Get a Head-to-Head Comparison of Retention Results
Undoubtedly you have looked at a variety of retention products and case studies, and have concluded that it would be extremely helpful to see a head-to-head comparison of various retention products. The problem is that it seems impossible to find 10–20 identical schools which each adopted different strategies in order to do competitive comparisons of different retention products.
Fortunately, in Mississippi, there are 15 community colleges that are nearly identical in every way imaginable. Over the years, each institution selected different strategies for improvement. They used a variety of technology vendors and were all under pressure to do whatever it takes to increase graduation and retention.
Two of the Mississippi colleges selected DropGuard™ to help them obtain better graduation and retention rates. Coincidently, the two colleges lagged significantly behind their peers in graduation rates during the 2008-2010 time periods. Each had a poorer, more rural student population and a more disadvantageous faculty to student ratio (NCES). A study shows how those two colleges leveraged the DropGuard™ retention system to significantly outperform their peers three years later.
The Case Study
This case study uses IPEDS data, as well as other data the colleges provided, to show that the change in graduation rates (a 65% improvement in one college’s case) was not a statistical quirk or accounting trick. They recognized that with the DropGuard™ system:
- More students were attending class
- Tutoring offices were finding students in need quicker
- Departments communicated more effectively
- They could inexpensively supplement their overworked I.T. department
- They were teaching their entire student population healthy learning skills on the first day of class.
The results of this case study will be more applicable to your school if your instructors take attendance, or if your school uses Canvas, Moodle, or Blackboard. However, it will still be worthwhile even if your school has none of these advantages, because DropGuard™ is guaranteed to raise your school’s retention rate, or else it’s free.