Tackling the Student Impact Gap with New Student Success Benchmarking Data
Colleges and universities have long invested in student success initiatives by providing a variety of services and support. However, relying on one-size-fits-all approaches can be unresponsive to the needs of individual students, leading to a disconnect between the intended outcomes of these initiatives and the actual results. This discrepancy is what we refer to as the “Student Impact Gap.”
In today’s ever-evolving environment, characterized by declining enrollment, increased competition, and shifting student priorities, it is more important than ever for colleges and universities to find ways to improve student success. One promising approach is to use actionable analytics to identify the right combination of strategies that will deliver the desired outcomes.
The latest Student Success Impact Report from Civitas Learning examines over 500 student success initiatives, ranging from advising appointments to library resources, to identify key trends and insights to address this gap. This 28-page report shares many findings, from high-impact practices to cautionary tales about strategies that may inadvertently hinder progress.
Key community insights include:
- Investing in faculty development fosters student success
- Well-designed early alert programs can significantly impact students’ trajectories
- Student-driven degree planning is a proven strategy for achieving optimal results
- Cultivating a sense of belonging and connection enhances students’ experience
- Tailoring services to individual student needs underscores the importance of personalized approaches
The student success work of Civitas Learning’s partner institutions serving a collective 3.9 million students is a reminder that diverse students benefit from tailored support. By analyzing student data across various demographics, institutions can:
- Move beyond the one-size-fits-all student success approach by targeting their marketing strategies, program structures, and student engagement methods to better meet the needs of their student population.
- Maximize their investments by ensuring that the right combination of interventions reaches the right students.
- Track long-term benefits by gauging the cumulative impact of their student success programs, with the capability to measure how different students respond to interventions over time and adjust accordingly.
Read the full report to dive deeper into benchmarking insights, high-impact approaches, cautionary findings, spotlight success stories, and more. If you are interested in learning more about leveraging the FoundationCCC’s agreement with Civitas Learning, please contact cbcontracts@foundationccc.org. Together, we can work towards closing the Student Impact Gap and fostering a brighter future for all students.
