As colleges and universities become more aware of the barriers to student achievement and completion, providing personalized support and engagement through one-on-one coaching has grown as a strategy to increase student success.

Over half of colleges and universities (58 percent) offer success coaching to students, according to a 2023 survey from Tyton Partners.

Success coaches are often specialized staff housed in student affairs and trained to support different groups of learners such as first-generation students, minority students or those on academic probation. These professionals can make a significant difference in the student experience, but only when coaching is effective and rooted in research.....

.....A November report from MDRC found students’ success outcomes were linked to their perceptions of the quality of the coaching they received. Students gauged quality in their general satisfaction, the accuracy of the information provided, availability of coaches, sufficient time allocated to meetings and if coaches followed up on time-sensitive information.....

....MDRC’s study also found that students engaging with their coaches regularly—including through in-person and video meetings, phone calls, texts, emails, and social media interactions—accumulated more credits compared to their peers.....

Full Article