Information for Faculty

iAlert, using iAdvise to nudge students to success! Heading link

Early Alerts now uses iAlert, a component of iAdvise, to streamline communicating with students and advisors to assist students to succeed in their courses and successfully complete their degrees.

iAdvise is accessed through my.UIC.edu in the Faculty Staff tab. Instructions for entering alerts are found in each section below. (Short instructional videos are available! Access them below.)

*Keep in mind that iAdvise sends messages to students for each alert that is entered. Some suggestions for language that encourages students to take action are:

  • Be encouraging: reinforce that it’s normal for students to encounter challenges, and they need to know if they can pass the class IF they change what they’re doing now, while there’s still time (and if not, that withdrawing may be a better option to discuss with their advisor).
    • Example: “If you begin to get frustrated, be sure to communicate with me about your progress so I can provide support to you. I am confident you can learn this with the right support.”
    • (More examples taken from actual alerts raised by instructors are below.)
  • Be specific: There’s a difference between a “shouldvitation,” e.g., “You should come to office hours” and an invitation, e.g., “I’m hosting office hours this Thursday at 3pm.” Giving instructions will be more effective than giving suggestions. Direct students to at the very least email you (or their advisor).
  • Direct to resources: Give specific tutoring resources you recommend, or recommend a student work with a Peer Success Coach on soft skills (e.g., time management strategies, study skills, notetaking, reviewing the syllabus to calculate their grade, etc.), for example.

Below are some examples from Early Alerts sent by UIC Faculty in previous administrations.

Instructions for Faculty

There are alerts in a range of courses:

Early Alerts Courses Heading link

Instructor Open Hours Drop In Times for assistance with early alerts