Student Success is 10 Steps Away!

As featured on  www.careereducationreview.net
By John King, Ed.D., Independent Education Consultant

In today’s challenging educational environment when new students are hard to find, and outcomes are the measure of an institution’s success, colleges today are challenged like never before to improve student outcomes. Rising college costs and student debt call into question not only the value of a college education in financial terms but also the amount of time a student spends completing their education. Students and other stakeholders are looking for a cheaper, faster way to get the education necessary to secure gainful employment and a rewarding career. 

For as long as I have been in education (nearly 30 years) post-secondary education has been looking for the magic formula to ensure that students successfully complete their education, graduate and go on to a rewarding career in the field of their choice. The reality is that there is no magic formula … that only a comprehensive coordinated program of academic and student services and programs will ensure that a student who starts, will stay and complete their education. We have developed a 10 STEP (Student Tactical Education Program) that has proven successful at two multi-campuses post-secondary educational organizations in improving student retention, graduation and satisfaction rates. The most recent, a twenty-two-campus group, reached double-digit improvement in student retention within two cohort starts. All but one campus showed some improvement in retention of new students with the greatest improvement at over 40 percent. The program produced a nearly 20 percent year over year improvement in student retention across all students. A part of the program focused on reducing the number of post enrollment cancellations is also showing positive results.