Establishing a robust early alert system: process and lessons learned

Community colleges have been working over many years to pinpoint the best strategies
for building and maintaining students’ success at completion of goals. Research confirms there
is not one but a combination of methods that best suits each community college and even each
student. Additionally, community colleges have found that it is not always about increasing
enrollment, but it is just as important to focus on retaining current students.
This product dissertation describes the key elements of creating an early alert system to
identify students who may have barriers to success. The guide includes suggested steps that
other community colleges can take to develop and maintain an early alert system, as well as
advice from a small, urban community college based on the lessons they learned while
developing their own robust system.
Building a robust early alert system can help community colleges move ahead in the
realms of student success by involving faculty, leadership, staff, and students in the
development and implementation phases. This dissertation provides examples and evidence in
order to serve as a working guide for the future.