Tag: DataDriven

  • The data-driven path to boosting retention and attainment

    The data-driven path to boosting retention and attainment

    In the global education sector, we have spent much of the last two years looking at artificial intelligence through a defensive lens. The conversation has been dominated by concerns over academic integrity and the perceived threat to traditional assessment. However, as we look at the challenges facing UK higher education in 2026 – chief among them student retention and the widening attainment gap – it is time to shift our perspective.

    What if AI isn’t the problem, but a vital part of the solution?

    New independent research by Dr Rebecca Mace SFHEA, titled Ethical AI in Higher Education: Boosting Learning, Retention and Progression, provides a data-backed argument for this shift. By analyzing over 8,000 data points from diverse UK institutions, the report reveals that when AI is used as a formative “learning partner,” it creates a “stabilising scaffold” that keeps students in school and helps them thrive.

    The “equalising effect” on attainment

    For international and domestic students alike, the leap to university-level academic writing can be daunting. Dr Mace’s research found that formative AI feedback has a powerful “equalising effect”. While writing scores improved across the board, the most rapid gains were seen among lower-performing students.

    The research tracked measurable improvements in core academic areas for students using Studiosity AI for learning:

    • Text analysis: +10.98 points
    • Scientific reports: +7.18 points
    • Essays: +6.72 points

    This isn’t about AI writing for the student; it’s about the student using feedback to master “academic code-switching” – the ability to translate their ideas into the formal language of their discipline.

    A roadmap for retention

    Retention is the “holy grail” for university leaders today. The Mace report identifies a direct positive correlation between the use of Studiosity formative AI for learning and student persistence.

    The data suggests that learning is an iterative process. Students who engaged with the tool showed consistent progress over time, with six submissions appearing to be the “sweet spot” where academic standards become internalised. For a student who might be struggling in silence at 2:00am, having an ethical, 24/7 feedback loop provides the confidence to keep going rather than dropping out.

    From guilt to growth

    Perhaps the most revealing part of the study is the psychological impact on students. Many reported feeling a sense of “guilt” when using AI, even for legitimate study support, due to a lack of clear institutional guidance. This “low-trust culture” is counterproductive.

    As university leaders, you have an opportunity to validate ethical AI use. By providing students with approved, pedagogy-first tools, we move them away from the “gray areas” of the internet and back into a structured, supported learning environment.

    Take the next step

    The evidence is clear: ethical AI is no longer a luxury or a risk to be managed – it is a strategic necessity for any institution serious about student success and social mobility. I invite my colleagues across the sector to dive into the data and see how these findings can be applied to your own student success strategies.

    Click here to download the full research report and explore the data-driven path to boosting retention and attainment.

    About the author: Isabelle Bambury is the managing director UK and Europe at Studiosity. Isabelle has over 20 years’ experience in the education sector, before Studiosity as regional director for Study Group where she led both the UK/Europe and Russia/Central Asia teams. Prior to this, Isabelle held key roles at Cambridge Education Group and Kaplan International, moving into the private sector in 2005 after beginning her career as a secondary school teacher.

    The full report is available for download at www.studiosity.com/download-ethical-ai-studiosity

    About Studiosity: Support and Validate. Studiosity is writing feedback and assessment security that helps educators and leadership support students and validate learning outcomes, and unlike police & punish detection technology, Studiosity helps protect degree value, pedagogically and ethically.

    www.studiosity.com

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  • Data-Driven Student Success & Retention Solutions

    Data-Driven Student Success & Retention Solutions

    Student success in higher education is still measured by one dominant metric: whether students stay. On many campuses, it’s the only metric anyone talks about. Retention matters, of course. It’s the foundation of student success. But it is not the definition of success.

    Families aren’t asking whether a student will stay enrolled. They’re asking whether the investment will pay off. With rising costs, declining public trust, and growing scrutiny of degree value, the conversation has shifted. Students want what every investor wants: a clear, credible return.

    Here’s the piece many campuses overlook—retention and ROI aren’t competing priorities. They are connected. When students see a path to meaningful work, build skills employers need, receive strong academic and professional support, and prepare for a purposeful life, they stay. They finish. And they graduate into careers that validate the investment.

    The institutions that will stand apart in the next decade won’t treat retention as an endpoint. They will show a seamless arc from persistence to career readiness to long-term economic mobility and a thriving life. And the campuses that communicate this value with transparency and conviction will earn the trust of students and families.

    So what should you do about it?

    1. Clarify Accountability for Student Success

    For too long, “student success” has been everyone’s job, and therefore no one’s job. Responsibility is often diffused across student affairs, academic leadership, the provost’s office, advising, and career services, with no single owner empowered to drive an institution-wide strategy.

    Recent research reinforces this gap. In national surveys, fewer than half of student success leaders report that their institution is highly effective at making student success a priority or collecting the data required to measure progress. The fragmentation is real—and costly.

    To deliver on ROI, institutions need a senior, empowered Student Success Leader (VP or Associate Provost level) who:

    • Owns the vision from enrollment through career launch
    • Coordinates cross-campus efforts across academic affairs, student affairs, advising, and career services
    • Aligns outcomes, data, and interventions across the full learner lifecycle
    • Measures, reports, and continuously improves operational and performance outcomes

    Student success is a shared responsibility, but true progress requires an empowered and accountable leader.

    2. Build the Right Data Infrastructure

    A strong ROI story is impossible without strong data. Tracking retention and graduation alone won’t explain value to students or help leadership improve it. Institutions need a data-driven student success strategy that captures outcomes across the full learner lifecycle.

    Essential data includes:

    • Post-graduation earnings and income trajectories
    • Job placement outcomes, including role relevance, time-to-employment, and satisfaction
    • Employer demand and alignment between programs and labor-market needs
    • Experiential learning pathways such as internships, co-ops, research, and apprenticeships
    • Career engagement metrics: mentorship usage, career services engagement, skills gaps
    • Cost, debt, and net price data tied to long-term value
    • Outcomes for non-degree pathways, including certificates, stackable micro-credentials

    Institutions should use this data to inform academic planning, enrollment strategy, employer engagement, advising, and marketing. Without data-driven student retention insights, institutions cannot meaningfully improve outcomes—or communicate their value with confidence.

    3. Create a Holistic Roadmap to Career Readiness

    A forward-looking higher ed ROI strategy requires coordinated effort across curriculum, student supports, employer engagement, and technology. Students need a clear path from classroom learning to career launch, and institutions need a roadmap that makes that path visible and consistent.

    A strong career-readiness framework includes:

    • Curriculum + Competency Alignment: Define the competencies students gain in every program and connect them to real career pathways. Liberal arts institutions, in particular, have an opportunity to better articulate how critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and adaptability translate into skills employers value.
    • Integrated Professional Development: Career readiness must be embedded across the learner journey, not relegated to a final-semester workshop. This includes employer partnerships, alumni mentorship, experiential learning, resume and interview preparation, digital portfolios, and networking support.
    • Proactive Data and Continuous Improvement: Use predictive data to anticipate student needs, identify risk early, and guide students toward high-value pathways. Advising and support structures should reflect real-time insight, not end-of-term surprises.
    • Leveraging AI for Scalable Career Support: The emergence of AI presents transformative opportunities for institutions to scale personalized career development. Examples include:
      • AI-powered interview simulators that provide real-time feedback
      • Skill-gap analytics that help students understand where they need development
      • Career-exploration engines mapping pathways based on interests, competencies, and market demand
      • AI-enabled advising assistants that extend the reach of human advisors

    When institutions implement these elements cohesively, students receive consistent, individualized support that strengthens persistence, confidence, and long-term career outcomes.

    4. Make Career Readiness a Market Differentiator

    Students and families want clear evidence that an institution can help them launch a career successfully. Recent Gallup findings show that Americans see career-relevant, practical education as the most important change colleges can make to strengthen confidence in higher education. They are looking for visible support, real outcomes, and a system that connects education to employment. In a crowded market with rising expectations, this is no longer optional.

    Institutions should weave their career-readiness strategy into admissions and recruitment by:

    • Showcasing investments in career services, professional development, and employer partnerships
    • Demonstrating the infrastructure that supports learners from day one through career launch
    • Highlighting success stories, alumni career trajectories, and employer relationships
    • Communicating results clearly by sharing employment rates, salary bands, and experiential learning participation

    When institutions share this work consistently, they differentiate their value and give prospective students what they need most—confidence that the investment will lead somewhere.

    Student Success Solutions We Offer

    Carnegie partners with higher ed institutions across the country to strengthen data-driven student success and ROI strategies with support that drives measurable outcomes. We focus on ensuring you are keeping the promises you make to students, all students.

    Our Services Include:

    • Student Success Assessment: Identifies structural gaps, opportunities, and strategic priorities across your advising, data systems, curriculum alignment, and career readiness ecosystem.
    • Strategy Session (1 Hour): A working session with Carnegie’s Student Success team to help leadership teams rapidly assess where they stand—and what steps to take next.

    And looking ahead, one of the key focus areas at the Carnegie Conference in January will be how institutions can design and operationalize an ROI-focused student success strategy. It’s an ideal opportunity for leaders who want to go deeper, compare notes with peers, and leave with a concrete action plan.

    Partner With Us

    In an era where students and families demand clear returns, the institutions who align success and career outcomes now will be the ones who stand out, compete, and thrive. Carnegie is here to help you lead the way.

    FAQ: Student Success, Retention, and ROI

    What data can help predict student dropouts?

    Predictive indicators include early academic performance, LMS engagement, advising frequency, financial stress markers, and participation in support services. Institutions that integrate this data through analytics systems can identify risk earlier and intervene proactively.

    How can institutions improve student success rates?

    A holistic student success strategy should align academic support, advising, career services, and early-warning analytics. Clear institutional ownership and cross-department coordination improve outcomes significantly.

    Which metrics matter most when measuring student ROI?

    Beyond retention and graduation, key ROI metrics include job placement rates, post-graduation earnings, salary growth, employer demand alignment, and debt-to-income outcomes.

    What role does career readiness play in retention and long-term ROI?

    Students who see clear career pathways—supported by internships, mentorship, and employer partnerships—are more likely to persist, graduate, and achieve strong employment outcomes, reinforcing institutional value perception.

    How can AI support scalable student success initiatives?

    AI tools can provide interview simulations, skills assessments, personalized advising prompts, and career exploration pathways at scale. This expands advisor capacity and helps students make informed, confident decisions.

    What services does Carnegie offer to support student success and retention?

    Carnegie provides a Student Success Assessment to identify institutional gaps and opportunities, along with one-hour Strategy Sessions to help leadership teams clarify priorities and build an actionable plan for improving outcomes and ROI.

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  • Academic coaching is data-driven support for students in the dark

    Academic coaching is data-driven support for students in the dark

    Universities offer a wide range of support to students – lecturers’ office hours, personal tutors, study skills advisors, peer-mentoring officers, mental health and wellbeing specialists, and more.

    But even with these services in place, some students still feel they are falling through the cracks.

    Why? One of the most common pieces of student feedback might offer a clue – “I wish I had known you and come to you earlier”.

    Within the existing system, most forms of support rely on students to take the first step – to reach out, refer themselves, or report a problem.

    But not all students can or will: some are unsure who to turn to, others worry about being judged, and many feel too overwhelmed to even begin. These are the students who often disappear from view – not because support does not exist, but because they cannot access it in time.

    Meanwhile, academics are stretched thin by competing research and teaching demands, and support teams – brilliant though they are – can only respond once a student enters this enquiry-response support system.

    Systematic support that requires courage

    As a result, students struggling silently often go unnoticed: for those “students in the dark”, there is often no obvious red flag for support services to act on until it is too late.

    NSS data in recent years reveal a clear pattern of student dissatisfaction with support around feedback and independent study, indicating a growing concern and demand for help outside the classroom.

    While the existing framework works well for those confident and proactive students, without more inclusive and personalised mechanisms in place, we risk missing the very group who would benefit most from early, student-centred support.

    This is where academic coaching comes in. One of its most distinctive features is that it uses data not as an outcome, but as a starting point. At Buckinghamshire New University, Academic Coaches work with an ecosystem of live data – attendance patterns, assessment outcomes, and engagement time with the VLE – collaborating closely with data intelligence and student experience teams to turn these signals into timely action.

    While our academic coaching model is still in its early phase, we have developed simulated student personae based on common disengagement patterns and feedback from colleagues. These hypothetical profiles help us shape our early intervention strategies and continuously polish our academic coaching model.

    For example, “Joseph”, a first-year undergraduate (level 4) commuter student, stops logging into the VLE midway through the term. Their engagement drops from above cohort average to zero and stays that way for a week. In the current system, this might pass unnoticed.

    But through live data monitoring, we can spot this shift and reach out – not to reprimand but to check in with empathy. Having been through the student years, many of us know, and even still remember, what it is like to feel overwhelmed, isolated, or simply lost in a new environment. The academic coaching model allows us to offer a gentle point of re-entry with either academic or pastoral support.

    One thing to clarify – data alone does not diagnose the problem – but it does help identify when something has changed. It flags patterns that suggest a student might be struggling silently, giving us the opportunity to intervene before there is a formal cause for concern. From there, we Academic Coaches reach out with an attentive touch: not with a warning, but with an invitation.

    This is what makes the model both scalable and targeted. Instead of waiting for students to self-refer or relying on word of mouth, we can direct time and support where it is likely to matter most – early, quietly, and personally.

    Most importantly, academic coaching does not reduce students to data points. It uses data to ask the right questions and to guide an appropriate response. Why has this student disengaged? Perhaps something in their life has changed.

    Our role is to notice this change and offer timely and empathetic support, or simply a listening ear, before the struggle becomes overwhelming. It is a model that recognises the earlier we notice and act, the greater the impact will be. Sometimes, the most effective student support begins not with a request, but with a well-timed email in the student’s inbox.

    Firefighting? Future-proofing

    The academic coaching model is not just about individual students – it is about rethinking how this sector approaches student support at a time of mounting pressure. As UK higher education institutions face financial constraints, rising demand, and increasing complexity in students’ needs, academic coaching offers a student-centred and cost-effective intervention.

    It does not replace personal tutors or other academic or wellbeing services – instead, it complements them by stepping in earlier and guiding students toward appropriate support before a crisis hits.

    This model also helps relieve pressure on overstretched academic staff by providing a clearly defined, short-term role focused on proactive engagement – shifting the approach from reactive firefighting to preventative care.

    Fundamentally, academic coaching addresses a structural gap: some students start their university life already at a disadvantage – unsure how to fit into this new learning environment or make use of available support services to become independent learners – and the current system often makes it harder for them to catch up.

    While the existing framework tends to favour confident and well-connected students, academic coaching helps rebalance the system by creating a more equitable pathway into support – one that is data-driven yet recognises and respects each student’s uniqueness. In a sector that urgently needs to do more with less, academic coaching is not just a compassionate gesture, but a future-facing venture.

    That said, academic coaching is not a silver bullet and it will not solve every problem or reach every student. From our discussions with colleagues and institutional counterparts, one of the biggest challenges identified – after using data to flag students – is actually getting them on board with the conversation.

    Like all interventions, academic coaching needs proper investment, training, interdepartmental cooperation, clear role boundaries, and a scalable framework for evaluating impact.

    But it is a timely, student-centred response to a gap that traditional structures often miss – a role designed to notice what is not being said, to act on early warning signs, and to offer students a safe place to re-engage.

    As resources tighten and expectations grow, university leadership must invest in smarter, more sensible forms of support. Academic coaching offers not just an added layer – it is a reimagining of how we gently guide students back on track before they drift too far from it.

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  • College of Western Idaho Boosts Enrollment and Retention with Data-Driven Solutions

    College of Western Idaho Boosts Enrollment and Retention with Data-Driven Solutions

    In late 2021, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) needed to address a consistent enrollment decline and improve student retention. With an ambitious vision to improve and optimize its technological infrastructure and student outreach, CWI sought to build a best-in-class system to enhance student engagement and elevate enrollment strategies. To ensure that data and technology were aligned with CWI’s growth objectives, the college partnered with Collegis Education to analyze their combined impact. Were its data and tech aligned for impact, or were gaps hindering progress and creating unnecessary burdens across the team?

    Key Takeaways

    • Six consecutive terms of YoY enrollment growth
    • Experienced the highest YoY increase in persistence in history of the college from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023
    • Consistent improvement in term-over-term retention

    CHALLENGES:

    • Declining enrollment
    • No established retention strategy
    • Lack of CRM
    • Underutilized LMS
    • Siloed technology and data systems

    SOLUTIONS:

    • Connected Core®
    • Advanced analytics + business intelligence
    • LMS support
    • Website optimization
    • Data-driven outreach and support for students identified as at-risk

    Strategy

    Collegis Education and CWI began collaborating on building a best-in-class student journey from the point of initial inquiry through graduation.

    A comprehensive evaluation of existing CWI systems allowed Collegis to assess the college’s digital readiness, technology infrastructure, and enrollment ecosystem to understand how they aligned with its growth objectives. The partnership quickly proceeded from consultation to implementation.

    Collegis prescribed a set of solutions to enhance student engagement from first contact and elevate the school’s enrollment strategies:

    • Connected Core® to unite siloed systems, data sets, and other enrollment technologies, providing more accurate, actionable, unified institutional intelligence with clear visualizations to support data-enabled decision-making at all levels.
    • Website optimization to improve conversion and deliver a student-centric digital experience that supports the objectives, goals, and mission.
    • Prospective student nurturing campaigns with a messaging protocol designed to drive conversion and prospective student engagement with CWI.

    Collaborating closely with CWI, Collegis developed a well-defined student retention strategy that established meaningful student-advisor relationships early on, ensuring students felt supported from their first interaction onward.

    • Enrollment conversation training gave student-facing staff the tools to drive positive experiences for CWI learners while embracing a liaison approach to student engagement.
    • Collegis student success coaches conducted proactive outreach to engage students while leveraging an at-risk alert system to drive intervention. This early alert system flags students needing support based on learning management system (LMS) data on attendance, current grades, and assignment completion.

    Results: Average YoY growth each semester since our partnership began has averaged 5%

    By working with Collegis, CWI could focus on its student journey and how it could better use data and technology to deliver superior student engagements and reach its growth targets. This has helped not only stop, but reverse historical enrollment declines. In 2024, CWI projected year-over-year growth for the sixth consecutive academic term. The school has achieved an average year-over-year term growth of 5%, with a trendline for fall 2024 of over 9% growth.

    “Our partnership with Collegis has provided expertise, speed, and flexibility in areas where we, as an institution of higher education, have been unable to improve so nimbly.  Where most consultants provide an analysis and leave, Collegis follows through with ‘and this is how we’ll make that happen for you’.  Trusting their recommendations is easy because I know they are signing themselves up to do the work with me.”

    Tyler Brown, Associate Vice President Enrollment & Student Services, College of Western Idaho

    Value-based conversations with prospective students have resulted in increased applications. Further, pre-start engagement from the advising and student success coaching teams has increased registrations from admitted students.

    By fostering a culture of meaningful interaction and support for students, CWI paved the way for improved student retention. The LMS-based at-risk model has driven 19,000+ proactive student engagements and interventions in one academic year.

    Within just one year of implementing these targeted strategies, CWI witnessed a remarkable in retention rates, all while alleviating the workload on faculty and staff.  Similar retention strategies deployed by other Collegis partner institutions have yielded term-over-term retention rates exceeding 90%, underscoring the effectiveness of our approach.

    “Whenever we want to try something new or have a challenge we need help with, my first thought now is let’s call Collegis and see if this is something they can help us with.”

    Denise L. Aberle-Cannata, Provost, College of Western Idaho

    With a proven retention strategy and access to a proactive model, CWI can now build out its internal retention capabilities and plans to take over the student success coaching function.

    The Future

    CWI’s commitment to embracing change and being agile is demonstrated by the school’s evolving partnership with Collegis to exceed industry best practices and realize sustained growth. Ongoing services and incremental work are targeting LMS initiatives to stabilize, standardize, optimize, and transform CWI’s instance of Blackboard Learn and redesign its new student orientation, among other things.

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