Increasing Student Success Without Increasing Costs

Today, most schools are challenged to increase student success while remaining affordable and controlling costs. There are a number of initiatives that schools are using to help students succeed. These begin with mandatory orientation programs before students even begin college. Enhanced remedial instruction for underprepared students primarily in math and writing often using a variety of self-paced software and/or supplemental instruction along with regular courses has proven important to increased student pass rates and retention. Many schools have instituted intrusive advising that requires faculty and all who come into contact with a student to notify the student’s advisor if they think s/he is having a problem. These systems are aided by software that allows for easy reporting and automated notes being sent to students in addition to the personal contact. For example, the American Public University System has just begun using ClearPath, a learning relationship management software system which works to increase student connections as well as to connect academic advisors and staff together on a single platform so that they can easily track a students progress and are alerted whenever a student is having problems so that they can intervene. So far, these systems are finding that high touch can be done economically when appropriate systems are in place to provide alerts and high touch leads to significant increases in student retention rates.

from Forbes - Leadership http://ift.tt/1PUiL27