Aviso Alerts, Notes, & Messages: When to Use Which?

As identified in Dean Dennis Proulx’s latest email communication about how to activate the Castleton Support Team (as well as in previous Educator Articles, emails from Kelley Beckwith, and numerous How To Use Aviso sessions) there are a host of communication methods offered by Aviso. The big three are:

• Messages
• Notes
• Alerts

What you might not be sure of is how are these methods different from each other? Who can see them? When should you use each?

Messages

Messages are designed to communicate directly with the student. When you send a message to a student through Aviso, you can choose whether you want to send it to their Castleton email address, a personal email address they’ve provided, or even text it to their phone (if they have enabled this option)!

You can find directions on How to Text a Message to a Student Using Aviso or How to Message a Student Using Aviso in the VSC Aviso Canvas course.

Why should you consider using Messages instead of emailing the student directly? Not only will it create a record of you messaging the student in Aviso, but you also get the option to “Create Note from Message” by checking the box on the bottom left. Messages are only seen by you and the student unless you opt to create a note from it.

Notes

Why would you want to turn a Message into a Note? You might choose this option if you want to leave evidence of your communication with the student for the individuals that may access the student’s profile in Aviso later. For instance, if you reached out to the student after they missed 2 classes asking them to follow up with you about the work you missed. If another instructor also had the student miss some classes, seeing your note might inspire them to chime in and note the pattern they observed as well. If this pattern persists, one of the student’s followers might opt to activate the Castleton Support Team (CST).

Or maybe you’ve just wrapped up an advising session with the student about an internship they want to pursue or about the classes they should register for next semester. You may not want to send the student a message with that information, but you’d still like to record that communication somewhere. You could put that information in a note! That way, if that student talks to a faculty member or a coach or someone in the ASC or Jessica Duncan, when that person checks the student’s profile in Aviso they can see your note and build off it in their discussion with the student.

NOTES: If no CST action is needed, but you would like to record a concern or other information so that the Advisor and other Followers in Aviso are aware, please create a Note in Aviso. Notes help advisors and CST to adopt a holistic approach to supporting students.

Typical reasons to create a Note include:

• To summarize a conversation with a student where you helped with a decision or offered support. 
• To note other minor concerns. 

One last point: Students cannot see Notes. Students can see Messages, but won’t be able to see if you turn one into Note.

Alerts

Alerts can be either (1) automatic or (2) created by someone who is concerned about a student. These automatic alerts can be seen by: students, advisors, and followers of the student.

Faculty and Staff initiated alerts

 If you believe CST should take action to help a student, please create an Alert in Aviso. (If no action is required consider a note as described above). Students will not see these alerts. 

Typical reasons to create an Alert include:

• Significant academic problems such as the inability to comprehend course material, a pattern of missed assignments or exams, or weak academic skills.
• Concerns of a personal nature, such as suspected mental health, substance abuse, or personal health challenges like loneliness, withdrawal, poor grooming, erratic attendance, depression, anxiety, aggressive or erratic behavior.
• Financial difficulties.
  
  Note: There’s no need to submit an alert for a missed class, missed exam, or low grade until there is a concerning pattern. Use a Note instead.

AUTOMATED ALERTS: 

The automated alerts we use at Castleton do things like notify the student (and their followers) when their grade falls below a certain threshold or congratulate the student when they’ve gotten certain grades. The automated current grade alert was activated on September 16 for Canvas course averages below 70%. Students with an average below the 70% threshold received an email referring them to both their professor and the ASC for support. Login alerts are also running, but only for online courses this year. Students in on-line sections who do not login to Canvas at least once in 14 days will receive an alert via email. 

More information about the (automated) alerts and achievements we use at Castleton can also be found in the VSC Aviso Canvas course.