Closing the Distance

Nationally, student retention figures for higher education are troubling: only 35% of students seeking a bachelor’s degree graduated within 4 years and 57% within 6 years (Knapp, Kelly-Reid, Whitemore, 2007). Among online students, graduation rates are even lower.Clearly for students, dropping out of an academic program is a missed opportunity for personal and career advancement. For schools, lower retention rates mean lost revenue, lower rankings, and increased enrollment spending to replace those students. At the same time, it can be argued that increased spending on enrollment programs is the least cost-effective solution to address this broad industry issue. A proven, more sustainable solution gaining wide attention today is to fund and implement programs that manage students for success, therefore increasing their persistence so that they complete their degree or certificate.The need for a new approach of managing, or coaching, students so that they become more successful is highlighted by a recent report from the Sloan Consortium in which 64% of chief academic officers cite lack of student discipline as the single largest barrier to more widespread adoption of distance learning (Allen & Seaman, 2006).As a case in point, Northeastern University’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies has implemented a program called student success coaching to support its student population. Many adult undergraduate and graduate students taking classes on campus and online have been working with student success coaches over the past year as part of the school’s focus on student service. According to Christopher E. Hopey, vice president and dean of the School of Professional and Continuing Studies,As student success coaching moves into the mainstream as a solution to improve student retention, much has been learned about the effectiveness and implementation considerations for these programs. Some insights are provided in this article. One conclusion is certain: Done correctly, success coaching can significantly increase retention rates (see Figure 1). Equally important for the field of distance learning, it can encourage the student-school connection that continues to be a challenge for online programs.In response to high attrition rates, colleges and universities have initiated a wide range of programs and services to help students achieve greater success and, ultimately, graduate. Most institutions offer some combination of advising services, mentoring, academic support, and “early warning” programs. These services often focus on first-year students who, overwhelmed by new experiences and expectations, are particularly vulnerable to dropping out. Unfortunately, they also seem to have limited positive effects.Of course, academic problems are only one of many reasons that students leave school. Lack of skills necessary for success (study habits, time management, multitasking skills, goal setting, etc.), family distractions, low motivation or confidence, and uncertainty over educational and career goals can all play a role in whether or not an individual student persists through graduation.Distance learners face even greater challenges when it comes to staying in school. Unlike students entering college straight from high school, many distance learners have not been in a classroom (virtual or otherwise) for many years and need to reacquaint themselves with academic skills. Others are the first in their families to attend college and lack role models for negotiating the college process. The majority will be borrowing money for tuition, which can create additional financial strain on their households. And, because students sometimes have less interaction with faculty, administrators, and peers, most distance learners lack a strong connection to their institutions. Finally, pursuing a degree online demands a level of discipline and motivation that can be difficult for students to achieve even under the best of circumstances. Clearly, any effective solution to the retention dilemma for distance learning programs must take all of these demands, pressures, and risk factors into account.In the past 5 years, a new approach to improving student retention, called success coaching, has been implemented at leading online universities including Westwood College Online, DeVry University Online, and the online division of Northeastern University’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Originally developed by a company in San Francisco, InsideTrack, success coaching is based on a philosophy that for students of any age, achievement depends on the presence of multiple factors, including proactive guidance, frequent feedback, a sense of purpose, and regular support and motivation.Inspired by the executive and personal coaching movements, student success coaching is distinct from other approaches to retention in a number of important ways. First, the program takes a holistic approach to students, addressing the full range of issues that can cause them to leave school. The program also offers broader outreach than most retention solutions by seeking to increase the success of all students rather than just those at-risk or in crisis. We know that it can be difficult to identify at-risk students and that even “good” students can transfer or drop out. When students are more engaged and performing at their best, however, they get more out of their educational experience and are more likely to stay in school and graduate.The hallmark of coaching, of course, is personalized interaction. With greater individual attention and scheduled, proactive one-on-one telephone meetings, problems are more likely to be identified before they become chronic and students are less likely to “fall through the cracks.”Success coaching was designed as a comprehensive solution that can be easily integrated into current student support systems. In addition to providing direct support to students, coaches encourage them to take advantage of existing services such as academic advising, financial aid and career counseling.Effective success coaching programs are structured around a disciplined coaching methodology and multiple focus areas that are critical to student persistence. These focus areas are:Additionally, success coaching programs typically include frequent, structured communications between students and coaches, at least two to four times per month. During a session, a student and coach may work on any one (or more) of the focus areas detailed above. They also address the many challenges that can cause students to drop out, from unexpected financial difficulties to family concerns to a lack of motivation or direction. The best programs include online, Web-based applications that support student-coach collaboration—what InsideTrack refers to as goal achievement systems. With these systems, students can plan academic and nonacademic activities, define short- and long-term goals and track their progress on multiple focus areas on a daily basis.Understanding the online student as someone who is balancing multiple commitments, priorities, and challenges has also proven to be an effective approach to recruiting students, as well. Coaches can be powerful recruiters because they recognize and respond to the demands and expectations of adult students who are planning to pursue a degree online. Going a step beyond the traditional admissions process by taking into account these multiple factors and by providing one-on-one support to prospective students to help them clarify their goals and get organized to start school can be a reliable way to increase enrollment yields.Finally, key to the success of any student coaching program is the training and commitment of the coaching staff. Using the InsideTrack model as an example, coaches are drawn from a variety of different backgrounds, such as education, counseling, law, business and, (of course) coaching. All share the desire to inspire and motivate people and offer strong management and leadership skills with a high level of emotional intelligence. Success coaches undergo a rigorous training program and then begin an intensive 2-year, multilevel certification process that enables them to evaluate and work with students effectively. As Kai Drekmeier, president of InsideTrack, states,Students invariably describe their coach as someone who is on their side and concerned about their progress and success. Chelcey Williams, a DeVry OnLine student, put it this way:At the same time, coaches also provide a vehicle for online institutions to communicate more directly and effectively with students. For example, online universities often ask coaches to disseminate and reinforce updates to students on school policies or procedures such as changes in the financial aid or registration processes, not to mention reminding students to register for subsequent terms on time. The coaches then follow up to ensure that students understand and comply with the changes.Because they speak with students all day, every day, coaches also provide important feedback about programs and classes, spot trends among students as they emerge, and can alert institutions to problems early on. According to one InsideTrack coach, Brendan Daly,One online university, for example, was experiencing particularly high attrition from a new program. InsideTrack coaches were able to provide information and data detailing which students were leaving and why. As a result, the university was able to reevaluate the program and make changes to it with the goal of improving retention. Given the fact that most online schools are relatively young and fast growing, real-time information that includes departmental and interdepartmental feedback based on qualitative data from students, as well as quantitative data on how portions of their population are being retained and why, can provide an institution with a significant strategic advantage.A coach’s primary role, however, is to empower online students by providing support, direction, advice and motivation tailored specifically to their needs. Coaches also help students develop the confidence and ability to persist through difficult periods as they pursue their degree. Kathy Hudson, a Westwood Online student, describes how her coach, Jason Young, helped her to adjust to returning to school at the age of 50:As further proof of how widespread success coaching has become, to date, more than 85,000 students have worked with an InsideTrack Success Coach at more than 50 campus locations throughout the country. Of those, 70% have been nontraditional and adult learners. The results show that institutions implementing the program see a 20% reduction in student attrition. In addition, coached students have a 15% higher retention rate after 12 months than their noncoached peers. For institutions that use InsideTrack coaching, the combined drop in attrition and rise in retention has translated into a 10–15% rise in total enrollment and tuition revenue—representing a significant return on investment.The impact of the coaching program goes beyond the bottom line. Students who work with coaches are better prepared and organized for classes, assignments, and meetings with professors, advisors, and other students. They are more likely to meet registration and financial aid deadlines, thus improving the workflow for administrators and increasing the likelihood that they will return for the following term. Institutions that offer success coaching demonstrate their commitment to student achievement through personalized attention and offer something that differentiates them in the marketplace. Graduating more students who are satisfied with their educations and prepared for their careers enables an online university or program to enhance its reputation, which in turn can attract more prospective students.According to The Sloan Consortium (Allen & Seaman, 2007), the number of online learners in the United States has doubled since 2002, and more than 96% of the nation’s very largest universities (those with more than 15,000 students enrolled) offer some type of online course (Allen & Seaman, 2006). With this rapid expansion of distance learning expected to continue, ensuring that students are more engaged, motivated, and successful will be critical to maximizing the value of online programs to both students and institutions.Headshot of Alan Tripp, smiling, with contact details listed: CEO of InsideTrack, San Francisco, CA, including street address, phone number, and email.Alan Tripp, CEO, InsideTrack, 703 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Telephone: (415) 243-3945.