Campus News
August 19th, 2025
Early alerts making difference for GC students
System ensures struggling students obtain the support they need
Olivia Beitzel, an assistant professor of mathematics at Garrett College, said she has seen "how early support can completely change a student's trajectory."
Academic interventions work best when they take place in a timely manner – and Garrett College's Early Alert system has the data to prove it.
GC's Early Alert system allows faculty and staff to easily notify the Advising & Academic Success Center (AASC) when students appear to be struggling. Statistics from the 2024-25 academic year illustrate the system's impressive impact:
"Prior to implementing the Early Alert structure, advisors had no information on students' academic performance before midterm," said Ashley Ruby, director of GC's Learning Commons and academic success. "With Early Alert, we can more quickly identify students who are struggling and provide the appropriate intervention, whether it's tutoring, time-management skills, mental health support, or whatever other service a student needs."
Ruby said Garrett College's Early Alert system now kicks in during each semester's opening week.
"One of the first critical indicators in Early Alert is attendance," said Ruby. "Within the first week, we ask professors to let us know if a student isn't attending class in person or engaging in online courses. Attendance is actually one of the most accurate predictors of college success."
Olivia Beitzel, an assistant professor of mathematics, said she has seen "how early support can completely change a student's trajectory."
"The Early Alert system helps us connect them with resources before they fall too far behind, giving them the best chance to succeed," said Beitzel.
Dr. John Taylor, professor of education, said the Early Alert system is built on the philosophy that "communication and support are fundamental for college success."
"The Early Alert System provides that connection between students, tutors, staff, and faculty," said Taylor. "The Early Alert staff are a valuable resource for everyone associated with the College.
"Early intervention is key in helping students identify the resources the College has to support them in both academic and personal matters," added Taylor. "Support comes in many forms, and the avenues provided by the Early Alert system provide direction for students and faculty to follow."
Ruby noted the AASC continues to tweak Early Alerts to improve student success outcomes. She said improvement in 2024-25 outcomes over the previous year – including an 8 percent increase in grade improvement, 14 percent increase in satisfactory academic standing, and a 22 percent increase in next-semester retention – were at least partially the result of one of those tweaks.
"A large percentage of our full-time students are also student athletes," Ruby explained. "We made some changes to the way we provided interventions and assigned sanctions to student athletes.
"For example, if a student athlete was missing class for unwarranted reasons or not turning in assignments in a timely manner, we emphasized the gravity of those actions by holding them out of practices or games," continued Ruby. "We wanted to hold student athletes accountable – and because we have such a high percentage of student athletes, that tweak significantly improved college-wide outcomes."
Ruby said overall increases in student engagement rates also played a role in improved 2024-25 outcomes. Overall library circulation rose by 36 percent, group study room usage increased by 12 percent, and database engagement increased 11 percent.
"We've built some wildly popular events that have helped increase student engagement," observed Ruby, citing the Laker Launch Party as a prime example. "We host the Launch Party early each semester to introduce students to the Learning Commons spaces, available resources, and staff. We also show them how to sign up for a library card, request a group study room, and access a wide array of services."
Ruby said she was particularly pleased by the dramatic increases in attendance for the Joan Crawford Lecture Series, which brings monthly speakers to campus during the regular academic year.
"Attendance at Joan Crawford Lecture Series events increased by 42 percent for in-person and 93 percent in the virtual format," said Ruby, who credited Assistant Learning Commons Director Stephanie Miller for much of that increase.
"Stephanie has worked really hard to secure interesting lecturers in the series," said Ruby. "Faculty have also been very supportive, encouraging students to attend and even offering extra credit for them to do so.
"We've got another great series set for fall and are looking to finalize the spring 2026 schedule soon," Ruby continued.
