Individual Student Outreach

Initiate

Initiate individual outreach by contacting the student directly. There are email templates available. The purpose of the signal is to open a supportive conversation with the student and find a route of care together, so the initial action will be the same regardless of the specific signal. Faculty should avoid diagnosing challenges, drawing conclusions, or imposing solutions, instead focusing on a meaningful solution built collaboratively.

• Assess the situation through conversation to find the root cause. Determine whether the difficulty is:
  • Academic/course-specific (e.g., struggling with course material, unclear expectations, missed content).
  • External/structural (e.g., work schedule conflicts, financial stress, health or wellness concerns, family obligations).
  • A combination of both (which is common).

It is important to approach these conversations with care and respect, recognizing that faculty are not expected to know or inquire into the full details of a student’s personal circumstances. The focus remains on understanding how the learner is experiencing the course and identifying supportive next steps within the faculty role.

A first-semester, first-year student with signals in weeks 2-4 represents a substantially higher overall retention risk than a student with signals at the same point in a later-year semester. Early-term signals in a student's first semester often coincide with the transition period where disengagement, if unaddressed, becomes permanent. Ontario evidence consistently identifies the first 4-6 weeks as the critical window for intervention (Finnie et al., 2017).

Therefore, a student who is logging in but failing assessments presents differently than one who has disappeared entirely, but in both cases the first step is the same; reach out. What changes are the actions to encourage success after the faculty member learns from the conversation and where they route the student afterward.

ASSESS

Consider the following:

1. Flexibility: Is this a situation where equity-driven accommodation or flexibility (e.g., extension, alternate format) could reduce barriers while maintaining learning outcomes?
   1. Can a missed test opportunity, retake, or resubmission of the assignment be offered?
   2. To learn more about missed tests and assignment resubmissions see Techniques to Support Mindful Assessment Design
2. Support: Could the student be provided with extra resources, directed to specific learning resources, or given tips to help study?
3. Variety: Could the student be provided with additional instructions verbally or with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to support the evaluation's success?
4. Expectations: Would clarification of expectations, providing example work, or offering targeted action-based feedback help this student move forward?
5. Communication: Can communication be framed to convey care, respect, and belief in the student’s ability to succeed?
   3. Are supports being offered in a way that invites collaboration rather than placing the burden of help‑seeking solely on the student?
6. Resources: Are there specific course or institutional resources (e.g., SALS, tutoring, learning strategies) that can be recommended or connected with this student?

SUPPORT

Faculty are positioned to offer supports within their course, clarify expectations, direct students to specific learning resources, or adjust support strategies. Ontario postsecondary research consistently demonstrates that students underutilize available support, even when they recognize they need them. In one large Ontario study, majorities of students reported not using services despite perceiving benefit, citing time pressures, stigma, and uncertainty about what to ask for (Dietsche, 2012). Nationally and internationally, help-seeking research confirms that approximately 84% of students perceive a need for support, yet only 34-38% access services (Auty et al., 2022; Lipson et al., 2019). While statistics show overall trends, and can be a powerful tool, they can reduce students lived experiences and overlook individual challenges. To face this challenge, faculty can use a proactive model, where they are the primary and most consistent point of contact with students to initiate outreach when support signals are present.

and/or

REFER

Route to appropriate services when needs extend beyond the course. Faculty can direct students to:

1. Student Academic Learning Services (SALS) — for academic skill development, tutoring, and learning support.
   1. Please note you can find a SALS referral form on ICE: SALS Referral Form STU61.pdf
2. Access and Support Centre (ASC) — for advising and accommodation planning.
   1. Please note ICE has multiple types of referral forms under ASC Such as counseling referral forms and peer coaching forms: Forms
3. Wellness Services — for mental health, personal counselling, and crisis support. This may also include First Peoples Indigenous Centre for Indigenous Students, International Students supports, 2SLGBTQQIA+ Supports, or the R.I.S.E Program. For a list of supports see On Campus Supports | Access and Support Centre
   1. Keep in mind: Equity-deserving groups may face distinct and compounding barriers to persistence including immigration-related stress, housing instability, limited social networks, biases or racism, and reduced access to some provincial supports, that are not visible in Course Progress Hub data. Faculty should be aware that signals for equity-deserving students may reflect systemic barriers beyond course performance and should be prepared to route these students to services and supports where available.
4. Financial Aid — for financial options.
5. Program-specific supports as applicable (e.g., program advisor, placement coordinator, student advisor).

Remember, the route of care should be developed collaboratively with learners, not imposed upon them. Solutions that are co‑created are consistently more effective than those that are directive or forced. Where possible introducing the student to the service by name, offering to connect them, and following up is preferable to simply providing a link or office name as a warm referral process that encourages students to seek additional support and destigmatizes asking for help. For example, you can walk with the student to the Access and Support Centre, SALS, FPIC, or the Wellness centre if they indicate they would like to explore one of those supports. Helping to lower the barrier to getting help can make a huge difference for students.

FOLLOW UP

Check in with the student at a subsequent point (e.g. within a week) to confirm the course specific action of care, or that they connected with the support(s) shared, and to reassess their course journey.

A single outreach without follow-up communication may be perceived that the intervention was procedural rather than genuine. A follow-up ensures an approach centered in care, communication, and relationship building. Even a brief second contact ("just checking in; were you able to connect with SALS?") shares that the concern is genuine.