Faced with steep enrollment declines and increased stop-out rates, community colleges must re-envision how they are engaging students. Here are three technology-enabled strategies to support student success.
Over the past two years, a global health crisis and an uncertain economy have plagued higher education admissions and enrollment, particularly in community colleges. As a result, many community colleges decided to take a step back, reflect and determine how to invest in student engagement and outcomes to better match a shifting landscape.
Community colleges serve everyone, including non-traditional, under-resourced and underrepresented students such as first-generation college students, working parents and BIPOC populations. Many of these students were disproportionately affected when the pandemic hit and at the same time, some community college students weren’t prepared for the rapid transition to online learning. All of these factors contributed to steep declines in enrollment and increased stop-out rates.
So, community college leaders were left wondering, “How do we increase student enrollment while also establishing clear pathways to set all students, specifically vulnerable ones, up for post-college success?” A three-part strategy is emerging.