Identifying At-Risk Students to Decrease Attrition

2. Identifying at-risk students to decrease attrition Student retention will always be a critical factor for colleges and universities. The more successful their students are, the more attractive the institution becomes. As time goes by, for institutions to have a real way to identify at-risks students, they must put in place a solid integration of data, early warning systems, and processes to identify and engage the at-risk students before it is too late.

3. Identifying at-risk students can be a difficult task. Since the typical class size per teacher continues to grow, it is hard for any instructor to truly "know" their students. Also, many legal issues and battles make teachers quite wary of knowing their students on a personal level for fear of accusations of misconduct.

4. How to identify at-risk students? • There are a few simple ways to measure at-risk student behavior in a quantifiable manner. It can be tracked with by maintaining a few numbers and behaviors and keeping good notes of all the your students. • The first and most obvious metric to observe when looking for at-risk students is grades. What students have started out the semester with low scores? For the students who score low in the beginning, having a conversation with them may be the only help they need. Maybe they just needed motivation, or they might need assistance with study skills, writing skills, etc. • Also, keep track of student grades and see which students begin to have decline in scores. This is often a sign of issues outside of the classroom that are affecting the student's work. Again, a conversation might help, or this might be a good time to either alert the administration or to contact the student counselor for assistance. The administration or counselor may have already heard other concerns about that student and have a better understanding of what interventions might be necessary.

5. Another at-risk student behavior that can be easily tracked is tardiness or absenteeism. If a student continues to either be late for class or simply is not attending, this is another opportunity to alert either the administration or the counselor. • Finally, disruptive behavior is a sign of an at-risk student that can be easily monitored. If a student is being regularly disruptive, this is probably a time when that student should be forced to see the administration for either discipline or an intervention of some kind, as attempting to intervene in the classroom can cause more disruption for other students.

6. Technology in identifying at-risk students: • New technologies can provide meaningful learning experiences for all children, especially those at risk of educational failure. Schools that capitalize on the relationship between technology and education reform will help students to develop higher order skills and to function effectively in the world beyond the classroom.

7. Now, with the introduction of the Early Warning System, Performance Dashboard (360 Degree View of a student), Keep Warm Hub, and the Student Helpdesk in the Constituent relationship management (CRM), the instructor can set up early warning system rules to flag students' performance, attendance, and other key course events that are required for student success. • For example, the instructor can trigger alerts when a student's score on a graded assignment or assessment falls below a certain level. Positive feedback to motivate students who exceed a performance level is another type of alert that can be set up in the Early Warning system. Students who do not complete course work when it is due can be readily identified by setting a due-date rule for notification. Last date of course access is a way to identify students who have not logged into the course for a specified number of days. A customized message can be sent directly to students who meet certain conditions established in the Early Warning System. A log of all the messages sent to students is produced automatically and is searchable by date, rule type and student.

8. For a high-level view of students' performance, the CRM has a 360 Degree View Dashboard where instructors can see the Early Warning System reports. They can also access an overview of dynamically generated up-to-date information on the number of days since last course access, participation in discussion boards, other course activity, and grades. • The Early Warning System and 360 Degree View Dashboard provide instructors with data about student performance that will assist in retaining students. They can readily identify each student's participation and progress and take steps to intervene, correct problems, motivate, and support each individual learner. Although the concept of an early warning system is not new, putting such powerful tools in the hands of individual faculty members, promises to positively impact student success and retention.

9. Some key features of a CRM: CRM software with below features can help easily find students at-risk and can be easy for student counselor or teachers to engage with students and improve success rates. • 360 Degree View • Early Warning System • Keep Warm Hub • Events and Workshops • Student Helpdesk • Appointment Booking • Co-created Learning Lounge • Success App for Learners Students, especially those who are early in the life-cycle, have to navigate the campus ecosystem to get what they want and deliver what the college needs.

10. Source Links: Higher Education CRM Student Retention Software CRM for Higher Education Student Enrollment Software Enrollment Management Software Student Success CRM CRM for Alumni Management