Early Progress Reports are formal e-mail alerts sent by instructors early in the semester to students who are earning grades below a C performance in one or more courses. Instructors use a tool in eLion to initiate these reports.
On-campus students who are included in this reporting process are undergraduates (degree, provisional, and nondegree-regular) who (1) were admitted as new, first-year students, (2) are in registered or scheduled status, and (3) have 27 or fewer cumulative credits. Some campuses may include additional students.
Our challenge is that we don't have traditional "freshman" in our World Campus courses. We have large numbers of undergraduate students bringing in transfer credits from other institutions, which often makes them look like the equivalent of sophomores, juniors, or seniors. As a result, we recommend that Early Progress Reports be completed for all of our undergraduate students. Even if these students are the equivalent of a sophomore or junior credit-wise, they could still find themselves challenged or overwhelmed by the rigor and level of study required to make progress at Penn State.
When do instructors complete Early Progress Reports?
- Instructors can submit Early Progress Reports anytime during the third through the sixth week of the semester.
- Students can view their reports on eLion through the seventh week.
- Advisers can view the reports through the end of the semester. (Each time an instructor sends an Early Progress Report to a student, a copy of the report is automatically e-mailed to the student's assigned academic adviser.)
How do instructors complete Early Progress Reports in eLion?
- In e-Lion, click on the "faculty" link and log in.
- From the left-hand menu, click on the link for "Early Progress Report." The resulting page will list all of your courses for which an Early Progress Report is available.
- Click on the appropriate radio button for each student to designate that student as making either "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory" progress. ( All of your undergraduate students in your courses should appear on your list.)
See http://www.psu.edu/advising/epr.htm for more information, including examples of the letters that students and advisers receive from eLion after an Early Progress Report is completed!
How can I do an Early Progress Report if my students don't show up in the eLion EPR list?
Most of our online students are working adult professionals who don't typically fall in the "freshman" category. But the idea of giving all students who are not progressing well a "heads up" is a good idea that can go a long way toward helping our students succeed. You are encouraged to take a few minutes to look at your gradebook and send an encouraging e-mail to anyone who might need your help and an extra "push." As is done with the formal Early Progress Reports, you would want to include:
- The reasons your student is making unsatisfactory progress
- Steps the student can take to improve his/her performance