October 17, 2019

Student having problems in your course?
Remember to send an Early Academic Report (EAR)

Just another reminder as we move through the semester, if you have a Barnard student who is not performing well in your course, please let the Dean of Studies Office know by using our Barnard-specific Early Academic Report (EAR). Although we know you may have also received the Columbia-generated Academic Difficulty Report, we encourage you to use Barnard's EAR, which is customized for Barnard, and unlike Columbia’s document, does not ask you to just submit a grade for a student's current work.  The Barnard EAR gives you the opportunity to provide more details about how and why a student may be underperforming, which is extremely helpful to the Class Deans and advisers. The EAR makes it easier for the Class Deans to communicate with you and the student’s adviser, and to work as a team to help improve the student’s academic performance. The EAR can be found here and is also available on the myBarnard portal. 

Once you submit the EAR, the form automatically generates a note to the student and their Class Dean, suggesting that the student set up a meeting with you, their adviser, and/or Class Dean to develop a plan to improve their academic performance. Most students are quick to address the issue with their instructors, advisers, and Class Deans, but unfortunately, a few students will choose to do nothing after receiving the EAR notice. If a student is underperforming in your class, withdrawing from the course should NOT be the first option for the student.  Importantly, the student may not have enough credits to remain full time (which is required by federal and state law) by withdrawing. The student also may not have known about or accessed available resources at the College that can help them to improve their performance in your class.  

Through the EAR process, we encourage students to take responsibility for their academic performance. For the students who come to the Dean of Studies Office, the Class Deans use a mid-semester checklist to evaluate the student’s course work, asking such questions as: Have you been to see the instructor? Have you sought out tutoring? Are there personal issues that are affecting your performance? After that meeting, the Class Dean will contact you and the student about next steps. 

If you have any questions about the EAR reporting system, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the deans in the Dean of Studies Office. 
 

     
Helpful Advising Resources

   Advising Guide 2019-2020

   Instruction Manual for Advising and Registration Systems