Faculty’s perceived values of early alert systems and predictive analytics at broad access institutions of higher education

The purpose of this study was to explore faculty perceptions of early alert systems at broad access institutions. The specific interests in this study included what faculty perceived were the values of early alert systems in helping to identify at-risk students, their roles and responsibilities in utilizing early alert systems, the use of predictive analytics in helping to identify specific supports for at-risk students, and their recommendations for higher education administrators for engaging faculty in the use of early alert systems.

This qualitative collective case study was conducted at a four-year broad access institution in the Midwestern region of the U.S. Participants were 15 purposefully selected faculty who had a basic understanding of the early alert system used at the study institution and who had a basic understanding of predictive analytics. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, observations, field notes, and other documents. The data analysis process occurred through the constant comparative method, and coding for themes using open and axial coding. In addition, the tenets of credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability were also used and employed to ensure trustworthiness.

The results of this study indicated that the participants valued early alert systems because they could be used to facilitate student success and to increase campus collaboration and communication. However, the participants had concerns about its overall functionality. The results also indicated that the participants’ perceived that retention initiatives needed to be better communicated and institutionalized in order to establish importance among faculty. The results further indicated that the participants’ perceived that predictive analytics could be used to promote student success, although they had overall concerns with the use of predictive analytics relative to tracking students.

The results of this study suggest several implications and recommendations for higher education practice. Implications include, that institutions who use early alert systems need to discuss faculty’s values around early alert systems or these systems will continue to be under-utilized. If administrators are unable to fully engage faculty in the adoption and use of these systems, they will be less efficient and effective in helping institutions retain and graduate students. If institutions choose not to fully engage faculty in the decision-making processes of adopting and using predictive analytics then these tools will not be as successful. Finally, if early alert systems are not aligned and tied to the institution’s values, mission, and strategic planning process these systems may fail.

The recommendations include broadly communicating the values of the institution around the use of early alert systems. Include faculty in all processes of acquiring, implementing, and the ongoing retention efforts at the institution along with communicating the outcomes of the early alert system. Administrators need to address any concerns around using predictive analytics, and present clear expectations and responsibilities of faculty around the use of these systems.

Recommendations for future research include a qualitative study that considers the perspectives of staff and at-risk students, and a quantitative design to understand the direct impact of alerts raised by faculty and the use of campus resources. A quantitative study determining how incentivizing faculty may promote the use of early alert systems could be beneficial. Finally, a mixed method study of how different training approaches may impact faculty engagement with these systems could advance higher practice on this topic.