Submit an Early Alert concern
If you're a faculty or staff member, log in to complete an Early Alert concern.
What is Early Alert?
The Early Alert program provides proactive support and intervention for students to address challenges they may be facing before these become overwhelming.
How does Early Alert work?
Early Alert allows faculty, staff, and TAs to intervene early and identify concerns about students in a coordinated way. Through collaboration, empathy, and a commitment to student empowerment, we strive to foster a supportive and inclusive campus community that prioritizes student growth, resilience, and achievement.
The Early Alert team is available to consult with faculty and staff to provide guidance and expertise in navigating student cases to ensure comprehensive support and a holistic approach to student success.
Please note Early Alert is not intended for reporting emergencies or sexual violence. For an emergency on campus, contact UBC Vancouver campus security, UBC Okanagan Campus Security or the RCMP (9-1-1).
To help maintain student privacy, consider referring reports of sexual or gender-based violence to UBC SVPRO. When submitting an Early Alert, focus on indicators of concern without explicitly mentioning sexual violence. This empowers students to decide how much information they want to share. You may also connect students with Managers (Student Support Services) overseeing early alerts.
For UBC Vancouver, contact Student Support Services Managers and for UBC Okanagan contact Student Support and Case Management.
When to use Early Alert
When appropriate, reach out to or follow-up with students directly if you notice they might need assistance, and refer them to on-campus resources. In addition, you can identify your concerns through Early Alert to enhance your support.
Concerning behaviours might include:
- Marked decrease in academic performance
- Marked change in mood or behaviour
- The student appears unusually withdrawn or distracted
- The student has stopped responding to emails or attending class
- The student discloses personal issues they are struggling to manage
- Any other behaviour that indicates the student might be facing difficulties
After an Early Alert is submitted
Managers of Student Support Services assess and manage information submitted to Early Alert by faculty and staff, tailoring their response based on the severity and nature of each student concern. If a student requires specialized assistance, a responder - the Manager or an assigned advisor - will promptly reach out via phone or email. The responder will discuss the concern with the student and offer to connect them with relevant resources and supports which may include academic advising, financial advising, counselling, health services or other appropriate resources. Undergraduate students can expect contact from an academic advisor, while graduate students will be supported by a non-academic staff or faculty advisor.
How to talk to students about Early Alert
When submitting an EA, let the student know that you are connecting them to student support services.
Part of having a caring community means looking out for each other and reaching out offering assistance when we notice signs of difficulty in others. Early Alert helps build a more caring community that can more effectively support student learning, wellbeing, and success. To facilitate referrals, let students know that we care about them and their ability to succeed.
You can include Early Alert information in course syllabi. The information below has been adapted for your use:
During the term, I will do my best to reach out and offer support If I am concerned about your wellbeing or academic performance. I also encourage you to come and speak with me if you need assistance.
In addition, I may identify my concerns using Early Alert. The program allows academic, financial, or mental health concerns to be identified sooner and responded to in a more coordinated way. This provides you with the earliest possible connection to resources like academic advising, financial advising, counselling, or other resources and support to help you get back on track.
The information is treated confidentially and is sent because I care about your wellbeing and academic success. For more information, please visit earlyalert.ubc.ca.
Additional Information, Consultative Services, and Training
Contact Early Alert Vancouver or Early Alert Okanagan if you would like to schedule a time to consult about a student case or if you are interested in attending or scheduling a training session.
- Online Early Alert Training Modules
- Introduction to Early Alert, Training for Faculty and Staff:
- How Early Alert simplifies the process for faculty, TAs, and staff to connect students of concern with campus resources and supports
- The kinds of concerns that are appropriate to submit within Early Alert
- How Early Alert protects student privacy and confidentiality
- Early Alert Responder Training:
- How Early Alert simplifies the process for connecting students with concerns to campus resources and supports.
- The early indications that a student may be experiencing difficulties and how to submit an Early Alert concern
- How Early Alert protects student privacy and confidentiality
- How comprehensive support and action plans are coordinated for students
- How advisors and the Early Alert team coordinate outreach to students
- How to respond to students in distress
Faculty and staff are here to support your learning and success. When you are facing difficulties, they may reach out to you directly. They may also identify their concerns using Early Alert.
Early Alert is meant to provide support to any student who might need assistance because of a temporary setback or an ongoing difficulty that puts their academic success at risk. It is not a disciplinary program.
When an Early Alert is submitted, Managers of Student Supports Services review the information sent by faculty and staff and identify the most appropriate resources to support you. If you are an undergraduate student, an academic advisor will contact you to discuss the concerns and offer to connect you with relevant resources and support. If you are a graduate student, support will be offered by a staff or faculty advisor not directly involved with your academic supervision. You cannot “opt out” of Early Alert, but you can choose whether you want to accept support.
Information sent to Early Alert is not associated with your academic record or decisions related to funding or academic progress. This information is not accessible to anyone other than authorized advisors directly involved in supporting your success. The system is closed, and all records are kept confidential. Faculty and staff logging a concern are not able to see if other concerns have been raised in the past. If you have concerns about your privacy, please contact the Early Alert team for more information.
Students cannot submit Early Alerts to identify concerns about other students. Please speak with a faculty or staff, or click here to view options to seek support if you are a student concerned about another student.
Can students use Early Alert to refer themselves or to identify concerns about other students?
No. Only faculty and staff can identify concerns about students through Early Alert. Students should contact resources at their respective campus.
Does EA affect students’ academic records, or decisions related to funding or academic progress?
No. Information sent to Early Alert is in no way associated with students’ academic records, funding decisions or decisions related to academic progress.
What if students think of Early Alert as a form or surveillance or have concerns that Early Alert could have a negative effect on them?
Part of having a caring community means that when we notice signs of difficulty in others, we reach out and offer support. Early Alert complements the way that faculty and staff are already looking out for the wellbeing of students and reaching out when they notice that a student may need assistance.
The Early Alert program is not a disciplinary program and is not meant to be a form of surveillance for evaluating or reprimanding students. Instead, the goal of Early Alert is to help provide students with relevant resources and support as soon as possible so that they are better able to meet their academic goals.
How does EA affect student privacy?
Early Alert helps protect student privacy by providing a secure way for concerns to be identified, coordinated, and responded to. The system is closed, and all records are kept confidential. Faculty and staff logging a concern are not able to see if other concerns about the student have been raised.
Information is shared on a need-to-know basis and restricted to the Early Alert team and advisors who are responsible for coordinating information and outreach. Only information needed to effectively support the student is shared with those directly involved in offering the support.
Students, faculty, and staff who have privacy concerns should contact the Early Alert team.
Can a student “opt out” of the Early Alert program?
No. Students cannot “opt out” of Early Alert, but they can choose whether they would like to accept support. Except in situations where someone’s safety is at risk, students have the right to accept or decline the support offered.