Starfish for Faculty
ECTC instructors use the Starfish application to provide students in their courses with feedback on their class performance by using the Starfish tool options such as:
- Flags
- Indicators that the student may be off-track in the course in one or more academic areas.
- Referrals
- Resources on campus that students may be able to use for achieving success in the course.
- Kudos
- A pat on the back, a thumbs up, a good job indicator for the students who are on track.
Instructor feedback is available to the students via their ECTC email account and also within the Starfish web application.
Why are we using Starfish?
Starfish is first and foremost a retention tool. It is meant to facilitate communication between faculty, students, and support services.
How do I login to Starfish?
Starfish can be accessed through MyPath. Once you are in Starfish, you can enter your office hours, submit feedback on students, and review feedback on your advisees.
Early Alert Questions
Can students see my comments in Starfish?
- In almost all cases, the students can see your comments. Best practice is to write your comments as if you were speaking directly with the student.
What is a non-academic referral?
- This is a flag that can be raised if a student discloses personal issues to you and you want to connect them with the appropriate resources. Non-academic referrals are only seen by certain employees and typically result in a referral to a community resource.
I raised flags on a student. Now what?
- Most flags refer the student back to the instructor for guidance. However, when a student accumulates six or more flags, the Starfish response team will reach out. Notes from outreach efforts are included in the student's file and in most cases, you will receive an email with comments from the response team once contact has been made.
My advisees have flags or referrals. What do I do?
- We ask that you review whatever feedback was submitted through Starfish with students during your advising session. Starfish will track flags so if you would like a report of your advising activity, be sure to clear the flags you address with your advisees. Clearing a flag is a simple two-step process. Once you pull up the flag, click on the down arrow and hit Clear Flag. You have the opportunity to include comments to document your discussion.
What if the timing for the surveys doesn't match the timeline for my class?
- We understand and respect that every faculty member has their own pace and content. If you are unable to submit feedback during the first survey, you have the option of submitting the survey without providing any. However, we encourage you to provide feedback in the system throughout the semester and on the later progress surveys.
What measures are the System Office looking at in terms of student success and effectiveness?
- There are three ways the System Office reports data to the leadership:
- Percent of students with flags/referrals raised that successfully complete the course
- Percent of students who have failed a course that did have flags/referrals raised
- Number and percent of faculty that are actively using flags/referrals for students
Connect Questions
Why should I put my office hours in Starfish?
- There are many reasons to utilize the Connect piece in Starfish. It can be a time-saving tool since students can self-schedule with faculty. No more back and forth trying to firm up a meeting time! Also, it helps staff across campus facilitate the scheduling process so students can schedule early in their registration window. Added bonus: Starfish will communicate with Outlook so no need to maintain two calendars!
Will students be able to see my personal appointments?
- No. If you already have something scheduled, students will only see that you are unavailable.
What if I need to cancel or change my office hours?
- You can easily do both in the system! If you cancel an office hour block, you can even include a message to anyone already scheduled.
Other Questions?
- Please contact us at ECTCAdvising@kctcs.edu.
