FLAGS, which stands for Fostering Learning, Achievement, and Graduation Success, is a university-wide project aimed at providing faculty, staff, and students the necessary tools and resources to enhance student success. The Office of Completion and Student Success, or OCSS, works with several campus partners to manage the day-to-day operations for FLAGS, and facilitates communication and decision-making between collaborating stakeholders.

In response to faculty requests for an early alert and feedback system and the ability to report class attendance, FLAGS first emerged in fall 2011 by rolling out the Student Performance Roster. Over the course of that time, IU faculty, staff, and students transitioned to a new learning management system, have become more interconnected to technology overall, and wanted a way to provide positive feedback.  Therefore, in spring 2018, a new tool launched to meet these needs – the Student Engagement Roster (SER). 

Beginning with the fall 2018 semester,  all campuses except IU Bloomington will be using only the Student Engagement Roster to provide feedback.  At IUPUI, IUPUC, IU Fort Wayne, IU Northwest, and IU South Bend, the Student Performance Roster will be re-designed to support the administrative withdrawl processes in use at those campuses; it can be used only for this purpose.  Faculty at IU Bloomington will continue to be able to use either roster to provide student feedback.  IU's focus remains on ensuring a communication network that enhances the student experience by providing timely, effective course feedback and recommending resources that support successful progress towards graduation.

One of the best resources for FLAGS, currently, is this website.  The For Faculty & Staff area translates the powerful conceptual framework of FLAGS into meaningful, actionable tasks for faculty and staff to utilize. The pages contained within the For Faculty & Staff area are intentionally designed to move from information into the workflow for providing feedback and closing the loop.

A few points to mention about the information about the FLAGS website.  First, the website timelines provide only a suggested design--each campus has developed its own specific timelines, which they convey to faculty.  Therefore, campus users are encouraged to seek out the more detailed, specific timeline for their campus.  Second, the resources come in multiple formats, so the user can watch an instructional video, download a Job Aid, or simply read through the website to assist in their understanding of this tool.  The final point is that the ability to “close the loop” on recommendations from faculty is now more integrated with the other areas of FLAGS, so be sure to review that information.

OCSS is available for concerns, suggestions, and issues through the FLAGS Initiative Contact Form found on the Contact page of the FLAGS website.  Most of the problems reported are resolved or followed up in collaboration with the campus leadership, University Information Technology Services (UITS), and other university partners.