Supporting students on their educational journey is a rewarding yet complex task, especially when resources are stretched thin. Student success professionals are navigating growing responsibilities—often supporting thousands of students with diverse needs and challenges ranging from academic holds to financial aid issues. In this post, we’ll explore five strategies to maximize impact, reach more students, and optimize resources to ensure students have the support they need to thrive.
1. Build a Proactive Communication Calendar
With students balancing demanding schedules and various responsibilities, proactive outreach is essential. A well-planned communication calendar can help student success teams stay ahead of key deadlines, reducing last-minute confusion and ensuring students have the information they need to succeed.
- Identify Key Academic Milestones with Data-Supported Outreach
Map out crucial dates like registration, financial aid deadlines, and add/drop periods. Use data to anticipate student needs and proactively send timely messages that keep them on track. - Automate Pre-Scheduled Reminders
Most CRMs, or even tools like Google Calendar and Mailchimp, allow you to automate communications, providing students with consistent reminders. This frees up valuable staff time while ensuring that no student misses important deadlines.
Pro Tip
Mainstay’s platform is designed to make this process even easier by allowing institutions to automate targeted, data-driven outreach. For example, Cal Poly Pomona’s “Billy Chat” leverages proactive communication to reach students at critical moments, helping them navigate complex processes like financial aid and advising without additional workload for staff.
2. Apply Coaching Science Techniques for Impactful Messaging
Crafting messages that resonate with students involves more than just delivering information—it’s about building connection and motivating action. Applying principles from coaching science can significantly improve the impact of your messaging.
- Use Emotionally Intelligent Tone & Loss Aversion
Students are more likely to engage when they feel supported. For instance, try framing messages with a warm tone that emphasizes benefits, like, “Completing your FAFSA early can maximize your financial aid package. Why wait?” This approach aligns with behavioral techniques that reduce anxiety and encourage follow-through. - Encourage Action with Implementation Intentions
Prompt students to commit to specific actions, such as, “What day this week can you set aside time to meet with your advisor?” This simple nudge has been shown to improve follow-through and can help students feel more accountable to their goals.
Looking for a Turnkey Solution?
Mainstay’s Success Coaching Platform leverages the SPARK Coaching Model to integrate these evidence-based messaging techniques into every conversation, allowing institutions to easily implement research-backed engagement strategies that maximize student response and outcomes.
SPARK Coaching Model
Change happens when people feel understood. Mainstay builds the trust needed to help learners take action.
Engaging with learners before challenges escalate. Mainstay anticipates needs and offers timely support to encourage students to stay on track and to ward off potential setbacks.
Empowering students to make their own decisions. Mainstay fosters autonomy by providing tools and resources that help learners make informed choices relevant to their academic and personal development.
Encouraging students to rethink situations positively. Mainstay aids in building resilience by helping learners see challenges as opportunities for growth.
Clarity is key. Mainstay ensures that all messages are concise, clear, and to the point, removing barriers to understanding and action, thus boosting the likelihood of student engagement and success.
3. Use Data to Prioritize High-Impact Student Engagement
Not all students require the same level of support, and some students benefit more from personalized outreach. Using data to segment and prioritize high-need students allows teams to focus on those who may be at risk or need extra encouragement to stay on track.
- Segment and Prioritize High-Need Students
Use data to identify at-risk groups such as first-year students, students on academic probation, or those close to graduation but who have stopped out. Targeting these groups with specific outreach can help re-engage students and guide them back on track. - Design Targeted Campaigns
Address common barriers like financial aid or registration holds with personalized campaigns.
Putting it into Perspective
For example, Rutgers University Newark increased their stop-out re-enrollment by 80% over two years by using targeted outreach, offering financial assistance, and addressing specific barriers to returning.
4. Explore Ways to Expand Your Capacity
Building additional capacity is often essential to meeting the needs of a large student population. Consider ways to expand your reach by leveraging both peer support networks and AI-powered tools.
- Train Peer Mentors and AI Co-Workers: Establish a peer mentorship program where trained student leaders help peers navigate challenges like course registration and campus resources. Additionally, consider training an AI “co-worker” to handle routine outreach and follow-ups. For example, Cal Poly Pomona’s Zoe Lance, mentioned above, partnered with Mainstay to train an AI assistant that proactively engages students and escalates cases needing personalized support to human advisors.
- Partner with External Services: Services like Knack provide peer tutoring that can extend academic support without requiring additional full-time staff. Peer resources create a supportive network and allow institutions to serve more students with fewer resources.
5. Use AI and Automation Tools to Streamline Administrative Tasks
Administrative tasks can be time-consuming, but AI and automation tools can significantly reduce this burden, allowing staff to spend more time in one-on-one student interactions.
- Accelerate Work with Generative AI
Tools like ChatGPT can assist with drafting email templates, creating campaign messages, and brainstorming engagement strategies. This frees up time for staff to focus on direct student support while ensuring that messaging remains effective and consistent. - Automate FAQ Responses and Escalate Complex Issues
Chatbots can handle frequently asked questions and escalate more complex cases to human advisors. For example, a chatbot might assist with general questions about financial aid deadlines while connecting students with an advisor for personalized guidance.
Leveraging Built-In AI for Efficiency
Many student success platforms are integrating AI for efficiency. Mainstay’s “Conversation Summary” feature is a prime example, automatically compiling key points from student interactions, enabling advisors to review and respond to important issues quickly.
Conclusion
These five strategies—proactive planning, coaching science, data prioritization, capacity building, and AI-enabled efficiency—can help student success professionals create a high-impact support system with limited resources. By integrating accessible tools and techniques, institutions can ensure students receive timely, personalized support that encourages progress and success.
As you explore these strategies, consider how new technology, like Mainstay’s AI-enhanced solutions, can help streamline your efforts, allowing you to focus on the moments that matter most for your students. When institutions prioritize proactive, human-centered engagement, they create a culture of help-seeking behavior and pave the way for students to thrive.
Additional Resource
For further insights on AI and student success, check out Mainstay’s white paper, “The New Rules of AI for Student Success“, which explores how AI can support equitable and impactful student engagement. You can also read about The Explorative Role of AI in Student Success at GSU to learn how AI transforms the support landscape for today’s students.
Need expert advice? Our student success experts are here to help!