OU Teaching Initiatives
To fulfill our mission to "promote a university culture that values and promotes deep learning," CETL leads campus-wide teaching and learning initiatives by facilitating collaboration among administration, staff, faculty, and students. These OU Teaching Initiative pages includes a mission, team list, reports, and faculty resources.
Oakland University’s Academic Alert system is a vital component of a holistic approach to student success. By helping faculty connect students with professional support staff, we ensure coordinated, data-driven interventions that enhance student belonging and academic performance.
To incentivize faculty engagement, participation in Academic Alert training, usage, and/or feedback will be connected with participation in CETL’s 2026-2027 First-Generation Student Success Workshop Series in three $5,000 Department Engagement Prizes (total $15,000).
Overview: Alerts and Midterm Grades
While the Academic Alert system is available for referrals throughout the semester, it is designed to align with the Roadmap for Student Success.
- Faculty are encouraged to submit alerts between Weeks 4 and 12.
- Midterm Grades during Weeks 7-8 serve as the most critical intervention window.
- Providing data-driven alerts as Midterm Grades become available allows advisers to initiate strategic outreach, helping at-risk students get back on track before the Week 12 withdrawal deadline.
Resources
- Academic Alert Dashboard: Access the dashboard via MySail or directly at oakland.trac.cloud.
- Step-by-Step Instructions: Download the Faculty Guide to Academic Alerts for written instructions and screenshots.
Training
We offer multiple avenues to help faculty become comfortable with the new system, including on-demand resources, HyFlex workshops, and tailored department sessions.
- HyFlex Training Sessions: Register for current live training offerings (same session repeated). To encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, subs, snacks, and refreshments will be provided for all faculty attending HyFlex training sessions in-person.
- On-Demand Training: Watch the Academic Alert Training Video for a full system walkthrough.
- Slides with Resources: View/download Academic Alert Training Slides for visual instructions, screenshots, and helpful resources.
Tailored Support
- Department Roadshows: Brief 15-minute presentations available during your scheduled department meetings throughout September and October. For requests: Contact Daniel Brengel.
- 1:1 Consultations: Personalized sessions with Daniel Brengel are available for individual scheduling throughout the fall.
Incentives
To foster a learning-centered community and recognize faculty commitment, several incentive pathways are available through the MiLEAP Sixty by 30 grant:
- $500 Student Success Stipends: Awarded to individual faculty who attend at least three workshops in the First-Generation Student Success Series and complete a high-impact deliverable (e.g., a transparent syllabus redesign).
- Department Engagement Prizes: At the end of the year, the top three departments with the highest engagement in alert training, alert usage, FG workshops, and first-gen initiatives will each receive $5,000 in departmental funds.
This page provides Oakland University faculty with step-by-step instructions for entering midterm grades through SAIL. It also offers guidance on how to communicate the significance of midterm grades to students and direct them to available academic support resources.
Entering Midterm Grades
Entry dates for midterm grades are posted on the Registrar's Important Dates calendars. The deadline to submit midterm grades falls before the withdrawal deadline, giving students an opportunity to make a more informed decision about continued enrollment in their course(s).
Follow these instructions to enter midterm grades (A-F) for full-semester and half-semester courses. To clarify, a midterm grade is a snapshot of the student's entire course performance at the semester midpoint; They are not intended just to reflect the grade of one midterm examination or project.
The day after the midterm grade submission window closes, undergraduate students who have earned at least one midterm grade at or below a C- will be sent an email notification; graduate students who have earned at least one midterm grade at or below a B- will be sent an email notification.
Help Students Make Sense of and Use Midterm Grades
Due to variability in pedagogy and course design, midterm grades will not be equal predictors of ultimate success in each course a student is enrolled in. As such, it is helpful if you can provide clarity and transparency around how students should interpret and use their midterm grade in your course.
Let your students know prior to the midterm grading period whether or not you will be providing midterm grades via a syllabus statement and/or an announcement in class.
After midterm grades are posted, take a few minutes in class to provide context and support for your students. The below topics can all be addressed to the entire class. You may also want to follow up individually by email or an in-person meeting with students who are struggling and may benefit from additional support.
Explain
- What is included in the midterm grade, and what is yet to come?
- How might a student recover if they have a low midterm grade?
- Should they consider withdrawing from your class? Please note that any student who is considering withdrawing should talk to their adviser before doing so.
Connect
- Refer students to appropriate academic support resources (e.g., tutoring, supplemental instruction, writing support, academic coaching) to address challenges and improve performance.
- Recommend that students who are struggling talk to their adviser to develop a plan for the rest of this semester and to discuss implications for future coursework, progression in their program, and time to degree.
For more on how your course design can make midterm grades more meaningful, see the CETL Teaching Tips Making Midterm Grades Meaningful and Course-Correct in Real Time: Strategies for Mid-Semester Student Feedback.
Data-Informed Decisions Using the Student Success and Equity Dashboard
Facilitated by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Data Analytics, and Academic Affairs.
Events
Please check back for future updates or offerings.
Resources
Access the Student Success and Equity Dashboard eSpace for additional resources and activities related to this series.
About
The Student Success and Equity Dashboard is a powerful tool that will help us understand the diversity of our students, value their individual experiences and needs, and support their education and success. The Student Success and Equity Dashboard training series will engage participants in navigating the three sections of the dashboard platform. We will demonstrate how to access the dashboard, how to navigate within the dashboard, how to interpret the charts/graphics/tables, and how to find data definitions.
With an overview of the three sections and a demo of each report, participants will be equipped with background to analyze the dashboard data. We will explore how to analyze course-level data on student success and equity gaps. We will discuss simple changes faculty can make to have a big impact. Then, together with CETL guidance, faculty will use a data-informed approach for planning and implementing their course to improve student outcomes.
For individual consultations and questions, reach out to Sarah Hosch ([email protected]).
Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness Initiative: 2020 Update (September 2020)
The Provost’s Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness Initiative at Oakland University has been created to explore and examine best research-based practices for the evaluation of teaching (formative and summative). The goals of this long term project are to:
- Task Force 1 – Redesigning “Course Evaluations” Develop recommendations using research-based practices in designing and implementing “Student End of Semester Surveys” (currently referred to most frequently as “Course Evaluations”) View list of task force representatives.
- Task Force 2 – Designing Other Measurements for Teaching Effectiveness Develop recommendations for the use of multiple measures and triangulation of other evidence of teaching effectiveness for formative and summative evaluation. View list of Task Force 2 representatives.
Faculty Resources for on Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness
CETL's resources for faculty include articles, quick guides, podcast episodes, tools, activities and books.
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
100 Library Drive
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4479
(location map)
(248) 370-2751
[email protected]
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
100 Library Drive
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4479
(location map)
(248) 370-2751
[email protected]
