New Features
Direct URLs for Virtual Starfish Meeting Locations
Faculty and staff who use Starfish for appointment scheduling can now add or edit their Starfish locations to include a direct URL for virtual appointments. The direct URL will provide students with a clickable link in the appointment confirmation emails sent by Starfish.
If you do not currently have a personal Microsoft Teams room link, please use our how-to-guide on creating one here. You can also reference our how-to-guide for adding locations that includes this new update.
Appointment Reminders via Text Message
Students, Faculty and Staff can now update their mobile numbers in Starfish to receive appointment reminders via text message.
Click here for a how-to-guide to update your Starfish notification settings
Starfish Updates
NEW! Communication Lab Referral and Workflow
New Communication Lab Referral: The Division of Student Success announced last fall that the Speaking and Writing Centers joined to create one entity, the Communication Lab. To align with this organizational change, the speaking and writing center referrals have been combined into one single referral: “The Communication Lab”. Faculty and staff should raise the referral if a student may benefit from speaking and/or writing services and should enter specific information regarding which services the student would benefit from, along with any other relevant details into the comment box. Faculty and staff may reference the updated Starfish Referral infographic that has more information about referrals that can be raised in Starfish and when to raise them.
Updated Communication Lab Referral Workflow: The student will receive an email with information about this service and how to get started. The Communication Lab staff will make every effort to accommodate this student’s request when they request an appointment. The Communication Lab staff will clear your referral and provide a close the loop comment to the original referral raiser if the student schedules an appointment, if the student declines an appointment, or is non-responsive to outreach.
Secondary Advisors
Assigned Secondary Advisors are now appearing in Starfish if listed in Banner. Secondary advisors will display in the student’s folder via their Success Network.
Faculty: Click here for a how-to-guide to view a student’s Success Network
Students: Click here for a how-to-guide to view members of your Success Network
Starfish Dashboard
Now Live! New Starfish Early Alert/Connect Engagement & Outcome Metrics
The Starfish Team is excited to announce the new Starfish Dashboard! We worked with Institutional Research to create a dashboard that allows all faculty and staff to view UNCG Starfish engagement and outcome metrics. We encourage you to browse each tab within the dashboard, which allows for filtering metrics by your school/college or looking at the big picture for all UNCG faculty, staff, and student usage.
Tracking Item Reminders
Clearing Tracking Items
Beginning in Spring 2025, all professional advising centers on campus will be conducting weekly Starfish flag outreach to first year cohort students in their caseloads. Advisors will clear flags one–week after outreach is conducted for all responsive and nonresponsive students, based on early alert best practices.
Every term, students begin with zero active flags, kudos, and referrals.
Every term, students begin with zero active flags, kudos, and referrals.
End of Semester and Spring Term Reminders
The last day to raise tracking items for Spring 2026 is Thursday, May 7. Spring 2026 feedback items will be cleared on Friday, May 8 to allow students to enter the summer term with a fresh start.
Tracking items will be enabled on Wednesday, May 13 for summer term courses.
