Student Retention Management Software - The Way to Drive Student Success

Retention is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges for colleges and universities because many first-year students leave after their first year. A survey conducted by one college in 2015 shows that only 64% of freshmen return as sophomores. Even today, 40% of undergraduate students drop out, 30% of whom are freshmen.

Therefore, colleges would benefit from investing in modern retention solutions such as student retention management software to address student retention and improve graduation rates. Combining such software and other programs can make a big difference for newcomers and help them successfully enroll in their second year.

Why Is Student Management Retention Software Important?

Modern retention solutions are often praised for employing predictive modeling to identify risk factors that affect university retention and completion rates.

Utilizing innovative retention software on campus enables institutions to track students and initiate intervention strategies as early as possible. Many of these systems are designed to help faculty and staff share student records with those who can help them.

Aside from having insights into their academic record, student retention management software also provides a holistic view of each student. This way, educational institutions can address underlying reasons for students' failure to complete their degrees.

Core Features of Student Management Retention Software

Nowadays, a variety of student retention software is available on the market. If an educational institution has access to top-notch easy-to-use software, it can improve student retention by up to 7%. Here are a few key characteristics of those platforms.

Early Reporting

State-of-the-art student retention management software provides innovative tracking options and extensive data reports. By analyzing this information, universities can identify students at risk of dropping out early by looking at how engaged they are with specific platforms or how well they complete their tasks.

The apps employ multiple useful features, such as automatic messages to remind students of their duties and provide all the necessary information. Built-in surveys are also critical as they provide feedback quickly and efficiently.

Teachers can use these software communication tools to check in and follow up with students in need. They can use email marketing and tracking metrics to learn who is opening and clicking emails, push notifications for reminders, and a community feed for resource sharing and discussion.

When they understand where students run into roadblocks, they can better formulate a plan to help them succeed.

By maximizing a school's reach and perception, they can identify problems in advance and address them.

Teacher-Student Engagement

Lecturers interact with students the most during classes in physical classrooms. Outside of them, there is a communication gap. Institutions that want to combat the problem are ready to invest in appropriate tools and apps.

Strong teacher-student engagement depends directly on clear communication, strengthened by advanced mobile apps. Additionally, lecturers can stay connected to students on and off campus.

Assigning homework, uploading exam schedules, administering tests, and other academic activities can be easily optimized with these tools. Student retention rates will increase when there is a strong teacher-student bond. This student retention action plan will give you more insight into this issue.

Ease of Use

As part of a school's retention strategy, easy-to-use software is necessary. Fortunately, many solutions on the market are sophisticated and easy to master. This is a crucial factor, especially if there is a multi-generational workforce. Not all people on staff are tech-savvy. But the great thing is that these apps offer knowledgeable customer and technical support to help with the onboarding process for students, lecturers, and staff.

Asking for Help on the Spot

We already mentioned that educational institutions could build a custom algorithm that creates a success score for each student based on customizable factors to spot at-risk students. Students can also contact staff across multiple departments and request assistance through the platform. This student-centric approach allows students to reach out for help before the staff is notified of a problem.

Scalability

Modern student retention management software needs to be scalable. If a university uses clunky, legacy software, it won’t have the correct data and insight into retention rates. The chosen platform has to be scalable and grow with an institution at any pace.