OSUIT shares their secret to student retention
Getting students to stay the course is crucial for colleges today. Yet stretched resources make personalized, scalable support seem impossible for most institutions. How can colleges meet the demands of today’s students by anticipating learner needs, driving action, and fostering belonging at scale?
Mainstay’s partner, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT), faced this challenge when addressing low enrollment and the demand for 24/7 student communication. They embraced a smarter approach to engagement by meeting learners where they are — effectively increasing persistence rates despite limited capacity.
The fix? Engaging in conversations that deliver instant insight to fuel targeted assistance. By combining AI efficiency with proven, research-back methods, Mainstay amplifies a school’s ability to connect with and motivate every learner at the right time. This not only creates more touchpoints with learners, but also contributes to substantial improvements in student enrollment and engagement.
Keys to optimizing student engagement
OSUIT’s standout numbers showcase how any institution can remove barriers through technology. By making a few changes to how they engaged students, OSUIT saw impressive results for their Fall 2023 semester:
- 5% increase in student headcount compared to 2022
- 8% increase in student credit hours compared to 2022
- 40% graduation rates
- 66% retention rates
All institutions have different needs, and there is no no one-size-fits-all solution for engagement. However, by following a few best practices demonstrated by OSUIT, the opportunity for more meaningful engagement increases:
- Use the right medium
Today’s students expect personalized, easily accessible information—and they want it instantly. Texting helps support students with information, answers, and resources right on their phones.
The introduction of texting as a student engagement tool was a strategic move that allowed OSUIT to connect with students in a personal and relevant way that didn’t overburden limited resources. Other institutions partnering with Mainstay have also experienced substantial engagement boosts, as our text messaging campaigns yield an average overall response rate of 40%.
- Anticipate students’ needs with proactive outreach
For conversations to resonate with students, you must meet them where they are. Consider sending proactive messages during times when students historically lose their footing or have questions. Personalized, scheduled text messages are one of the most effective ways to support their initial success during their journey.
In OSUIT’s case, their team was short-staffed and pressed for time, so they took advantage of Mainstay’s evidence-based messaging, which has proven effective for millions of learners. Together with OSUIT, Mainstay built 1,196 insights into their retention campaigns and aligned the calendar with the institution’s existing framework. This ensured that relevant information was easily integrated into every point of contact.
The results were remarkable. In one standout campaign, OSUIT witnessed an 18.6% active engagement rate from a survey that asked students how the current term was going. The responses gave OSUIT valuable insight into student sentiment and showed them where students need support based on their responses.
- Provide personalized support
Sending outreach is only half of the story. To create meaningful interactions, student engagement, it needs to be a two-way street. But not everyone has the time or resources to create those connections at scale.
With Mainstay, we put our expertise in your hands to ensure your communications strategy has the greatest impact possible. Expert Services functions as an extension of your team, using proven, research-backed methods to design campaigns tailored to your goals, audience, and desired impact.
On a small scale, this might look like results from a Fall 2023 campaign at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). Our Expert Services team built a tailored text message campaign that engaged over 400 students. From the responses, ETSU was able to identify 40 students actively seeking assistance and make direct connections to faculty or advisors for targeted support.
On a larger scale, OSUIT sent out a 5-question interactive survey to 1,962 students in an effort to check the pulse on student well-being. Of the 16.7% responses, 176 students responded to the question, “What can OSUIT do to help you feel more connected to community, peers, or faculty?” This provided insight into the need for more on-campus events and events that support online students. Since then, OSUIT has begun planning solutions to improve engagement.
Student engagement has never been easier
Using a combination of two-way communication methods, research-backed scripts, and consultative services, Mainstay helps students take the next step toward a degree — one conversation at a time. Let’s connect to explore personalized communications plans that help more students thrive by meeting them where they are.
