How to Build a Positive Student Experience in the Evolving Higher Education Landscape
After decades of relative stagnancy, the higher education environment has entered an era of rapid change. Look back on the recruitment, student affairs, and academic affairs best practices of even a decade ago, and it feels like ages. Student needs now are astonishingly different from the status quo of the past.
In this era of rapid change, building a positive student experience continues to rise in importance. Accounting and optimizing your university’s strategies for the evolving needs of online, hybrid, and on-campus students across all demographics can be a crucial differentiator in recruitment while simultaneously serving as a core retention engine.
Getting there is complex. It requires an in-depth understanding of the changing challenges today’s students and educational institutions face, alongside the potential tactics available to meet evolving student needs. Technology solutions to address these needs stand at the ready. But they must be built on the foundation of fundamental, strategic ways to build a student-centered environment. Let’s dig in.
6 Core Challenges Higher Education Institutions Face Today
Almost every industry has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For higher education, it was a paradigm shift. The rapid move to online education unearthed some challenges that weren’t necessarily new, but could no longer be ignored. Today, almost every institution faces these same challenges, making a strategy to address them all the more important.
1. The (Permanent) Move to Online and Hybrid Learning
In March 2020, the entire world of higher education went online. It’s unlikely to ever fully come back. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, online enrollment among U.S. undergraduate students rose by almost 400 percent in fall 2020 compared to the previous year. That increase is at least partially permanent.
As a result, schools from public to private are shoring up their online offerings. More programs are moving online, while the learning management system market continues to grow at a 20 percent+ annual rate. Students love the flexibility and safety that comes with studying fully or partially online. Higher education institutions have to either keep up or fall behind.
That, in turn, means scaling up quickly, especially in the IT and technology area. For an industry that traditionally spends less than 5 percent of its budget on IT, a shift to more technology-oriented solutions that account for a robust online learning structure can be challenging.
2. Finding New Ways to Improve the Student Experience
The shift to online and hybrid learning, of course, has also fundamentally changed the way today’s students are experiencing college. That begins with the admissions experience, which has seen a move away from standardized testing. Alongside virtual visit opportunities, we’ve seen a move from large-scale open houses to more personal one-on-one sessions, and more.
That shift makes its presence known the most, however, in the online student experience. Put simply, universities have struggled to offer the same level of academic and student life support for virtual students as they did in primarily in-person formats.
Some of that is a natural consequence of the move away from physical get-togethers. It’s more difficult to build a strong spirit when students are unable to attend sporting events, meet up with like-minded students and residence hall neighbors, or simply hanging out on campus. Some of life’s biggest moments happen on college campuses. Turning to virtual learning can fundamentally change the college experience along with much of what happens afterwards.
At the same time, colleges and universities have to find innovative ways to keep and improve the student experience. These include options from online tutoring to providing technology and campus resources for student organizations to engage remotely.
As a result, schools from public to private are shoring up their online offerings. More programs are moving online, while the learning management system market continues to grow at a 20 percent+ annual rate. Students love the flexibility and safety that comes with studying fully or partially online. Higher education institutions have to either keep up or fall behind.
That, in turn, means scaling up quickly, especially in the IT and technology area. For an industry that traditionally spends less than 5 percent of its budget on IT, a shift to more technology-oriented solutions that account for a robust online learning structure can be challenging.
3. The Shift of Core Communication Channels
9 out of 10
students are open to receiving text messages during the enrollment process.
Student communication preferences began to shift years ago. A 2018 study found email and mobile communications to be more important than any other channels for faculty to effectively reach their classrooms. Now, a shift to immediacy has drastically accelerated that shift, requiring institutions of all types to adjust accordingly.
According to a 2021 survey of high school seniors and parents, texting now laps the email and other virtual channels field when it comes to channel importance. With 95 percent of texts read within three minutes of being sent, this fast rise underscores the need for immediacy and on-demand capabilities in communication. Helping students find information when they need it, no matter how specific, can be key in building engagement and keeping their attention.
As a result, schools must find ways to engage their prospective and current students in new, and more immediate ways. Communicating through the channels that they prefer, with the information they expect, allows you to attract and retain top students even amidst the uncertainties of COVID-19. It’s why so many higher education institutions are turning to digital assistants and conversational AI assistants to accomplish these goals.
4. Financial Concerns Determine the Student Experience
Higher education is one of the largest investments in most people’s lives. So it’s no surprise that in a time of general economic uncertainty, finances have taken center stage for college students and their families. According to one survey, more than half of all college students are more concerned now than they were prior to 2020 about paying for their education. And 24 percent stated they were “far more concerned.”
That concern, of course, is growing due to the increasing urgency and publicity of the United States student loan crisis, with total loan amounts surpassing 1.7 trillion dollars this year. Students and families are well aware of that fact, making financial concerns one of the single biggest indicators of student success in higher education today.
More than 50 percent of college dropouts do so over financial factors, and 55 percent of all students report at least some level of financial concern. The ability to provide financial assistance and advice, therefore, becomes an absolutely vital piece of building a positive student experience.
5. Mental Health Takes Center Stage
6.1 days
Average wait time for counseling services at higher education institutions
Some institutions report a wait time of up to 54 business days for a first appointment
Due to the many factors mentioned above, it only follows that anxiety and mental health have become an increasingly important topic for students today. A 2020 national survey found that 40 percent of college students experience depression on some level, while one in three experienced anxiety. Meanwhile, according to a 2019 report, 90 percent of college counseling center directors reported a significant increase in their services over the past year.
That rise in importance, in turn, has significant ramifications for colleges and universities across the spectrum. According to one report, the dropout rate for students with diagnosed mental health problems ranges from 43 percent to as high as 86 percent. And that doesn’t even count the many students who, often as a result of stress, transfer to schools that are closer to home.
Stressors range widely, from the above-mentioned financial concerns to COVID-19, along with the general and ubiquitous pressure to succeed, adjusting to a completely new environment, and more. Institutions that can meet their students where they are, providing beneficial resources at a moment’s notice, both virtually and in person, can play a significant role in helping their students succeed.
6. Staffing Becomes an Increasingly Urgent Issue
All the above points are complicated by a simple fact: many colleges and universities are also facing financial difficulties. In one survey, 74 percent of higher ed professionals said that financial challenges were their institution’s top concern, far outpacing issues like inequality, capacity, and others.
The result: staffing cuts, at a time when increased resource support is more important than ever. In an article on Inside Higher Ed, Joshua Kim summed up what he described as the “invisible understaffing epidemic”:
In higher ed, staffing up seldom comes prior to revenues. Most new things at colleges and universities are bootstrapped. The people already doing the "regular" work also get the new thing going. Only after a program/degree/initiative is bringing in new dollars are new people hired. Lean staffing in higher ed is the rule. We are at a point, however, where higher ed people can't work any harder.
That trend is most likely why, in a 2021 survey by EducationWeek, only 5 percent of higher education administrators said their institution isn’t experiencing any staffing shortages. Forty percent, meanwhile, described their shortages as “severe” or “very severe.” Among enrollment declines, state universities in Pennsylvania are cutting more than 1,500 faculty and staff positions. Now, more than ever, universities have to do more with less to address ever-changing student needs.
The Essential Components to Create a Modern Student-Centered Approach
In this turbulent environment, creating a student-centered approach requires new and innovative strategies. A few essential components can help colleges and universities ensure that they can meet changing student needs, building communications structures and support systems designed for the new and future normal in higher education.
- Instant communication opportunities. Generation research is a tenuous subject. But we know that generally speaking, millennials and Gen Z look for instant gratification. When asking questions, they expect immediate responses. Colleges and universities that can leverage communication channels that provide these responses, from open phone lines to texting options, digital assistants, and live chat, are well-positioned to account for these needs.
- Moving away from set office hours. A second trend related to the above is the increasing expectation to engage with students on their terms. Rather than being limited by traditional office hours, students might need support on evenings, weekends, and more. That’s especially true for underprivileged students, who might need to work during the day and pursue their education at night. Less constraint on communication, of course, requires communication channels and availability that accounts for this increased flexibility to help all students get relevant answers and succeed in their educational endeavors.
- Multi-language accommodations. College students are becoming more diverse, with 45 percent now identifying as students of color. As demographics continue to shift, multilingual recruitment and support possibilities become increasingly vital to recruit students of Latino, Asian, and other backgrounds. That includes an easily translatable website, but also admissions counselors and academic support personnel able to speak the language. Digital assistants that provide multi-language support are especially valuable at institutions where specialized staff is limited, helping anyone from students of color to international students who have increased concerns and questions (and might need them answered outside of regular office hours) due to the uncertainty of COVID-19.
- Accessibility in technology and elsewhere. When millions of students move into online environments, and communication channels become increasingly digital, tech support takes on ever-increasing importance. Any technology implemented has to be supported with enough personnel, budget, and knowledge to succeed long-term.
- Support for students without online access. That same shift to online, however, has also caused increasing socioeconomic gaps, creating new challenges for students without internet access. Digital channels that seem to perfectly match the need of this environment and generation fall flat when a significant percentage of students can’t access them. Providing that access becomes a vital piece of building a truly student-centered approach.
- Custom, student-centered online learning. COVID-19 may have rapidly accelerated the move to online, but it didn’t necessarily improve its quality. Online lessons aren’t carbon copies of their in-person lecture counterparts. Instead, they need to be engaging, custom, and personal. Building scalable structures to create these positive online experiences involves everyone on campus, from support staff to faculty.
- Cross-trained staff based on student needs. For decades, higher education has followed strict hierarchical organizational charts. Much has been written about the resulting silos. The problem: students don’t approach support services from a hierarchical perspective. When they have a problem, they ask the first person they find. As a result, cross-trained staff becomes more important than ever, from admissions counselors and academic advisors being knowledgeable about financial aid topics to faculty and financial aid staff providing basic mental health guidance.
- Meeting increasing mental health needs. Finally, higher education institutions can be student-centered only when they are able to address the increasingly persistent mental health challenges on campus. Solutions range widely, from properly trained staff across the university to programs like UCLA’s Screening and Treatment for Anxiety and Depression (STAND) program. Mental health screening kiosks, volunteer faculty and staff guides for incoming students, and other measures can all build mental health support without a major budget investment.
How Technology Can Help to Meet Student Needs
Fortunately, all the challenges and components mentioned throughout this guide come with potential solutions. That’s because, even as the higher education landscape has shifted dramatically over the past few years, technology possibilities have made building new, student-centered environments more realistic over that same time frame. Examples range widely, from tutoring marketplaces to digital mental health clinics and the increasing use of conversational AI.
The Rise of the Online Tutor
With faculty facing increasing workloads and students increasingly needing help, universities are looking for external solutions to expand their support services. As a result, the online tutoring industry is growing rapidly, exceeding $5.6 billion in 2020 and growing more than 15 percent every year.
Services abound, and are increasingly built for higher education. Marketplaces can now integrate their services into their learning management systems, and even stamp their brand on third-party portals. The on-demand nature of this structure lends itself especially well to the new and future environment of higher education.
Digital Solutions to the Mental Health Crisis
Students’ lives don’t end at 4:30 p.m. when our office is closed. A lot of them just start. We’ve really been focusing in the last several years on increasing access to care and decreasing barriers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the rapid rise of telehealth, and higher education is no exception. Increasingly, institutions are making their mental health resources, including their counseling centers, available 24-7 to students who need urgent help.
West Virginia University, for example, has formed a partnership with a mobile app that connects students to licensed counselors and therapists from an external, always-available network of professionals around the clock. The university also offers a 24-7 Crisis Text Line that promises instant responses with the help of automation and connections to local departments not bound to campus hours. The ability to move its mental health services beyond traditional office hours or physical boundaries has resulted in a marked increase in students’ mental health.
Automating the Financial Aid Process
Financial aid in higher education is, above all, complicated. Despite increasing financial concerns, FAFSA applications are actually declining, leading to fewer aid opportunities for students across the board. Fortunately, some institutions are beginning to leverage technology to simplify that process.
Take as an example the plethora of financial aid platforms now available to colleges and universities. Some automate form completion, removing steps like income verification from the students’ responsibilities. Others create simplified, central application systems that apply to grants, loans, and scholarships from a variety of sources. Automation and simplification are promising steps into a future where financial aid is no longer complicated, and easily accessible for all audiences.
The Ubiquitous Benefits of Conversational AI
In a world of dwindling resources and increasing urgency, conversational AI has quickly become a major potential asset for higher education institutions across the spectrum. Chatbots and digital assistants are changing the narrative, creating a judgment free-space to ask questions and seek help around the clock.
Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, they’re able to add an automation component into the conversation on topics ranging from admissions to financial aid, without losing the personal touch.
Automated responses, for instance, can help prospective students get basic program information, learn about upcoming events, or reserve the right residence hall for housing. Current students, meanwhile, can get 24/7 assistance on hot topics that ultimately help retention, like financial aid or registration questions. Finally, automated assistants can benefit campus-wide DEI initiatives through creating a “safe zone” for sensitive topics, providing multi-language support, and more.
More than half of all conversations between students and institutions now happen after hours. And yet, budget challenges make an around-the-clock help desk impossible to staff. The instant digital support provided by digital assistants can lead to hundreds of hours in staff time savings (as it did for Rockhurst University), real-time language translation, 24-hour support, and more focused staff time on relevant, non-obvious questions. Schools like the Purdue University Krannert School of Management have seen similar results on the graduate level.
The future is nothing if not uncertain. Recent trends, though, point to a future in which new environments have led to new student pain points, and new challenges to create truly student-centered universities. Conversational AI is able to solve some of these challenges, creating digital engagement opportunities that help students across the spectrum and on a wide variety of topics.