Summary 

Problem/Opportunity: Most Early Alert Reasons create a case within the NavMSU system that needs to be resolved. The number of alerts issued creates an overwhelming backlog. This backlog prevents the Early Alert Program Manager from being able to provide effective intervention services to students. In addition, cases cannot be closed in a timely manner. Open cases delay communication with professors and instructors, leaving them wondering if anything has been done to assist the students they’re concerned about.  

This presents an opportunity to improve the Early Alert case management model at Montana State University - Bozeman. In the spirit of recent organizational changes under President Tessman and VP Swinford and calls to action from the university’s recent re-accreditation, the Early Alert Program Manager will develop relationships with and encourage participation in a system that capitalizes on students’ scholarship affiliations.  

Benefits: The benefits of this model include quicker response times because more staff will be reaching out to students. Increased and unified record keeping by using NavMSU as the single tool for appointments, appointment summaries, and case management. More staff with which students can meet to receive the academic resources needed to succeed. Faster case resolution providing professors with information about their students. 

 

Case Management Model 

The Early Alert Program Manager (PM) will monitor incoming Alerts. When the PM finds a student affiliated with a scholar group(s), the PM will assign ownership of the case to the designated Case Manager of that group (Montana 10, Hilleman, TRIO, AIAN, etc.). That Case Manager is responsible for sending outreach from their program to encourage students to meet and/or engage with campus resources to improve their academic performance. Case Managers may choose methods for outreach best for their program and staffing considerations. For example, the Case Manager may choose to use the “assignee” option within a NavMSU case to delegate follow-up to a staff member or manage all the cases themselves. Ultimately, the Case Manager is responsible for closing the case. 

Expectations 

The expectations of the Early Alert Program are that Case Managers: 

  • Attempt to contact a student at least twice 
    • one of those attempts should be by phone or text 
  • Add case notes 
    • log contact attempts and their results 
    • topics of conversation 
    • agreed-upon next steps 
    • if an additional advising meeting was scheduled, etc. 
  • Close your case within two weeks of assignment 

Success Advising Meetings 

It is the opinion of the Early Alert Program that in-person meetings with students are best. However, virtual meetings and phone calls are also acceptable. Ultimately, the goal of outreach is to contact students, guide them to appropriate academic and/or wellness supports, and help them change trajectories. 

Scheduling 

Use NavMSU to schedule your success advising appointments. If you are not established in NavMSU, contact the Nav Team in the Registrar’s office for assistance. 

Appointment Summaries 

Log the topics of conversation, agreed-upon next steps, whether a follow-up meeting is scheduled, etc. Check all appropriate/related boxes. Provide helpful details with the understanding that your notes are subject to FERPA regulations. 

Report on Appointment 

Like Appointment Summaries, the “Report on Appointment” function located on student profile pages in the righthand navigation, allows you to summarize unscheduled meetings. If you make contact by phone, for example, in addition to logging the result of the call in your case notes, use the Report on Appointment tool to log your notes like any other scheduled meeting. 

Case Notes vs. Appointment Summaries 

Case Notes can only be seen by individuals associated with the case, e.g. PM, Case Manager, Assignee. The student, faculty, and other staff cannot see your case notes (with one exception explained in the next section). Appointment Summaries can be seen by everyone who has access to the student’s History in NavMSU. This is helpful to other stakeholders in the student’s success. Therefore, it is important that Case Managers and Assignees log both note types. Faculty want to know the results of their submitted alerts. 

Closing a Case 

 A goal of the Early Alert Program is to provide timely information to faculty about the alerts they submitted. It is an expectation that Case Managers do their best to reach out, meet with (ideally), educate students about academic resources, coach students on improved study methodologies and strategies, and close a case within two weeks of assignment. 

As mentioned above, only those associated with a particular case can see Case Notes. When a note is added, the associated staff is notified by email. Similarly, associated staff are notified with an update when a case is closed. However, the faculty/staff member that opened the case via alert is sent a specific message about the case being closed. 

When closing a case, it is required that you choose an appropriate Closing Reason from the drop-down menu, and it is important to include a closing note and check the box that will include your note in the Case Closed notification email. Your closing note should provide a summary of your outreach attempts, and the results of your outreach efforts including whether contact was ever made. This note may be the faculty member’s only summary of our work they read.