Strategies to Improve Student Completion Rates

One in five college students today is raising a child. But the systems meant to support them still reflect outdated assumptions about who college is for and what students need to succeed. Student parents—overwhelmingly women and disproportionately women of color—comprise the “new majority” of adult learners who are navigating #HigherEd along w/ caregiving, full-time jobs, and serious financial pressure. Nearly two-thirds of student parents spend 40 hours/week caring for dependents (Trellis Strategies). The demographic cliff has finally forced institutions to look beyond the 18-year-old "traditional" student. What they’re finding is a massive, motivated population that’s too often unsupported. But there are bright spots and promising strategies that others can build on. 👩⚕️ At The College of Health Care Professions, #studentparents attend in-person classes just 1–2 times/week thanks to a #HyFlex model. They also get tailored advising & coaching. 🏫 Austin Community College's Parenting Student Project has improved retention, graduation, mental health, and financial stability. Over 95% of participants stay enrolled semester-to-semester. (Russell Lowery-Hart) 💡 The Single Moms Success Design Challenge—launched by Education Design Lab and supported by ECMC Foundation—aims to boost completion rates for single moms at #CommunityColleges by 30%. Early results are encouraging. 👉Bottom line: If we want to close equity gaps and boost credential attainment, we need to treat student parents as the high-potential, high-return population they are. And doing so will have outsize, multi-generational impact. That means: ✔️ Hybrid and flexible learning ✔️ Child care and housing supports (see: Beam, formerly Edquity) ✔️ Mental & behavioral health services (see: TimelyCare)  ✔️ Affordable, outcomes-based financing (see: Ascent) ✔️ Stronger workforce pathways If you're working on strategies to unlock #economicmobility and better serve #adultlearners —or want to start— I’d love to connect!

More than a decade ago, three Ohio colleges decided to try something different. They adapted a model from CUNY called ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs) and its core idea is refreshingly simple: give students what they actually need to succeed. That includes things like intensive advising, tuition support, help with transportation, and assistance with other basic needs. Not flashy. Just the kind of support that reflects real student lives. To measure the program's impact, they split students into two groups—one with access to ASAP and one without. The results? *46% of ASAP students earned a degree compared to 31% in the control group. *ASAP students earned $3,300 more on average in their careers. That's not just a win for completion, it's a reminder that completion isn't just about determination or personal drive. It's about designing systems that actually help support students from enrollment to graduation. It's time we stopped asking students to do more with less, and start building programs tha work for them. Read more:

The engagement gap: why traditional online learning metrics hide the real reason students disengage. Most platforms track completion rates. But they miss what really matters. Isolation kills motivation faster than any technical glitch. Here's how to build real connection in virtual spaces: 1️⃣ Community-First Design • Break the solo learning trap • Foster peer relationships • Create belonging through structure ↳ Group projects that actually work ↳ Guided discussions that spark dialogue ↳ Micro-communities that stick together 2️⃣ Real-Time Connection Points • Schedule virtual coffee chats • Host informal study groups • Break down social barriers ↳ Weekly check-ins build momentum ↳ Informal spaces encourage bonding ↳ Small groups maximize interaction 3️⃣ Peer Support Networks • Match learners strategically • Enable organic mentoring • Build accountability partnerships ↳ Buddy systems drive completion ↳ Peer feedback loops work magic ↳ Support circles prevent dropout 4️⃣ Active Instructor Presence • Show up consistently • Engage authentically • Guide conversations naturally ↳ Regular office hours matter ↳ Personal responses build trust ↳ Active participation sets the tone 5️⃣ Inclusive Space Design • Clear community guidelines • Diverse representation • Accessible support systems ↳ Everyone feels welcome ↳ All voices get heard ↳ Support reaches everyone The secret isn't more content. It's better connection. Build community first. Everything else follows. How are you designing for connection—not just completion—in your online learning spaces?

Here’s something nobody ever talks about: If you work at an adult / online serving institution, you can increase your revenue by 8%, while improving retention and decreasing time to completion. How? A Rolling Academic Calendar. Most institutions operate on a standard 52-week calendar. If you offer 8-week courses (as many do), that means you're only teaching - and recognizing revenue - for 48 weeks each year. The other 4 weeks? Breaks between terms. But what if you offered courses every week of the year? Many accreditors are supportive of a rolling academic calendar model, such as one that runs on a 56-week cycle, instead of 52. This allows you to offer 52 weeks of instruction each year, which translates to 52 weeks of revenue, instead of 48. That’s an immediate 8% revenue lift - without any additional marketing spend. But this isn’t just about revenue - it’s about retention too. Because when students stay in class they maintain momentum. They don’t stop, lose rhythm, or fall off track during holiday breaks. And did I mention it compresses time to graduation? Take a student earning 60 credits (20 courses), taking two classes every 8-week term. ➡️ Under a traditional 48-week calendar, it would take 608 days to finish. ➡️ With a rolling calendar offering 52 weeks of classes, they can finish in 560 days. It's more efficient for the student, and more valuable for the institution. Yet very few institutions pursue this model.

I have repeatedly used a strategy called the "ecological approach" when working with students at risk. This approach looks at the WHOLE picture and takes into account the difficulties students are having not only in school, but also in their communities and homes. A perfect example of someone who benefitted from this approach is a former student named Isela. She was a junior. Her attendance was poor. She had low grades and often appeared to be very sad. She also had a one-year-old daughter for whom she struggled to find childcare during the school hours. Isela was overly critical of herself regarding everything from her school performance to her abilities and personal appearance. She shared that her mom regularly expressed disappointment in her and was verbally abusive. She avoided relationships because of her fear of rejection, disapproval, and ridicule. I began meeting with Isela regularly and applying several interventions based on an ecological approach. As a result, her problems at home and within her community decreased, her self esteem skyrocketed, her school attendance improved and her grades went from Fs and Ds to Cs. Educators, we have to remember that to be effective in working with students that are in challenging situations, it is important to be informed of ALL the difficulties they are having not only in school, but also in their communities and homes. Only then can we develop empathy and establish a genuine relationship with them.

Over the past decade, multi-campus systems of higher education have undergone significant restructuring to adapt to changing demographics, financial constraints, and student needs. While these restructuring efforts traditionally focus on efficiency and resource allocation, now is the time to also consider how we can leverage these systems to create a more resilient, inclusive, and innovative higher education sector. What are some cross-institutional innovations to better serve our student populations? Here are some bold ideas: 1. Shared Academic Programming: Encourage students to take courses from multiple institutions and foster joint academic programs to leverage expertise across campuses. 2. Seamless Transfer: Design systems that allow students to transfer credits seamlessly between institutions, reducing loss of credits and time to degree completion. 3. Multi-Campus Stackable Credentials: Recognize diverse forms of prior learning and offer stackable credentials and flexible degree pathways that cut across institutions. 4. Multi-Campus Coaching: Provide consistent advising and support services for students regardless of their enrollment location within the system. 5. Single Point of Entry for Financial Aid: Simplify financial aid processes by aggregating credits from multiple institutions to determine aid eligibility. 6. Unified Academic Portfolios: Develop mechanisms for students to aggregate academic records across institutions, facilitating credit transfer and degree completion. These ideas challenge us to think beyond traditional structures and prioritize student success. In the face of evolving pressures, higher education must embrace transformation and collaboration. Multi-campus systems, with their broad reach and diverse resources, are well-positioned to lead this cultural shift. These are from a post I wrote a couple of years ago in The EvoLLLution: A Modern Campus Illumination. What other multi-campus innovations are you seeing? https://lnkd.in/gmcxpQip #Innovation #HigherEdTransformation #StudentSuccess #systemness #highered #highereducation 🚀📚

Hey #highered leaders - if you're still using static pivot tables to inform strategy, this post is for you ⤵ Take a peak at the below screenshot. This example, which shows two "paired predictors", is just one way you can turn data into action: 📈 ▶ The top right quadrant are “high achievers”. They have a high GPA + high credit earn ratio. These students might simply receive a message of encouragement. ▶ The top left quadrant are “strivers”. They have lower GPAs, but higher credits earned. These students might receive a nudge related to maximizing their use of available academic resources. ▶ The bottom right quadrant are “setbacks”. They have higher overall GPA, likely from good grades in their early coursework, but are earning fewer credits towards graduation requirements in key courses in their major. These students should probably receive messaging about the need for high-touch interaction with their advisors to stay on track and not lose their early momentum. ▶ The students in the bottom left quadrant are in "survival mode”. They are below average in both areas. These students are probably due for some real human-to-human conversation to better understand their needs. They may need in-depth intervention, with accompanied supports for finding the most successful path towards goals that match the students’ strengths and interests. You may consider nudging and re-nudging them throughout a term. ⤵ There's so many more examples of how Civitas Learning partners are disaggregating data to close equity gaps. If you're curious to learn more, let's connect 💌 #studentsuccessanalytics