Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started and Connecting to The Hive 

arrowsHow do I …..

Not sure how to do something or how to use the Hive? See our written guides and tutorials available at the following links:

arrowsWhere do I receive notifications from The Hive? 

Notifications will be sent to your CSB/SJU Outlook e-mail account.

arrowsWhat should I do if I receive a flag?

Don’t Panic. Alerts (flags, referrals and high fives) are raised with the intention of helping you be successful. If you receive a flag or referral you should contact your instructor, advisor or the person/department identified in the alert and take action as instructed in the message as soon as possible. Some of the actions that may be suggested include:

  • Schedule time to meet with your instructor
  • Schedule an appointment with your advisor and/or the appropriate office on campus to get the support you need.
  • Follow up with any individuals, offices, and or tutoring recommended to you.

Remember contact information for your faculty and staff resources can be found in your Success Network.

arrowsWhat if I click on The Hive link and get an error message?

If you are an active, undergraduate student attending class at CSB/SJU, you should be in the system and should not get an error message. However, if you run into any issues, please contact the IT Services Help Desk at 320-363-2228 or [email protected] and someone will be in contact to assist you.  

arrowsWhat if you try to login to The Hive and get a blank screen?

The Hive will not work with older browsers. Install an updated version of Internet Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to fix this issue.

arrowsIs there an App for The Hive?

No, there is not an app, however The Hive is mobile adaptive allowing you or your students, to easily use the site from any device. 

arrowsWhat is the preferred browser/screen reader combination for optimal results?

For our Students, Faculty and Staff using screen readers with The Hive, we recommend using the following browser/screen reader combinations for optimal results:

  • PC users – the preferred browser is latest version of Mozilla Firefox with JAWS.
  • Mac users – the preferred browser is the latest version of Safari with Voiceover as the screen reader.

If you have any questions, please connect with Student Accessibility Services for assistance.

arrowsExperiencing an accessibility barrier? 

Starfish, the software behind The Hive, maintains a WCAG 2.0 AA rating.  If you or someone you know are experiencing an accessibility barrier to using The Hive, please call 320-363-5245 or send an email to Student Accessibility Services at [email protected]. Issues will be reported to our team at CSB/SJU and if needed to our vendor for resolution.

Data, Privacy and FERPA 

arrowsHow secure is the data and who has access to it?

As with any software or database system used by the Institutions, The Hive has been reviewed by IT Services and the Business Offices to ensure the system complies with information-related laws, regulations, policies and data standards.  FERPA allows the institutions to designate campus officials that who are allowed to see portions of a student’s education records. “A school may share education records, or information from education records, with anyone it has deemed a school official and has determined to have a legitimate educational interest in that information.”

For more information, please refer to the Hive’s Privacy Statement as well as the Registrar’s website regarding FERPA.  Also review the Guide for Writing Notes in a Shared System. 

arrowsWhat security measures are in place to protect student data?

All database and application servers will be hosted in audited facilities with state-of-the-art infrastructure, constant monitoring, and established operational policies. All communications to these servers will use secure protocols. CSB/SJU will control authentication and the decisions concerning which data are stored on the vendor platform. Vendor personnel and CSB/SJU personnel will be trained on data security procedures. 

arrowsAre there any records that will NOT be part of The Hive advising and support network?

The following records are excluded from the definition of education records and should NOT be entered in The Hive:

  • “Sole possession” records made by faculty and staff for their own use as reference or memory aids and not shared with others
  • Personal observations of student behavior
  • Life Safety or Security Incident Reports
  • Student Conduct Records kept by Student Development
  • Medical and mental health records used for the treatment of the student by Counseling or Health Services
  • Alumni records
arrowsAre student-related comments and notes covered by FERPA?

All information stored in the Hive are part of the student’s education record and subject to FERPA. Since FERPA gives the student the right to review any or all of his/her education record, these notes could be included in that review. Therefore, it is important that notes or comments be factual and objective and that CSB/SJU faculty who are recording notes or comments avoid making value judgments or using inappropriate language. It is important for anyone recording “private” notes regarding an interaction with a student to understand that these notes do not fall into the category of “sole possession” records.  

arrowsHow do we access The Hive from home? Do we have to use VPN?

You would access The Hive in the same way as you would do on campus. This is a cloud-based solution accessed from a browser using SSL the data in transit are secure. Using a VPN tunnel to a campus machine that then uses SSL to connect with Starfishsolutions.com with SSL provides no additional benefit.

Non-Attendance reporting FAQ 

arrowsWhy would CSB/SJU flag students for non-attendance or stopped attendance of a class?

Federal government provides financial aid for courses the student attends. If a student is paid financial aid for a course not attended, the Institution is responsible to return the aid back to the federal government and within 30 days of the start of the semester. In addition, the institutions are obligated by law to notify emergency contacts that a student is missing within 24 hours of making a determination that a student its missing. Having information about students’ class attendance assists the Institution in making a determination.

arrowsHow does my instructor determine when to flag me for non-attendance or stopped attending?

A student who never shows up for a class, not even once, is flagged in The Hive as “Never Attended”.  Students who frequently miss class or attend sporadically may receive an “Attendance Concern” flag.

arrowsWhen would my instructor flag me for non-attendance or stopped attending if I never attend or stop showing up for class?

During progress surveys that take place throughout the semester or as they observe that you are consistently not attending classes (example consecutive absences over the course of one week). 

arrowsWhat happens if I get flagged as "Never Attended" or "Attendance Concern"?

If a student is flagged as “Never Attended” in all of their classes, they will be administratively withdrawn from the institution on or before the 10th day of classes.

If a student attended classes but later stopped attending (or had a pattern of attendance concerns from multiple faculty members) this would lead to follow up from other administrators on campus such as Advising and Residential Life. If they determine that the student stopped attending all classes, we would then try to determine if they had departed campus. Depending on what is discovered through our follow up procedures, several different outcomes may be appropriate. If we are able to reach the student, it may be that we assist them with the withdrawal or leave of absence process. It may be that we need to reach out to emergency contacts, especially if we are unable to connect with the student, to determine if the student has departed campus and what the circumstances may be that led to the change in your attendance.

Please refer to the polices regarding attendance, withdrawal, and tuition for further details about how any stop in attendance may impact transcripts, financial aid and one's student account.

arrowsHow would I know if I was flagged for non-attendance?

You will receive an email with an alert (flag) from a professional on campus via The Hive notifying you the flag was raised.

arrowsWhat do I do if I feel that the flag was an error?

Once you receive the notification email contact your instructor and/or academic advising as soon as possible to review the flag.

Additional Faculty/Staff FAQ 

arrowsWhat should not be reported using The Hive?

The Hive should not be used to report emergencies, academic integrity issues, student conduct and/or health/wellness issues that require immediate action.

  • To report an emergency, contact CSB Security at 320-363-5000 or SJU Life Safety at 320-363-2144.
  • For health/wellness concerns that need swift response please contact the Dean of Students for assistance.
arrowsWhat happens when I complete a progress survey?

Individual tracking item (flag/high fives/referrals/to-do) notifications are sent to your students’ CSB/SJU e-mail and individuals in both their Success Network and/or Student Services Offices. Depending on the tracking item and its workflow, staff from Academic Advising or other support services may reach out to students (via phone and e-mail) in regard to flags and referrals. Review flag rules, workflow and message templates on the Alert Rules page. 

arrowsCan I give feedback (raise flags, referrals, high fives) without a progress survey?

Yes! You can add individual flags, referrals or high fives at any time for students.

arrowsHow do I know what message is sent when I add flags/high fives/referrals/to-do?

Review the information found on the Alert Rules page, this includes the workflows for each alert and the message template for each alert.  It should be easy for you to see what messages are sent with each alert/tracking item. Each template has some standardized text followed by "Message from Your Instructor: where the faculty members comments to display. An alert message is sent to the student at their CSB/SJU email account and copies of the message are also kept in students message center in The HIVE. The instructors e-mail will also be provided to the student so that they may directly reply to their instructor.

All information in The Hive is considered part of the student record and can be requested by the student through FERPA. Each note, appointment type, flag, referral, high five, to do will show you with whom it is directly shared. It is a good practice to consider all notes and tracking items shared. Please be prescriptive with your notes and comments for students/staff.