All University of Missouri students now have access to MU Connect, which is accessed online through Blackboard.
MU Connect features two components: Connect and Early Alert. Connect provides a one-stop shop that connects students to support offices and individuals who can assist, and facilitates meaningful contact between students and their advisers, instructors, tutors and other campus personnel. Early Alert is an early warning and student tracking system that identifies concerns raised by an instructor regarding a student’s academic performance. Read more about the program here.
The goals are to improve the student success rate (also referred to as retention rate), increase the graduation rate and decrease the time it takes to graduate.
“MU Connect has proven to be a valuable tool for all involved: instructors, advisers and, most importantly, students,” said Tina Balser, coordinator of the Student Success Initiatives. “The response from the students has been encouraging.”
“Previously, there was no easy way for me to be in touch with [students’] advisers,” said Darcy Krasne, visiting professor in the classical studies department. “I had to rely on the students themselves to read emails from me, take notice of their problems, understand why there were problems and approach the correct people in order to deal with those problems.”
Recently, Krasne used MU Connect to convey academic concerns about students to the students’ adviser. “I was able to explain what the students had failed to do, and he could then reinforce it from a different angle and keep an eye out as necessary,” Krasne said. “It is good to know that the information isn’t going ignored.”
— Josh Murray