Higher education institutions, faced with declining enrollments and mounting financial pressures, are prioritizing retention and implementing targeted interventions to drive student success. By tracking persistence data, higher education institutions can ensure they are creating an environment that supports student success and has the safeguards in place to keep students on track.
The majority of institutions report tracking persistence data, citing it as effective in pinpointing student weaknesses in preparation prior to college and identifying current at-risk students. Building a powerful early-warning system is key to help students progress toward graduation—making persistence data tracking necessary to identify and support at-risk students. Two persistence data strategies schools can incorporate are academic milestones and on-track indicators.
Establishing milestones give students clear, measurable academic checkpoints to achieve, while on-track indicators outline enrollment and behavior patterns for students to follow. Milestones are step-by-step, academic goals for students to complete in order to graduate. Examples of milestones to monitor include:. Consider incorporating the following three types of indicators into your retention plan:. In this introductory stage, students are encouraged to begin remedial or early college-level coursework to spot those who will need remedial coursework in the first term.
This indicator outlines the college-level courses students should complete in their first or second year. It also encourages students to complete a college-success course or other first-year experience program to get a strong start to college. This indicator sets clear academic goals to help students earn their credits on time.
While the retention rate for those enrolled full-time increases to The data in the chart below illustrates the retention rate at all of our institutions against the national average. It is important that each institution look more specifically at comparators within their specific peer group when setting benchmarks and goals. Specific to UMS is the concept of return rate which allows for the opportunity to review student profiles in a number of ways, showing progression across the classes.
Learning more about the factors that affect retention, as well as exploring ways and means of improving retention can help institutions avoid the costs associated with high attrition rates. The current landscape of higher education calls for institutions to meet the needs of a changing student population with competing priorities in an increasingly complicated college experience extending beyond initial enrollment. One of the most widely researched topics in higher education is student retention.
One of the most prominent theorists on student retention is Vincent Tinto. This model identifies three major sources of student departure: academic difficulties, challenges in resolving educational and occupational goals , and a failure to become academically and socially connected with the institution. Whether a student departs from an institution is largely a result of the extent to which the student develops a strong sense of belonging and integration within the community.
Student interaction must go beyond the classroom in order for students to feel integrated. Integration is an important component for retaining all students, and it is particularly important in retaining minority students. Peer and faculty mentoring programs have also been found to be effective retention strategies particularly with programs focusing on providing social and academic support.
There are many factors that have been found to influence retention and to be strongly associated with student persistence. Institutions of Higher Education need to analyze the specific qualities and characteristics of their own students with the most beneficial and effective retention programs being those that are developed over time and are based on coordinated activities of continuous research, evaluation, and policy development. More recently, Tinto , offered a framework that institutions could use to enhance student success.
While related, these perspectives are not the same. Ultimately, best practices start with obtaining a clear understanding of the issues impacting the retention on campus. Design, build, and map learning outcomes to experiences and gamify involvement with our SmartTranscript. Featured Success Stories Lynn University.
Tufts University. Tulsa Community College. Do you know the specific dropout rate at your institution? Example: Community colleges enroll some of the most diverse student bodies , and it can be difficult to provide comprehensive, targeted programming to meet their needs. Within involvement, we can work to develop students through these five stages: 1. Engage students in making choices 2. Require interaction with diverse individuals and ideas 3.
Involve students in direct and varied experiences 4. Involve students in solving complex and intellectual social problems 5. Involve students in receiving feedback and making objective self-assumptions We can use this framework to guide the creation of various involvement opportunities that are both meaningful and personal.
Assessing Engagement For students struggling to find community on or off campus, not feeling welcomed or on track can quickly lead to a downward spiral. Questions that engagement and involvement quantitative and qualitative data can answer include: What co-curricular opportunities would our student body appreciate? What do their lives look like outside of school? What kind of access do they have to on campus and off? The lower professor-to-student ratio is an advantage of being at a community college.
Besides that, the advantage allows leaders to call the student, the student advisor, and the student counselor. First-hand, they can understand the different barriers that a student is experiencing. Equally important, community college leaders must create wrap-around services to meet student needs. The services might include supplemental in-class tutoring and outside tutorial services.
Additionally, wrap around services provide counseling to check if students need housing, food, school supplies, and basic needs. Most importantly, leaders must understand how to make these wrap-around services highly accessible to students. Thus, the services should go to the students instead of students going to the services. In essence, when more students have their needs met, the more successful they can be.
Therefore, the more likely they are to continue with their education. Therefore, community college leaders can support students and raise retention rates by providing course materials at discounted prices. Community college students are more likely to drop out or opt-out of classes when they cannot afford books and other materials. Students are offered Chromebooks at a discounted price too. The solution ensures all students have access to the materials they need to succeed in their classes.
Also, it lets them know they are seen. Essentially, students understand that the college knows them, is ready for them, and wants them to succeed.
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