Get Students to Degree Completion With Advising Tools that Work

39 million Americans have some college with no degree. There can be many factors that impact student success and their ability to complete their program of study. A recent survey has shed light to the fact that awareness of program requirements and access to advising resources may be a problem for students. According to Inside Higher Ed, only 55 percent of students say they’ve received guidance on required courses and course sequences needed for graduation via the advising process.

The number of students who report not receiving advising is concerning and indicates we need to dive deeper into how, when, and what advising information is being delivered. However, faculty and staff—who are often responsible for advising—are under-resourced, asked to do more with less, and are bogged down in manual disparate processes that consume massive amounts of time. This makes it difficult to provide even basic advising needs with over 70% of students reporting it was hard to get an appointment with an advisor, to say nothing about reimagining advising in a highly personalized, consumable, and actionable way. It's time to leverage technology so schools can work smarter to reach their ultimate goal—student success.

The Problem with Degree Completion—What’s Causing the Bottleneck and How Students Are Struggling

Fewer than two-thirds of students manage to finish a four-year degree within six years . Students are increasingly finding it challenging to understand the requirements needed to complete their degrees due to manual processes, information housed in multiple places, and limited faculty availability for advising. Data is often siloed, and manual paperwork makes it more difficult to access. This causes students to get overwhelmed with piles of paper, conflicting details, and trying to navigate complex registration processes. There is a need for an efficient workflow that helps students quickly access their academic information and provides them with personalized and relevant guidance aimed toward increasing academic success.

Advising That Engages Students on Their Terms and Gets Them to Graduation

Students should have access to advising that engages them throughout their journey and helps outline the quickest and most straightforward path to degree completion. College is an investment in oneself and financing can pose a significant challenge for students from all backgrounds. To deliver on the promise of higher education, students need to progress quickly and efficiently through their program of study to ensure the precious financial resources they have are put to good use.

Students have grown accustomed to gamification and leveling up in life from apps like Candy Crush to Google Guides. The more they engage, the higher their level of achievement. An advising system that displays program requirements and progression to completion provides transparency about which courses come next and can enable faster degree completion.

Without accurate and effective advising, students may unintentionally take and pay for unnecessary or duplicative classes, extend their time in school, or increase their risk of leaving school before their degree is completed. When left to wade through the complexities of degree planning alone, there is a greater chance that students will encounter barriers preventing them from reaching their goals. The more efficiently students can progress on this path, the faster they will begin to see a return on their educational investment—a win for students, institutions, and society.

The Benefits of Technology-based Advising Tools for Students, Faculty, and Staff

Personalized, impactful, and scalable advising can be a reality for students and staff. When utilizing an underlying data framework, available with a SaaS ERP solution, data can be leveraged for workflow management, outreach, and automation. The right tech solution can decrease time spent on manual tasks, freeing up faculty and staff to advise students the way they've always wanted and ensure that 100% of students can get guidance on graduation requirements and course sequencing.

Increased access to accurate and consistent data allows for the automation of important processes such as tracking achievements, assigning tasks to mentors, and helping students develop degree plans. By removing the manual processes, advisers can focus on what they are best at: guiding students' decision making. Engaging in high impact conversations with the students at highest risk for non-completion. Having access to real-time data gives staff and faculty the necessary information so that degree requirements can be met quickly and efficiently. When advising tools surface similar data to the student, it allows for increased student autonomy generating visibility into their own journey, letting them take control of their academic path.

Streamlining the Process of Degree Completion With Automated Workflows

By using an easy-to-use interface and automated workflow, an advising solution simplifies the process for both faculty, staff, and students. The tool provides multiple degree path options that allows students to easily personalize their course selection and receive automated reminders when certain criteria have been met or deadlines are approaching. With this no-hassle approach, university stakeholders can have peace of mind that their students succeed in meeting the requirements of their chosen degree paths. These tools can also identify when students are at risk, triggering advisors to proactively reach out early and help get students back on track.

Key Features to Look for in an Advising Tool

It can be overwhelming to navigate university requirements—especially when you feel like you don’t have the right advice. With an advising tool, universities can provide students and faculty with what they need to make the advising experience much smoother. When researching what advising tool may work best, look for features such as:

• Holistic data view of the student
• Degree plans with multiple paths, what-if, and look ahead analysis
• Integrations with student success and financial aid solutions
• Transfer equivalency
• Flexibility for defining rules and adapting to new rules and requirements
• Personalized, automated communication plans across email and mobile
• Analytics to benchmark student progress and improve strategies over time

We've increased our six-year graduation rate over a seven-year period from 38% to 50%.

Dale Nesbary, President, Muskegon Community College

When these key elements are present in an advising tool, everyone from students to staff will be able to identify what needs to be done to finish their degree efficiently and accurately—leading to improved student engagement and success.

Tips for Implementation Using Change Management Strategies

Change can be difficult especially for departments that are already overstretched. To help overcome reluctance to add something new to advisors’ plates, focus on making sure everyone understands why this change is necessary.

Once a solution is identified, provide clear instructions on how to use the new technology. In order to lead through change, demonstrate what the new solution can do versus the current state, highlighting the benefits to faculty, staff, and students. If you can show how the new solution will address their current pain points and demonstrate a better future, they'll be more willing to embrace change.

Here are a few change management tips to keep in mind:

• Communicate often and include everyone impacted
• Find executive sponsorship
• Get stakeholder buy-in
• Create a readiness plan
• Use a cohort or phased implementation approach
• Provide ongoing training

Increase Degree Completion With the Right Advising Solutions

Ultimately, progress is possible when universities invest in a tool that not only streamlines academic requirements but also encourages students to receive the necessary advising to successfully reach their goals—degree completion. An automated workflow system helps to remove redundancies and create a smooth process for all stakeholders, so professors and advisors can focus on more impactful activities like student success planning. By providing faculty, staff, and students with an intuitive platform where their data can be easily accessed and tracked, universities can finally put an end to the degree completion bottleneck.

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