Students of Concern & Academically At-Risk Students

ListenAcademically At-Risk and Interventions for Digital Learning Students

Digital Learning students may wander off or forget to log in to their course. A few will have legitimate reasons for not showing up; others might not. Faculty should play a proactive role in detecting these "at-risk" students. You should develop interventions to help the student regain their activity in the class. 

However, the question becomes when do you contact or "intervene?" You have to decide based on your course, assignments, and how likely it is for the student to make up or recover. If you are aware that a student is experiencing challenges or difficulties that worry you, please report the concern using the Student of Concern Form.  (Note: this link is a UCF specific form and institutions should have their own to implement.)


Think Students of Concern 

The Student of Concern Form allows students, staff, faculty, and <Replace -  Institution> community members to report concerning behavior exhibited by a student. 

The following signs of distress should raise concerns. These may be behaviors that you observe or that are reported to you by coworkers, other students, or faculty, etc. If you see any of these signs within a student, please submit a Student of Concern Form and provide some of the signs you've witnessed like those in the table below:

Online Behavioral Problems

  • Disconnection from classmates
  • Unruly online behavior/outbursts in chat/discussions
  • Inappropriate responses
  • Inability to communicate clearly
  • Loss of contact with reality
  • Written references to death, dying, or suicide.
  • Preoccupation with gaming, social media, or online personas

Online Academic Problems

  • Career and course indecision
  • Excessive procrastination
  • Uncharacteristically poor preparation/performance
  • Many requests for extensions/special considerations
  • Disruptive classroom/chat room behavior
  • Excessive absence/tardiness/infrequent or no login
  • Avoiding or dominating online discussions
  • References to suicide or harm to others in written/verbal statements or tests/exams

Interpersonal Problems

  • Always asking for help with personal problems.
  • Dependency
  • Withdrawing from social situations/online groups
  • Disruptive behavior
  • Inability to get along with others
  • Complaints from others

Unsure if a student needs to be reported or referred? Contact <Replace -  Institution>  Cares to learn more.