Researchers at an online university analyzed Early Alert System (EAS) data and created a profile of students who are most likely to receive an early alert (EA). Students' characteristics were compared between students who passed the course after EA and students who did not.
Globally and across the United States distance learning administrators are increasingly attuned to the importance of student persistence and retention initiatives and innovations. One innovation that appears to be widely implemented is an Early Alert System, which provides a link between online faculty and academic advisors with the intent to intervene with students at risk for early program attrition. Little is known about the characteristics of those students likely to obtain an Early Alert. This study explored the descriptive characteristics of students that received an Early Alert in a sample of courses at a large predominately online university in the United States. The results of this study indicate that gender, marital status, passing the course and course grade are associated with receiving an early Alert. Recommendations for future research include a focus on predictive analyses of variables that are associated with receiving an Early Alert in an online course.