Action Items & Midsemester Review: When to Send

Action Items alert a student’s Academic Advisor to provide additional support, complementing an Instructor’s outreach throughout the term.

Midsemester Review prompts instructors to update a student’s advising team, at a critical point in the term.

ⓘ For Fall 2026, Midsemester Review opens Monday, October 5 and closes Wednesday, November 4.

ACTION ITEMS/MIDSEMESTER REVIEW COMPARISON

Comparison	Action Items	Midsemester Review
What is the purpose, and how are concerns addressed?	Provides early alert on non-emergency academic, behavioral, and personal concerns Instructor has observed, after Instructor’s initial outreach, throughout the term. Academic Advisor connects students to a variety of campus resources and supports. Turnaround time: usually 2-3 business days. Resources: Action Items for Instructors, Supporting Students Across Campus.	Identifies students at risk of not successfully completing a course (e.g., a D grade or below at mid-term), and checks on students of interest to Advisors (e.g., students on academic probation). Advisors connect students to academic support and/or discuss options (e.g., dropping with W grade, Pass/Fail, Leave of Absence). Turnaround time: Usually 1 week, or before the withdrawal deadline.
Actors	Instructors: send Action Items to Academic Advisors. Academic Advisors: receive Action Items and provide outreach to students. NOTE: Action Items may be sent to Academic Advisors only.	Advisors: Request a Review from a specific student’s Instructor(s). Receive updates from faculty and provide outreach to students. Instructors: Respond to Advisor Requests for Review and initiate updates for any other student at risk of failing a course at mid-term. NOTE: Midsemester Reviews may be sent to/received by multiple Advisor types (e.g., Academic, KHC, First Year Success, Student Athlete Support, Transfer Success).
When is this available in MyBU Student?	All semester long.	For four to five weeks, around mid-term.

WHEN TO SEND ACTION ITEMS

Remember that Action Items do not replace important conversations Instructors have with students about their performance or needs. With information from Action Items, Academic Advisors are able to provide additional support to students who need it most.

After the Instructor’s initial outreach, send an Action Item in MyBU Student to a student’s Academic Advisor when:

Absences, missed coursework, difficulty with course material, and low scores recur after the Instructor’s attempts at outreach and support.
A student’s behavior in class has changed or is mildly concerning (e.g., regularly falling asleep in class, frequent low engagement), and the student is unresponsive to the Instructor’s initial outreach.
A student has disclosed mild or moderate concerns related to finances, stress, health, or general wellbeing.

The tables below compare instances in which Instructor outreach, Action Items, and/or other interventions are appropriate or required (e.g., cases impacted by mandatory reporting procedures). The examples here are not exhaustive; for advice on other types of concerns, contact school/college administrators.

Academic Concerns

Instance	Instructor Outreach to Student	Send Action Item	Recommended Additional Support	Required Additional Escalation
1-2 absences	Yes	No
Repeated/disruptive absences	Yes	Yes, if the absences are affecting the student’s success in the course
Difficulty with course material	Yes	Yes, if the difficulty is affecting the student’s success in the course	Connect to TA and/or tutoring
1-2 missed assignments	Optional	No
Repeated missing assignments	Yes	Yes, if the missing assignments are affecting the student’s success in the course
1 missed quiz/test or low quiz/test score	Optional	No
Multiple missed quizzes/tests or low quiz/test scores	Yes	Yes, if the missing assessments are affecting the student’s success in the course
Missed exam/low exam score	Yes	Yes
Mid-term grade A to C range	Yes (if concerned)	No	Connect to tutoring if concerned
Mid-term grade C- or lower	Yes (if concerned)	No	Submit an update via the Midsemester Review process
Frequent low engagement	Yes	Yes
Academic Integrity concern	Yes (following appropriate policies)	No		Follow Provost’s Office’s policies

Personal/Wellbeing Concerns

Instance	Instructor Outreach to Student	Send Action Item	Recommended Additional Support	Required Additional Escalation
Disclosed financial concerns	Yes	Yes, if you believe advisor assistance would be beneficial to the student	Refer the student to the appropriate resource from Supporting Students Across Campus
Disclosed family concerns	Yes	Yes, if you believe advisor assistance would be beneficial to the student	Refer the student to the appropriate resource from Supporting Students Across Campus
Regularly falling asleep in class	Yes	Yes
Disclosed health issues	Yes	Yes, if you believe advisor assistance would be beneficial to the student	Connect to tutoring or Disability & Access Services; refer the student to the appropriate resource from Supporting Students Across Campus
Struggling; having a hard time	Yes	Yes, if you believe advisor assistance would be beneficial to the student	Refer the student to the appropriate resource from Supporting Students Across Campus
Disclosed mild to moderate stress	Yes	Yes, if you believe advisor assistance would be beneficial to the student	If moderate, connect to Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) at (617) 353-3569; refer the student to the appropriate resource from Supporting Students Across Campus
Urgent mental health issue or severe stress	Yes	No		Contact Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) at (617) 353-3569
Disclosed relationship danger and/or sexual assault	Yes: follow mandatory reporting procedures	No		Contact Survivor Advocacy, Response & Prevention (SARP) at (617) 353-7277

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Action Items for Instructors: comprehensive how-to guide on submitting Action Items in MyBU Student.
Supporting Students Across Campus: information and resources on supporting student wellbeing on campus.

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