Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for responding and lowering an alert?
My student is continuing to exhibit the same at-risk academic behavior. Why has the alert been lowered?
How do I add additional information to an alert upon submitting it?
When should I submit alerts?
What can students see in Beacon?
Do faculty have access to Beacon?
Who is responsible for responding and lowering an alert?
Responding to an alert and lowering an alert are distinct actions and may not always occur simultaneously.
Responding to an alert: Anyone on the student’s success network with useful information should respond to an alert. At the very least, the student’s major advisor should respond. This lets the person who created the alert know that the alert has been acknowledged and some action is being taken with that alert.
Lowering the alert: In many cases, the student’s major advisor or a professional advisor will lower the alert. In cases where the "Academic Coaching Referral" category was selected, a staff member in the Academic Coaching Experience Department will lower the alert.
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My student is continuing to exhibit the same at-risk academic behavior. Why has the alert been lowered?
Unfortunately, not all students will be receptive to communication or assistance offered by those on their success networks. After a reasonable period of time passes and no resolution is reached, the alert will be lowered. This ensures that Beacon users can easily identify new alerts coming into Beacon.
The student’s advisor will still be able to use the information in any future meetings with the student.
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How do I add additional information to an alert upon submitting it?
It may be necessary to provide additional information to a previously submitted alert. To add more information, hover above the alert and click the plus sign that appears. Select “Add Comment.”
Note, selecting “Update” under the Pick Notification Type will not update a previously submitted alert. Instead, it will create a separate update on the student’s profile and in your notification stream.
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Earlier is better when submitting alerts. Submitting an alert early provides more time for those that are on the student’s success network to help the student. Do not just wait until midterms.
You may submit alerts later in the semester. However, indicate in the alert whether or not it is possible to pass the course given the amount of points still available in your course. This will help the advisor understand if the student can still pass or needs to drop the course.
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What can students see in Beacon?
Students can see the Assessments tab and the Involvement tab, as well as their success network and the alerts/updates that have been made available to them in their success stream. Note that at this time, the assessments have been disabled so that a student will not see his or her results. You may enter Beacon as a student here.
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Do faculty have access to Beacon?
In general, faculty will not utilize the Beacon site as an advisor would. Only faculty advisors will have access to Beacon. Faculty should be using the Faculty Experience to make alerts about students on their course rosters.
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