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Web-Based Early Warning System
Instructors of freshmen students are asked to assess their students' progress and let them and their academic advisors know, via a web report on PAWS, if their performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
Beginning with the third week of the semester, instructors are able to enter feedback concerning a student's progress in a course. A faculty member can enter Never Attended, Satisfactroy, Unable to Assess, or Unsatisfactory. If "Unsatisfactory" is entered, the faculty member may indicate that a student's unsatisfactory progress is based upon attendance, assignment, quiz/exam, or participation. Because this information also appears on the web reports academic advisors receive about each of their assigned advisees, the faculty member may also add additional comments to assist the academic advisor in working with the student to improve his/her performance of the course.
Early Warning System Feedback Instructions
Frequently Asked Questions about the Early Warning System
What students are eligible to receive feedback on their performance via the Early Warning System?
The Early Warning System provides a mechanism for instructors to provide feedback for three populations of students:
Instructors that have students eligible for reporting in the Early Warning System enrolled in their classes will see an “Early Intervention Feedback” button on their PAWS class roster. Instructions on accessing the PAWS class roster and the Early Warning system can be found at the Early Warning Instructor Feedback Tool.
NOTE: The “Early Intervention Feedback” button is ONLY available on graded (lecture) sections of a course.
As an advisor, how will I know if I have Early Warning-eligible students in my caseload?
Advisors that have students eligible for reporting in the Early Warning System in their caseload will see an “Early Intervention Feedback” button on their PAWS “My Advisees” roster. Instructions on accessing the PAWS class roster and the Early Warning system are found at the Early Warning Adivsor Feedback Tool on PAWS.
When can instructors begin entering Early Warning feedback?
Instructors can begin entering Early Warning feedback as early as the second week of classes. This date is posted on the UWM “Important Dates & Deadlines” calendar within PantherLink.
What is the deadline for instructors to enter Early Warning feedback?
All feedback must be entered no later than the end of the fifth week of classes. This date is posted on the UWM “Important Dates & Deadlines” calendar within PantherLink.
How can I involve my teaching assistants in entering the Early Warning feedback?
In order for teaching assistants to enter Early Warning feedback, they need to be assigned as instructors on the graded (lecture) portion of the course. Contact your departmental schedule builder and request that they be added as instructors with an “Instructor Role” of TA and “Access” of Grade. TA’s assigned to the graded (lecture) portion of the course will then be able to enter feedback from that graded course section (not through the non-graded sections). TAs should be careful to only enter feedback for those students with whom they have had contact.
How do students receive the feedback entered by instructors?
When an instructor enters and saves Early Warning feedback, an email is automatically generated to the student which includes the performance assessment assigned by the instructor and any comments the instructor entered.
What methods can I use to assess student performance in the first few weeks of class?
Assessment information might include attendance, performance on quizzes/exams, participation in class discussions, etc. The Center for Instructional and Professional Development (CIPD) has posted suggestions for ways to assess student progress in small and large classes alike on their website.
Why is the Early Warning System deadline so early in the term?
UWM’s goal is to identify and connect with students who exhibit difficulty and/or disengagement very early in the term—before midterm grades/exams are historically calculated, processed, and disseminated—representing a more proactive alert system. By providing an early feedback mechanism, based on student behavior and/or performance during the first 4-5 weeks of class (e.g., students who miss class regularly, who are chronically tardy, who consistently fail to turn-in their assignments, or who rarely are prepared for planned class activities), we hope to be able to intervene with students in time to positively influence their performance in the course or even to help them successfully drop the course. Waiting until the traditional midterm/eight-week point often means that it is too late for a student to successfully turn their performance around and also means that they are beyond the allowable drop date for courses.
What is the deadline for advisors to enter Early Warning feedback?
All feedback must be entered no later than the end of the eight week of classes. This date is posted on the UWM “Important Dates & Deadlines” calendar within PantherLink. As an instructor, can I see what feedback other instructors assigned to the class and/or the advisors have provided to the student? By clicking on the “Other Instructor Feedback” and/or “Advisor Feedback” tabs within the Early Warning System, instructors can view all information that has been shared with a student.
Listen to the Early Warning System Podcast(March 2006)
Instructors of freshmen students are asked to assess their students' progress and let them and their academic advisors know, via a web report on PAWS, if their performance is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
Beginning with the third week of the semester, instructors are able to enter feedback concerning a student's progress in a course. A faculty member can enter Never Attended, Satisfactroy, Unable to Assess, or Unsatisfactory. If "Unsatisfactory" is entered, the faculty member may indicate that a student's unsatisfactory progress is based upon attendance, assignment, quiz/exam, or participation. Because this information also appears on the web reports academic advisors receive about each of their assigned advisees, the faculty member may also add additional comments to assist the academic advisor in working with the student to improve his/her performance of the course.
Early Warning System Feedback Instructions
- Instructions for Completing Instructor Feedback in PAWS
- Instructions for Completing Advisor Feedback in PAWS
Frequently Asked Questions about the Early Warning System
What students are eligible to receive feedback on their performance via the Early Warning System?
The Early Warning System provides a mechanism for instructors to provide feedback for three populations of students:
- Any student who has earned fewer than 24 credits (and is therefore classified as a freshman, regardless of how many semesters s/he may have attended UWM);
- Students at any academic level who are enrolled in the University via the Academic Opportunity Center (AOC); and,
- Students at any academic level who participate in the Life Impact Program
Instructors that have students eligible for reporting in the Early Warning System enrolled in their classes will see an “Early Intervention Feedback” button on their PAWS class roster. Instructions on accessing the PAWS class roster and the Early Warning system can be found at the Early Warning Instructor Feedback Tool.
NOTE: The “Early Intervention Feedback” button is ONLY available on graded (lecture) sections of a course.
As an advisor, how will I know if I have Early Warning-eligible students in my caseload?
Advisors that have students eligible for reporting in the Early Warning System in their caseload will see an “Early Intervention Feedback” button on their PAWS “My Advisees” roster. Instructions on accessing the PAWS class roster and the Early Warning system are found at the Early Warning Adivsor Feedback Tool on PAWS.
When can instructors begin entering Early Warning feedback?
Instructors can begin entering Early Warning feedback as early as the second week of classes. This date is posted on the UWM “Important Dates & Deadlines” calendar within PantherLink.
What is the deadline for instructors to enter Early Warning feedback?
All feedback must be entered no later than the end of the fifth week of classes. This date is posted on the UWM “Important Dates & Deadlines” calendar within PantherLink.
How can I involve my teaching assistants in entering the Early Warning feedback?
In order for teaching assistants to enter Early Warning feedback, they need to be assigned as instructors on the graded (lecture) portion of the course. Contact your departmental schedule builder and request that they be added as instructors with an “Instructor Role” of TA and “Access” of Grade. TA’s assigned to the graded (lecture) portion of the course will then be able to enter feedback from that graded course section (not through the non-graded sections). TAs should be careful to only enter feedback for those students with whom they have had contact.
How do students receive the feedback entered by instructors?
When an instructor enters and saves Early Warning feedback, an email is automatically generated to the student which includes the performance assessment assigned by the instructor and any comments the instructor entered.
What methods can I use to assess student performance in the first few weeks of class?
Assessment information might include attendance, performance on quizzes/exams, participation in class discussions, etc. The Center for Instructional and Professional Development (CIPD) has posted suggestions for ways to assess student progress in small and large classes alike on their website.
Why is the Early Warning System deadline so early in the term?
UWM’s goal is to identify and connect with students who exhibit difficulty and/or disengagement very early in the term—before midterm grades/exams are historically calculated, processed, and disseminated—representing a more proactive alert system. By providing an early feedback mechanism, based on student behavior and/or performance during the first 4-5 weeks of class (e.g., students who miss class regularly, who are chronically tardy, who consistently fail to turn-in their assignments, or who rarely are prepared for planned class activities), we hope to be able to intervene with students in time to positively influence their performance in the course or even to help them successfully drop the course. Waiting until the traditional midterm/eight-week point often means that it is too late for a student to successfully turn their performance around and also means that they are beyond the allowable drop date for courses.
What is the deadline for advisors to enter Early Warning feedback?
All feedback must be entered no later than the end of the eight week of classes. This date is posted on the UWM “Important Dates & Deadlines” calendar within PantherLink. As an instructor, can I see what feedback other instructors assigned to the class and/or the advisors have provided to the student? By clicking on the “Other Instructor Feedback” and/or “Advisor Feedback” tabs within the Early Warning System, instructors can view all information that has been shared with a student.
Listen to the Early Warning System Podcast(March 2006)