As our IU Indianapolis 2030 Strategic Plan states, “Student success is of paramount importance to our campus.” As a faculty member, you can make a significant difference in students’ success in your courses, at IU Indianapolis, and in their futures.
85%first-time full-time beginner retention
45%4-year graduation
67%6-year graduation
There is a lot on your plate as an instructor. That’s why we made supporting success as easy as one-two-three with these strategies and dates to remember.
Class attendance is critical to student success, as you know. Instructor-provided feedback gives students a clear path to success in your class and beyond. At IU Indianapolis, the Student Engagement Roster (SER) unites efforts to report attendance and provide feedback in an easy-to-use platform.
Powerful recent analyses of institutional data reveal that (controlling for nearly 100 other academic, financial, and demographic datapoints) SER reports received from faculty by Monday of Week 4 comprise our second strongest known predictor of end-of-semester GPA. Tens of thousands of outreach efforts across campus are triggered by SER reports each year, none of which could happen without up-to-the-minute information on student progress.
We know it can feel like the time spent reporting in SER may not be worthwhile. Due to FERPA, for example, faculty can have only limited knowledge about how your feedback is used to help specific students stay on track. However, we can reassure you—colleagues across campus depend on the insights your reports provide. Your SER entries are a key component of our prevention and early intervention strategy for academic success!
Find instructions, tips, and copy-and-paste feedback options with these SER resources.
81%read instructor-provided feedback
74%say SER feedback helps them feel positive about the instructor and learning environment
As a faculty member, you can create a class environment where students feel like they belong and matter—factors we know promote student retention.
Consider these light-lift ideas:
Sometimes, students earn an F grade due to poor performance. Other times, they may disengage and stop attending throughout the semester; in those cases, an FN or an FNN grade is the most appropriate. We have recently found that retention rates are about 20% worse among students receiving FN/FNN grades than students who complete the term but earn an F grade. So, there is strategic value in making sure students are assigned the correct grade for their situation.
An FN is best practice when a student attended class at least once, but their general lack of attendance is the basis for their failing grade. When awarding an FN grade, be prepared to provide the student’s last date of attendance or participation; this may be the last quiz or assignment they completed or, if you take attendance, a more exact date. If you do not take attendance, the last date that the student accessed the Canvas site for the course may be used.
An FNN grade is most appropriate when a student has never attended class.
As we collectively aim to advance the IU Indianapolis 2030 Strategic Plan metric to decrease DFW rates, reporting failing grades appropriately can help us distinguish our progress. This information is also required by auditors to comply with federal financial aid regulations.
When reporting final grades, enter FNs or FNNs for any students whose noncompletion of the course resulted in their failure. Last dates of attendance are required for FN grades but do not have to be exact; they can be “best guess” estimations.
