APSU launches GovSignal to connect students with campus resources

By: Ethan Steinquest September 26, 2024

AP Navigate, a comprehensive digital platform for Austin Peay State University students, recently added the GovSignal tool to enhance student support services. | Photo by Sean McCully.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University (APSU) has taken a major step forward in supporting student success through AP Navigate, a comprehensive digital platform that has already helped thousands of students with services from admissions and financial aid to class scheduling. 

This semester, APSU expanded the app’s capabilities with GovSignal, a revamped version of the Academic Alert system that empowers students to seek help while making it easier for faculty and staff to coordinate a response. 

“We want to continue supporting students, but the language we use to communicate with them has changed,” said Dr. Dametraus Jaggers, APSU’s executive director of Student Success. “Instead of telling students they have a warning or that they’ve been placed on alert, we’re approaching it from a place of empowerment that lets them know it’s OK to tell someone when they need assistance.” 

GovSignal empowers students to ask for help with specific classes, financial aid, and more while making it easier for faculty and staff to coordinate a response. | Photo by Sean McCully

Four types of GovSignals can be initiated within AP Navigate, each linked to campus emails to ensure those not using the app receive them: 

• Academic Signals - Submitted by faculty or instructors to assist students who are having difficulty with coursework.

• HandSignal – Submitted by a student who needs support or assistance.

• Referral - Submitted by a faculty, instructor, or student support professional on behalf of a student (currently available for academic advising, financial aid, and tutoring).

• Kudos – Submitted by faculty, instructor, or student support professional to congratulate a student for their accomplishments. 

“Each signal generates what we refer to as a case, and from there we can track its progress,” Jaggers said. “Much of the activity in our previous alert system was instructors submitting on behalf of students, but now they can self-identify using prompts like ‘I need someone to help me review my academic plan,’ ‘I need to change my major,’ or ‘I’m feeling overwhelmed.’”

Students using GovSignal will receive an automated message about campus resources, followed by direct outreach from relevant faculty or staff. More than 80 students used the feature to overcome challenges in the first two weeks of classes. 

Another major component of GovSignal is the kudos function, which allows faculty and staff to send notifications recognizing student achievements. 

“Kudos are a great way to let students know that we’re not only paying attention when you have challenges and barriers,” Jaggers said. “We’re also noticing when you’ve achieved milestones and successes. This allows faculty to encourage students and help them stay motivated.”

Dr. Melynda Conner, an instructor of business communication, used the kudos function to recognize students with perfect attendance during the first week of the semester and said it has helped them stay motivated.

“I was excited to see that we could provide positive reinforcement in addition to academic alerts with this new system,” she said. “I decided to try out this function to sustain momentum … [and] participation levels have remained high. Therefore, I plan to repeat this in future semesters.”

AP Navigate has continued evolving since its August 2023 launch, and GovSignal is only the latest example. Future plans include pre-appointment surveys, integration with APSU’s course management system, and tools to help students stay on track in their degree path.

“This platform has been a great tool to manage the kinds of changing work our folks are engaged in,” Jaggers said. “The engagement from students speaks to their willingness to take responsibility for their success, and our employees are just as invested in supporting them. It’s been a great transition, and it’s only going to grow from here.”