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Incredible gains in student retention noted by universities using edtech strategies


Universities record 10%+ increase in first-year persistence rates after only 2 years using tech-based tactics.

At the heart of today’s college completion conundrum is the challenge of helping more first-generation college-goers, especially low-income students and students of color, start and finish strong. While first-generation students compose nearly one-third of students entering two- or four-year colleges and universities in the US, only 11 percent of low-income, first-generation students earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. The first-year experience is especially problematic for these students—the Pell Institute found that low-income, first-generation students were almost four times more likely to leave college after the first year than more affluent peers.

More than Financial Support

How can institutions help first-generation students beat the odds in their first year? Increasingly, student success experts find that experiences beyond the classroom walls may hold the key. First-generation, minority and low-income students need more than just financial support to be successful to stay on track toward completing college.

With the help of emerging digital tools and innovative coaching methodology, institutions are creating new models to support the first-generation college student and seeing real progress. Here are several ways in which success coaching and technology can unlock the potential of first-generation, low-income students:

1. Navigate bureaucratic hurdles. Too often, college can feel like a bureaucratic labyrinth for first-generation students as they maneuver through the financial aid process, class scheduling and registration. It’s a daunting task, especially for students who are the first in their family to go through the process. Service centers on campus often go underutilized, and students don’t know how to begin or where to obtain information.

Improving student communication and reaching them through text and email can go a long way in preparing students for success from the start of college through their first semester. Even simple notifications can help remind students about financial aid or course registration deadlines and begin to map out class schedules aligned with their career goals and general education requirements.

2. Foster soft skills. Employers are increasingly looking for–and are having difficulty finding–candidates with strong soft skills, including communication and organization. According to a recent study, jobs with high social–or ‘soft’ skill requirements are in higher demand and pay more. These skills sometimes fall by the wayside in favor of traditional academic skills, but are critical not only for completion but for career readiness.

By focusing on enhancing a students’ ability to problem solve, persevere and show grit, you are setting them up to succeed not only in academic settings, but for their future career.

(Next page: 3 more ways to help boost first-year student retention; measurable gains)

3. Balance work-life challenges. College can be a time of dizzying distractions for any student. First-generation students can feel a sense of guilt or abandonment when leaving their family to attend college. These students often are balancing job or family obligations and usually live off-campus and commute. Even mundane issues can feel like monumental setbacks.

Identifying these challenges, and providing 24/7, online support through 1:1 coaching allows students—many of whom are too timid to reach out—the help they need to navigate these work-life challenges.

4. Promote a sense of belonging: One of the toughest barriers that many first generation students face is developing a sense of belonging and connection to the campus community. As the first person in their family to go through this experience, they often doubt their own college worthiness and ability to succeed.

Colleges and universities can support these students through thoughtful, proactive coaching and mentoring focused on cultivating a positive mindset and by showing them how to leverage their existing talents to persist through challenges and overcome obstacles in an academic context.

 5. Kick-start career opportunities. While counterintuitive, sometimes career guidance can be a potent strategy for student retention. Students lose motivation to finish college when they see no light at the end of the tunnel or relevance for a potential job.

Helping students map their career interests and goals can help students find a major or program that inspires them, creating an incentive to stick with it when they encounter a difficult course or personal issues.

Boosting Student Retention At-Scale

This approach is beginning to work at scale. The State of Indiana recognized the need to provide support for at-risk students through the 21st Century Scholars program, which provides students with up to four years of tuition at any participating public college or university. Several institutions–including Ivy Tech Community College and Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)–are providing student success coaching to address the non-financial barriers to student success in partnership with experts at InsideTrack.

This technology-enhanced approach to student support has led to critical gains in persistence among the Scholars. For example, Ivy Tech has seen first-year persistence rates increase from a historic average of 36.9 percent to 49 percent in only two years, a 12.1 percentage point increase. IUPUI increased persistence for their most “at-risk” Scholars from a historical average of 50 percent to 60 percent over the same time period.

Beyond the numbers, this new approach represents renewed opportunity for the students now on track to earn their degrees. Degrees matter, and the path to student success all begins with the first-year experience. With the right support, hard work can unlock paths to upward mobility and economic prosperity, regardless of a student’s circumstances.

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