Hi Retrievers!

The First Year Intervention Program, or alerts program, is one of the many services that we offer to UMBC students. Professors send alerts to let students know that they are in danger of receiving a D or F in their courses. From now through March 25th, you might receive an alert in myUMBC. If you receive an alert, here's what to do next.

1. Contact your professor. The first thing you should do is to contact your professor to figure out what your exact grade is and what you can do about it. 

2. Visit the online Action Resource Center. The Action Resource Center is an online hub of resources. Please take some time to review the many services at UMBC that are here to help you be successful.

So remember, if you get an alert, take action! Talk to your professor, seek out resources, and make a plan for success.

Hi Retrievers!

We are officially in the fourth week of the semester, which means it’s time to talk about one of the LRC’s lesser known programs! The Early Alert Program (formerly known as the First Year Intervention) is one of the many services that the Learning Resources Center offers UMBC students. The purpose of the program is to let students know that they are in danger of receiving a D or F in a certain course. From now through March 30th, you may receive an alert in myUMBC. So before you panic (and please don’t panic!), we are here to answer some of your questions about alerts!

Uh oh! Your professor sent you an alert because you are in danger of receiving a D or an F in that course. The first thing you should do is to contact your professor to figure out what your exact grade is and what you can do about it. Next, visit our Action Resource Center to see if there’s any services at UMBC that can help you improve your grade.

It is possible, but you could just barely be passing. If you are in a course that has a second level to it (such as MATH 150, or BIOL 141), you MUST receive a C or higher to move on to the next level. If you are trying to fulfill your GEP requirements with a course, you MUST have a C or higher for it to count. This is why we ask professors to let you know if you are in danger of receiving a D.

So remember, if you get an alert, don’t panic! Talk to your professor and figure out what you need to do to be successful in your course.

Did we miss a few questions? Ask them in the comments section below, or you can post them on our Facebook page!