Database Instructions Created by: Kelly Kucharczyk and Ashley Martz, Student Program Assistants; Janice Hiner and Vikash Achutaramaiah, Senior Tutors/Trainers Revised by: Welby Seely and Wei Jian Chiu, TAC Co-Chairs Logging in to the Database: 1. This is the direct link to the database: https://odi-apps1.wade.wmich.edu/dma_stem/default.aspx. The link can also be found by going to the Mentoring for Success Program website and clicking on the For Peer Mentors link on the left-hand menu. The link is located on the Peer Mentor Resources page and is named Mentoring for Success Program s Student Database. Please bookmark this link for easy access in the future. 2. Log in to the Student Database using your Bronco NetID and password combination. a. If the login fails, even if you enter your correct Bronco NetID and password, register your Bronco NetID with WMU s Active Directory Environment (WADE) here: https://adregister.wmich.edu. b. Enter your Bronco NetID and password and click on Activate. Note: this site can only be accessed by a computer on campus or when you are connected wirelessly to the Wireless Western system on WMU s campus. Navigating the Database: 1. Make sure you select the correct academic year from the Year: drop-down menu. To select another year, click the down-arrow of the Year: the drop-down menu and press the Search button. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 1 of 13
2. You may also select only the academic semester or session you by checking and unchecking the relevant Include semesters: boxes. Retrieving Individual Student Contact Information from the Database: 1. When a new student is assigned to you, the system will send an automated email to your WMU email: 2. Back on the main page of the database, if you cannot immediately locate the new student, type either the first or last name of the student in the Name: box. Click the "Search" button (or hit the Enter key on your keyboard) to filter the results based on the information you have provided. You can type in the whole first OR last name, or part of the name. You can also search by a student s Western Identification Number (WIN) in the WIN: box if you know it. 3. The database will then bring up the links to that particular student s information. The system may return more than one search result if there is more than one student with the same name (or part of a name). 4. You can also search for students by semester or session by checking the applicable boxes from the Include semesters: feature. A list of students from the selected semester(s) or session(s) will be displayed. 5. Click the Classes button for the relevant student to double-check and confirm the course(s) in which you have been assigned to tutor the student. 6. Make sure you select the correct semester or session from the Semester: drop-down menu. The default semester or session should be the current semester or session. You may also select another semester or session if needed. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 2 of 13
7. You will also be able to see which other peer mentor(s), if any, to whom the student has also been assigned for other courses. 8. Go back to the previous page (main menu) and click on the Edit button to obtain your student s contact information, such as email address and phone number. Contacting Students: 1. Use either email or phone to initiate communication with the student. 2. If you are using email, please do not forget to copy your TAC liaison on the email. Put your TAC liaison s email address in the CC (carbon copy) field of the email you are sending. Please only use CC and refrain from using BCC (blind carbon copy). 3. All students are required to provide and use their wmich email address. Use a student s wmich email address to contact them. If a preferred email is also listed for the student, you may use that email address if the wmich email address does not work. 4. If you are emailing multiple students in one email, put your own or your TAC liaison s email address in the To field and all the students email addresses in the BCC field. 5. Record this initial communication (and all communications thereafter) with the student on the Activity page. 6. Refer to the Communication and Participation Contacting Students section in the Policies and Procedures Manual and the Quick Start Guide document for additional information. Pulling up Reports: 1. To download a list of all your students contact information and course(s), click the Reports link in the lefthand menu. Make sure to select the correct year and semester or session from the drop-down menus. 2. Click the <<Run Report button for either report. The difference between the two reports will be explained in more detail later within this section. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 3 of 13
a. You will be prompted to select the next action: Open with or Save to Disk for Windows Vista/Windows 7 and Open, Save, or Cancel for Windows XP. Windows Vista/Windows 7 Windows XP b. For Mac users, click the <<Run Report button for a report and it will then be displayed in the Downloads list. i. Click the file name you wish to download on the list and it comes out on the Preview application on Mac. If prompted, click Keep to keep the downloaded file. 3. For both operating systems you may choose to save the file to your Desktop or to another location on your computer. 4. You should rename the file to something you will recognize, such as the current semester or session and/or save date. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 4 of 13
5. Both reports are in PDF format and you will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to view the files. You can download Adobe Reader for free from www.adobe.com. (Note: Please download the latest version that is compatible with the operating system you use.) 6. The Roster file contains student contact information, their year in school and major, as well as a list of courses by semester. Students who were assigned to you in a previous semester or session within the same academic year but not assigned to you in the current semester or session will still show up on your list as long as their status remains active. 7. The Tutoring List file lists the specific course(s) you have been assigned to help each student with along with each student s email address and phone number. 8. You should print or save these two reports so that you do not have to log in to the website every time you need to retrieve your students information. The reports are in real time and will reflect the most recently updated information on the database. 9. The Tutoring List can be used to make notes on meeting dates/times, recent grades received for quizzes, communication log, and other details, especially if you do not update the database on a daily basis. You can transfer your notes to the database at a later time. 10. Please report any discrepancies in student contact information to the program director and contact the Software Developer if you encounter any technical problems. Contact information for the Software Developer may be obtained from the Additional Information section of this document. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 5 of 13
Updating the Database: 1. Back on the main page of the database, type either the first OR last name of the new student in the Name: box. Click the "Search" button (or hit the Enter key on your keyboard) to filter the results based on the information you have provided. You can type in the whole first or last name, or part of the name. You can also search by a student s Western Identification Number (WIN) in the WIN: box if you know it. 2. The database will then bring up the links to that particular student s information. The system may return more than one search result if there is more than one student with the same name (or part of a name). 3. You can also search for students by semester or session by checking the applicable boxes from the Include semesters: feature. A list of students from the selected semester(s) or session(s) will be displayed. 4. Click the Activity button for the relevant student. 5. You are able to specify the date range for activity logs if you would like to view only a certain period of time. You can select the From Date: and To Date: by clicking in the date boxes and then selecting the appropriate dates from the pop-up calendar. Click the Refresh button for the new date range to take effect to view the activities within that date range. 6. Click the down-arrow in the New Activity: drop-down menu to the left of New Activity: button and select the type of activity that occurred between you and the student. Click the Add Activity button. 7. The database will bring up all of the past activities that have been recorded for the student. The activities are sorted in reverse chronological order. The new one you just created will be on top, unless you added it late and there are more recent activities in the log. 8. Click the blue Edit link on the far left side on the frame. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 6 of 13
9. The database switches to a screen that allows you to edit the activity. Make sure you: a. Have recorded the correct activity type. i. If you have incorrectly chosen an activity type, simply use the drop-down menu in the Type column to correct the mistake and select the correct activity type. b. Have chosen the correct date for the actual date the activity occurred. i. To edit the date, click on the box with the date in it and select the correct date from the calendar that pops up. c. Write notes in the box in the Notes column. i. These notes should be accurate (but concise) enough so that a third party could read them and understand what took place during the activity. ii. For meetings, make sure you note the scheduled meeting time including: The start and end times of the meeting. o Note if the student arrived late, and how late the student was. The total time logged (rounded to the nearest quarter-hour). The location of meeting. A summary of the meeting. Plans for the next meeting (including the date, time, and meeting place of the next meeting). The number of reward points awarded. The reason the reward points were awarded. iii. Make sure you record the reward card number when you assign a reward card to a student. d. Do not award reward points until you have physically punched the corresponding number of points on a student s reward card. 10. Another column on the Participant Activities page is titled Reward. It contains a drop-down box for you to enter the appropriate number of reward points for a given activity. You must always give an explanation for the reward points given. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 7 of 13
11. The total number of reward points can be found on the Edit Participant page. The number will change when either you award points for an activity or when a student redeems reward points with a program assistant. 12. After making sure that the activity type, the activity date, reward points, and the notes are all accurate and up-to-date, click the Update link on the far left side of the current frame to save the new information. 13. It is important that the dates in the activity list match your Webmail Plus calendar when applicable. For example, if there were activities in which your student participated on August 14, 15, and 16, this should be reflected in both entries in the activity list and appointments in your calendar. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 8 of 13
a. Notice that the Calculator Extravaganza (an academic workshop) and the three tutoring appointments (one is a planned future appointment) on the Webmail Plus calendar match up with the dates in the activity list. 14. Make sure you update the activity log for each student after a group tutoring session. All students in the group tutoring session should have their activity logs updated as if you had tutored them each individually. Cancellations: 1. If either you or your student cancels or misses an appointment, please follow the following procedures: a. If the student cancels the meeting with a less than one hour s notice: i. Add a database entry for the communication of the cancellation. This activity can be Participant emailed peer mentor/staff, Participant called peer mentor/staff, Peer mentor/staff called participant, or Communication via text messaging. ii. The communication entry must contain: The time of receiving the message of cancellation. It must be less than an hour before the scheduled meeting time (or during the time the meeting would have taken place). The time and venue of the originally scheduled (and now cancelled) meeting. A brief description of the reason the meeting was cancelled. A line or two will suffice. Plans for the next meeting with the student, if applicable, including day of the week, date, time, and venue of the next scheduled meeting. iii. Add a database entry for Cancellation/No-Show. iv. The cancellation entry must contain: The time and venue of the cancelled, but originally scheduled, meeting. Include the sentence: Details are as shown in the previous activity log. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 9 of 13
b. If the student cancels the meeting with a more than one hour notice: i. Add a database entry for communication of the cancellation. This activity can be Participant emailed peer mentor/staff, Participant called peer mentor/staff, Peer mentor/staff called participant, or Communication via text messaging. ii. The communication entry must contain: The time of receiving the message of cancellation. It must be more than an hour before the scheduled meeting time. The date, time, and venue of the originally scheduled (and now cancelled) meeting. A brief description of the reason the meeting was cancelled. A line or two will suffice. Plans for the next meeting with the student, if applicable, including the date, time, and venue of the next scheduled meeting. c. If you cancel the meeting with your student: i. Add a database entry for the communication of the cancellation. This activity can be Peer mentor/staff called participant, Communication via text messaging, or Peer mentor/staff emailed participant. ii. The communication entry must contain: The time of sending the message of cancellation. The date, time, and venue of the scheduled meeting. A brief description of the reason the meeting was being cancelled if applicable. A line or two will suffice. Plans for the next meeting with the student, if applicable, including the date, time, and venue of the next scheduled meeting. 2. When a student who is a part of a group cancels, update that particular student s activity log accordingly to reflect the cancellation. Additional Information: 1. If you need to edit an activity that has already been recorded, just follow steps 8-9 in the Updating the Database section of this document and write detailed notes describing the reason you had to edit the activity. 2. If you need to delete an activity for some reason, click the Delete link, which is the third link from the left, and click OK when the confirmation window asking Are you sure you want to delete this activity? pops up. 3. The database should ideally be updated directly after each activity occurs to ensure that everything is recorded promptly and correctly. At the minimum, the database needs to be completely up to date by each Thursday at 3 p.m. a. If a student has declined services or indicated that he or she would call you when needed, you must log that you would no longer be meeting with that student regularly or that tutoring would resume in a few weeks; otherwise, you must still make a weekly update indicating that there has been no contact or no meeting for that particular week. b. Failure to update your student activity logs by the deadline may result in disciplinary action. You will be written up if you are late two (2) times in a row or more than three (3) times in a semester or session. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 10 of 13
c. Every activity that has occurred between noon on Friday of the previous week through noon on Friday of the current week should be included in your update. 4. The database should be updated whenever: a. There is ANY communication between you and the student (phone, email, text message, meetings, etc.). b. An ISP is completed. c. The student meets with an advisor or professor. d. The student attends an academic, career, leadership, or any other type of workshop. e. You give the student reward points. f. NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list; there are additional items listed on the activity list. 5. Make sure the points on your students reward cards match up with the point total on the Edit Participant page. 6. Do not perform any other tasks on the database or click any buttons or links that are not mentioned in this document. 7. When in doubt, please ASK one of the following people: your TAC liaison, a program assistant, or the program director. 8. NOTE: To report a technical problem (i.e., if you receive an error message while attempting to complete a routine task), please do the following: a. Submit a help ticket using the ODI Helpdesk Portal: https://odi-helpdesk:9676/portal. You may need to access this through WMU s Virtual Private Network (VPN) at https://vpn.wmich.edu. You can read more about the VPN at www.wmich.edu/helpdesk/securityvpn. i. Choose Other IT Request. ii. Put Mentoring for Success Program for the department. Put N/A for building name, room number, and ODI device name. Provide a detailed explanation of the issue in the description field. b. Forward the email confirmation you receive after submitting the ticket to the program director and also post in the forum to alert other program staff. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 11 of 13
Example of student activity log with errors: Errors: 1 The notes do not give a clear representation of what happened. 2 Irregular number of reward points need to be noted that in the comment box. SPELL CHECK. Also remember that slang terms or phrases are unacceptable. Please use formal written American English spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Remember that you are not 3 texting, instant messaging, or posting something on Facebook, MySpace, or other social networking site. For more information on writing resources, please refer to https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/ and http://www.wmich.edu/writing. The notes say they met two days ago, but the date of the activity has not been changed to two 4 days prior (should be 5/25/2010). There should be two entries for the following: A Meeting between student and peer mentor entry. 5 A Development of an ISP with peer mentor entry. There can be multiple entries for a single meeting if necessary. 6 There is no mention of why a reward point was awarded. The notes do not give a clear representation of what happened. If the meeting was cancelled, this 7 should be recorded separately as a Cancellation/no-show and a communication entry. There is no record of the communication that led up to the meeting that took place in 4, 5, and 6. 8 Another entry recording the response to the email before the actual meeting is needed. 9 No notes are written to explain the contents of the email sent by the participant. 10 The activity type should be labeled as Participant emailed peer mentor/staff. Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 12 of 13
Example of a partial student activity log with no errors: Mentoring for Success Program Database Instructions (Revised Sept. 2014) Page 13 of 13