Spartan Connect FAQs

Browse commonly asked questions about our Spartan Connect platform below.

• What is Spartan Connect?

  • Spartan Connect is an electronic platform that brings students together with specific campus resources to promote academic success. Spartan Connect facilitates early identification of students who may need additional support and allows for timely intervention critical to assisting our students on their path to graduation.

    Spartan Connect also serves as a central data collection point for student data related to student success.

• What is a Spartan Connect Progress Report?

  • Each term, the advising community on campus collaborates to run a Progress Report campaign out of Spartan Connect. The campaign has several components:

    -Prior to “launching” the campaign in weeks 4-6 of the semester, we send email to the faculty and students who will be  included  to let them know the timing of the campaign launch and to provide some context for the purpose of the campaign.

    We also encourage faculty to include information about Spartan Connect in their syllabus. Here is an example of language that could be included:

    “Our campus has implemented Spartan Connect to bring students together with specific campus resources promoting academic success. I have agreed to participate in this program and may refer you to it if I believe you need additional support services to succeed in this course.”

    -Several weeks into the semester, we will launch the campaign with email requests to faculty members to “create an alert” that will notify the advising community when a student in their class would benefit from additional support.

    -When a notification is created, the student will be contacted by the appropriate advising or support resource. The faculty person who created the notification (the system calls this an “alert”) will receive email updates on each alert when it is resolved.

• Why are only some of my students on the list?
  • The cohorts of students included in each term’s progress report campaign are identified in collaboration with SJSU’s advising community as well as administration at the campus and college level. The email requests will be sent only to the instructors of record for classes in which students included in the campaign are enrolled.
• What do you mean by "create an alert"?

  • The term “create an alert” refers to the functionality in Spartan Connect that allows a staff or faculty person to identify a student who should be contacted to determine which resources would encourage academic success for that individual. 

    SJSU has identified three types of alerts:

    Academic: Student may be performing poorly, missing a significant portion of class and/or has had a change/decline in academic performance. 

    Basic Needs: Student has shared that there are significant challenges with housing, food, and/or financial needs.  

    Personal: Student has mentioned psychological, emotional/physical challenges that are impacting them and their well-being. 

• How do I create an alert for a student in my class who is not on the list?
  • Please follow these instructions.
• Does creating an alert replace the BIT process?
  • No. Please refer to the BIT site to determine if a student should be referred to BIT.
• Is there a deadline to submit alerts through the progress campaign?
  • Yes - campaigns typically run from about the fifth week of class to about the tenth week of class. Having said that, it is always a good time to create an alert for a student that may need help. If you would like to create an alert, but the campaign has ended, please follow the instructions in the FAQ for creating an alert for a student who is not on the list, above.