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Starfish FAQ for Faculty & Staff 

What are the benefits for using Starfish?
  • Central platform displays comprehensive student "picture", allowing you to be more informed about how your students are doing.

  • One click of a button to share your student concerns with multiple campus service providers.

  • Reaching out to your students has never been easier; simply raise a tracking item (flag, referral or kudos) and Starfish sends the appropriate message. Watch the video on How to Raise a Tracking Item, or the Starfish When To Guide for Tracking Items for more information.

  • Office hours sync with your Outlook calendar. Watch the video on How to Set Up Your Office Hours for more information.

  • Students use Starfish to schedule appointments based on your preferences.

  • Manage and interact with your students by role.

Do I need to run my class any differently because I am using Starfish Connect?

Starfish should not change any of the best practices you use in your classroom (i.e. face-to-face conversations about progress). Starfish is not meant to replace these best practices, but to enhance communication with your students. Watch the video on How to Set Up Your Starfish Profile.

How do I view my students?

Students are viewable by clicking the Students tab at the top of the page.  To view all students, click on the "My Students" tab; to view flags, click on the "Tracking" tab. Please view the reference material for Faculty/Staff for specific and detailed information regarding filtered views of students.

What information can I see about my students?

Different information will be viewable depending on your relationship with the student.

How do I raise a tracking item (flag, kudos or referral) and what happens next?

Tracking items can be raised by clicking on a student and selecting the appropriate + flag/kudos/referral button. Watch the video on How to Raise a Tracking Item, for more information.

Are student-related comments/notes protected by FERPA?

Anything maintained electronically associated with a student’s file is considered confidential.  Only staff (instructor, adviser, or administrative) who have a need to see it, will be able to see it. 

What should not be reported in Starfish?

It is important for anyone recording notes regarding a student to understand that these notes are part of the student’s education record and subject to FERPA.

 Since FERPA gives the student the right to review any or all of their education record, these notes could be included in that review. Therefore, it is important that notes or comments be factual and objective and that employees who are recording notes or comments avoid making value judgments or using inappropriate language.