How can community colleges build a success coaching model that actually improves student retention?

In this episode of Learning Outcomes Leaders, Erin Anglin, Executive Director of Academic Support Services and Learning Center at East Central College, shares how starting out as a professional tutor shaped the college's retention team and success coaching model.

Backed by a $2.1 million federal Title III grant and coach caseloads of around 200 students, the model has helped lift institutional retention by 5 to 9%, despite early pushback from staff who saw early alerts as "big brother."

Questions answered in this podcast include:

• How does a success coaching model improve community college retention
• How do you win over staff who see early alert software as "big brother"?
• How can intake surveys uncover food and housing insecurity?
• How do you use data to prove the impact of student support services?
• What does it mean for a college to be student ready?

Episode timestamps:

• 00:00:53 - From Professional Tutor to Executive Director in 22 Years
• 00:06:29 - Removing the Stigma of Asking for Academic Help
• 00:10:33 - How a Success Coaching Model Increased Retention by 5 to 9%
• 00:18:56 - Why Student Support Leaders Should Remember Their Own Struggles
• 00:21:43 - Using Case Files and Intake Surveys to See the Whole Student
• 00:25:42 - Overcoming "Big Brother" Pushback on Early Alert Software
• 00:29:16 - Change Management: Proving Impact With Data
• 00:32:13 - Leading a Student Success Team as People First
• 00:34:09 - National Recognition From Achieving the Dream
• 00:36:33 - Learning From Student Feedback and Criticism
• 00:39:31 - Advice for Building a Career in Student Support
• 00:46:28 - Why Colleges Need to Be Student Ready

About Learning Outcomes Leaders

Learning Outcomes Leaders is a higher education podcast brought to you by Genio. We interview university and college leaders, researchers, and administrators pioneering modern strategies to improve the student experience.

Full Episode & Transcript: https://genio.co/resources/learning-outcomes-leaders-podcast

🔔 Subscribe for more insights on higher ed strategy, student success, and EdTech analysis.

#HigherEducation #StudentSuccess #StudentOutcomes #HigherEdLeadership #LearningOutcomesLeaders

Why are the first four weeks of the semester make or break for first-year college students?

In this episode of Learning Outcomes Leaders, Dr. Kimberly Burgess, Executive Director of Student Success at Albany State University, shares how being a truth teller with students and with the data reshaped first-year onboarding.

Her team found that 60% of freshmen flagged at risk at week four went on to fail the class. Starting orientation as early as February and building a complete onboarding package helped drive a 36% increase in freshmen paid by the deadline.

Questions answered in this podcast include:

• Why are the first four weeks of the semester critical for first-year students?
• How can early alert data predict which students will fail a class?
• Why do retention and graduation start at admissions?
• How can the five whys help student success teams find root causes?
• How do you motivate Gen Z college students?

Episode timestamps:

• 00:00:51 - From Adult Education to 25 Years in Student Success
• 00:05:35 - Building Student Trust by Being a Truth Teller
• 00:11:14 - Designing Orientation That Teaches Students How to Be in College
• 00:14:33 - Using Enrollment Management Data to Find the Real Issues
• 00:18:42 - The Five Whys: Solving Root Causes, Not Symptoms
• 00:20:29 - Why Retention and Graduation Start at Admissions
• 00:25:46 - Don't Be Afraid of the Data
• 00:27:23 - Cross-Campus Collaboration for First-Year Onboarding
• 00:30:14 - Results: 36% Increase in Freshmen Paid by the Deadline
• 00:34:29 - Why the First Four Weeks of the Semester Are Make or Break
• 00:38:16 - Next Steps: Peer Mentors, Student Meetups and Belonging
• 00:42:59 - How to Understand and Motivate Gen Z Students

About Learning Outcomes Leaders

Learning Outcomes Leaders is a higher education podcast brought to you by Genio. We interview university and college leaders, researchers, and administrators pioneering modern strategies to improve the student experience.

Full Episode & Transcript: https://genio.co/resources/learning-outcomes-leaders-podcast

🔔 Subscribe for more insights on higher ed strategy, student success, and EdTech analysis.

#HigherEducation #StudentSuccess #StudentOutcomes #HigherEdLeadership #LearningOutcomesLeaders

How can colleges help students on academic probation raise their GPA and stay enrolled?

In this episode of Learning Outcomes Leaders, Dr. John DeVault, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at Ferrum College, shares how flunking out as a freshman shaped the STAR program.

Built on stoic principles like resilience and focusing on what you can control, STAR helped 71% of students on probation improve their GPA and lifted fall return rates from 37% to 60%.

Questions answered in this podcast include:

• Why are academic problems often not about academic skills?
• What is the STAR program and how does it support students on academic probation?
• How do you get buy-in from students who don't want to admit there's a problem?
• How can stoic principles and mindfulness improve student retention?
• How do you launch a student success program with no budget?

Episode timestamps:

• 00:48 - From Flunking Out as a Freshman to a Career in Education
• 06:17 - Why Academic Problems Often Aren't Academic
• 08:32 - What Is the STAR Program (Students Taking Academic Responsibility)?
• 12:20 - Applying Stoic Principles to Students on Probation
• 15:56 - How to Get Buy-In From Resistant Students
• 21:05 - What Students on Academic Probation Are Really Dealing With
• 24:29 - Launching STAR: Naysayers and Early Setbacks
• 27:56 - Results: 71% Improved GPA, Retention Up From 37% to 60%
• 32:44 - Getting a Student Success Program Off the Ground With No Budget
• 34:34 - Teaching Mindfulness Through a Classroom Phone Rule

About Learning Outcomes Leaders

Learning Outcomes Leaders is a higher education podcast brought to you by Genio. We interview university and college leaders, researchers, and administrators pioneering modern strategies to improve the student experience.

Full Episode & Transcript: https://genio.co/resources/learning-outcomes-leaders-podcast

🔔 Subscribe for more insights on higher ed strategy, student success, and EdTech analysis.

#HigherEducation #StudentSuccess #StudentOutcomes #HigherEdLeadership #LearningOutcomesLeaders

What advice do higher education leaders have for improving student success and the student experience?

In this Season 1 finale of Learning Outcomes Leaders, we revisit the best advice from 11 guests on student retention, data-informed advising, HyFlex learning, AI literacy, accessibility, and leading change on campus.

Questions answered in this podcast include:

• How can higher education leaders improve student success with limited resources?
• How do you start using data to improve student retention?
• How should colleges prepare students to use AI in the workplace?
• What advice do experienced professionals have for working in higher education and disability services?

Episode timestamps

• 00:00 - Introduction to the Season 1 Highlights
• 00:51 - David Evans (USAO): Think Students First
• 04:16 - Tyler Walsh (UCF): Start With One Simple Data Question
• 07:34 - Dr. Amanda Hagman (Utah State): Measuring What Works in the AI Era
• 09:31 - James Moore (DePaul): Small Wins and Constant Communication for HyFlex
• 12:20 - Amy Tureen (South Puget Sound CC): Accept AI Is Here and Teach the Ethics
• 15:51 - Dr. John Bader: Redefine Student Success and Rethink the Four-Year Model
• 20:22 - Denise Henry (CSU Pueblo): Expect Disruption and Connect With Industry
• 23:47 - Heather Chapman (Weber State): Start Small and Tell the Story
• 27:16 - Jennifer Bielman (RCC): Persistence and Putting People First
• 31:31 - Avery Cook (SCTCC): Hold On to Radical Empathy
• 37:18 - Josh Nesbitt (Genio): AI's Biggest Opportunity Is Personalization

About Learning Outcomes Leaders

Learning Outcomes Leaders is a higher education podcast brought to you by Genio. We interview university leaders, researchers, and administrators pioneering modern strategies to improve the student experience.

Full Episode & Transcript: https://genio.co/resources/learning-outcomes-leaders-podcast
🔔 Subscribe for more insights on higher ed strategy, student success, and EdTech analysis.

#HigherEducation #StudentSuccess #HigherEdLeadership #StudentRetention #AIinEducation #Accessibility #EdTech #LearningOutcomesLeaders

Welcome to Learning Outcomes Leaders.

In this episode, we're joined by Josh Nesbitt, Chief Technical Officer here at Genio, to discuss what it actually takes to build learning platforms that people want to use.

Drawing on his experience creating a system that reached over a million NHS staff, we explore why frictionless design isn't always the goal, how accessibility legislation is reshaping what good looks like for learning tools, and why AI's biggest opportunity in education isn't generating content but personalizing the experience.

Let's get into the episode.

Welcome to Learning Outcomes Leaders.

In this episode, we're joined by Avery Cook, Head of Accessibility Services at St Cloud Technical and Community College, to discuss the delicate balance when supporting disabled students in the K-12 to higher education transition.

We'll explore the transition from high school IEPs to college expectations, and why true college readiness is defined by the ability to ask for help, not just academic skills.

Let's get into the episode.

Welcome to Learning Outcomes Leaders.

In this episode, we're joined by Jennifer Bielman, Administrative Coordinator at Riverside City College, to discuss an often overlooked equity issue, how physical classroom environment can create barriers for students of size.

We also take a deep dive into the future of AI regulation and how to balance academic integrity with student support.

Let's get into the episode.

Welcome to Learning Outcomes Leaders.

In this episode, we're joined by Heather Chapman, Senior Director of Data and Analytics at Weber State University, to discuss why we need to look beyond academic grades and start using co-curricular data to measure true student success.

We explore how predictive analytics can unlock meaningful insights into the campus experience, and help institutions support students more effectively.

Let's get into the episode.