Starfish: Advising Software
Starfish is a tool created to promote student success and retention through building community and improving communication between students, instructors, advisors and campus support offices. Starfish is utilized by Simmons University and managed by the Office of Undergraduate Advising.
Students, faculty, and staff have access to Starfish. Starfish allows instructors to provide students with constructive and supportive feedback regarding their academic progress in a course. Starfish allows students to look up their classes, grades, schedule appointments with their PLAN Advisor, and more.
What are flag alerts?
Throughout the semester instructors can submit a flag alert into Starfish to notify a student when there is a concern about performance or success in a class. Flag alerts are created to warn students that they need to take action to be successful in the course. Some examples of flags are “in danger of failing”, “attendance concern”, “missing/late assignments”, “low score”, or “low participation”. The student’s advisor also receives the flag alerts to ensure outreach is made to support the student.
What do I do if I receive a flag alert?
Students who are notified about a flag concern should contact their instructor as soon as possible to get guidance on how to improve in the course. Students can also make an appointment with an advisor to discuss the flag alert and get connected with additional support resources.
What are kudos?
An instructor can submit a kudos into Starfish any time during the semester to notify a student when they are doing a good job in a class or has recently demonstrated improvement. Kudos are designed as positive reinforcements to encourage the student along their academic journey.
What is a referral?
A referral via Starfish allows instructors or advisors to connect students with additional campus support services.
How do I raise my hand?
Are you a student with a question and don’t know who to ask? Raise your Hand! We can direct you to the campus support services you need.
How can I find my advisor on Starfish?
Students can look up their advisor in Workday or Starfish. Below are the instructions to find your advisor in Starfish.
- Log into Starfish: starfish.simmons.edu
- Go to “Network”
- They will be listed as your “Primary Advisor” or “Minor Advisor”
How can I schedule a meeting with my advisor on Starfish?
Schedule a meeting with an Advisor on Starfish! First-year students are able to use Starfish to schedule a meeting with
their PLAN Advisor. All students can use Starfish if they would like to meet with an advisor from the Office of Undergraduate Advising. Upper level students should consult with their major advisors on instructions on how to best schedule an appointment.
- Log in to Starfish: starfish.simmons.edu.
- Click "My Success Network" in the menu on the left.
- To meet with your PLAN advisor, select the name listed as your “Primary Advisor” to schedule an appointment
- To meet with an advisor from our office, scroll down to the yellow Undergraduate Advising box and click “schedule” to find an appointment
How can I look up support services?
Students are able to look up support services within Starfish such as: Advising, Accessibility Services, Career Education Center, Center for Global Education, Student Life, Registrar’s Office, Residence Life, and more.
- Log in to Starfish: starfish.simmons.edu.
- Click "My Success Network" in the menu on the left.
- Scroll down to the “My Services” section
- Find a description of support services along with their contact information
Need help with Starfish?
Have a question about Starfish or need help navigating? Please email [email protected] and someone from the Simmons Starfish Team will respond to provide you with support.