’s course schedule to help the student be academically successful during that term.

Whom do I contact with questions?

Dr. Geoff Edwards is the Director of Retention and Student Success and oversees the EASE program. Dr. Edwards can be reached at 618-650-5390 if a faculty member has any questions about how the EASE program or process.