Introduction
This guide demonstrates how faculty can use the First Week Attendance Outreach (Friday) filter in Dropout Detective to check in with students, encourage participation during the first week, and help students avoid being dropped for non-attendance in Week 2.
Contents
How to use the First Week Attendance Outreach (Friday) Filter
What if I don’t want to use this filter on Friday (day 5) of my course?
Dropout Detective: First Week Attendance (Friday) Filter Video Demo
More Information on Dropout Detective
How to use the First Week Attendance Outreach (Friday) Filter
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Access Dropout Detective on Day 5 of your course.
On the fifth day of your course, login to Canvas, open your course, and click Dropout Detective in the course navigation under Third-Party Tools.
Note: You MUST do this on Day 5. If you run this filter on a different day, you won't get an accurate list of students.
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Select the First Week Attendance Outreach (Friday) filter.
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Click the Filter Students arrow (1) and choose the First Week Attendance Outreach (Friday) filter (2) from the filter dropdown menu. This filter identifies students who haven’t submitted any assignments during the first five days of class. Students displayed by the filter may be at risk of being dropped for non-attendance if no academic activity is recorded. It's important that you use this filter on the fifth day of your class, to make sure the list is accurate.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR SPRING 2026/TERM 660: For this semester, since the start date is Tuesday, 1/20/2026, the First Week Attendance Outreach - Friday filter has been adjusted to display students who have not submitted assignments in the first FOUR days of class, ie: between 1/20/2026 and 1/24/2026.
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Send Message to Students.
Select all students shown in the filter by selecting the Select All checkbox at the top of the list of filtered students.
Note: If you've already spoken to a student about your first week attendance concerns, you could deselect that student from the list to avoid sharing duplicate Inbox messages. Or, you could send the information twice for additional emphasis.Click the Send Messages button.
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In the messaging window, fill in:
Subject (1)
Message (2, a reminder to students to complete first-week assignments over the weekend to avoid being dropped for non-attendance)
Note: There is currently no functionality to add each student's name automatically to the Inbox message, so we recommend using a generic greeting (Hello, Good evening, etc).Purpose of the message (3)
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Send Individual Messages
Click Send Messages.
Each student receives a personalized message in their Canvas Inbox, even if you contacted multiple students at once.
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Timing and Impact
Using this filter on Friday gives students time to take action before the Week 2 attendance check.
Early outreach supports student success and engagement.
What if I don’t want to use this filter on Friday (day 5) of my course?
Two First Week Attendance Outreach filters were created. If you'd like to send a message at any point on Sunday, the 7th day of your course, please follow the same steps above but use the First Week Attendance Outreach (Sunday) filter instead.
Dropout Detective: First Week Attendance (Friday) Filter Video Demo
Coming soon! This Tech Tip will be released Tuesday, 1/20/2026!
More Information on Dropout Detective
- Getting Started with Dropout Detective
- Frequently Asked Questions about Dropout Detective
- Dropout Detective: How to Message Multiple Students
Have Questions? Contact the Academic Technology Support Team
atst@spcollege.edu
Phone at 727-341-3500
(Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST).
After-hours or weekend assistance? Contact the Technical Support Center at 727-791-2795 or onlinehelp@spcollege.edu
Want to Schedule a One-on-One or Group Session on Canvas or other instructional technology issues or opportunities?
Schedule 1:1 Support Help with a Member of the Academic Technology Support Team
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