7 Ways Higher Education is Boosting Student Success

What does student success look like when it comes to higher education in Canada? There are lots of factors to consider, including:

• The number of students who graduate after four or even six years. The OECD measured the number of students still enrolled in a bachelor’s program or the equivalent after one year and found that Canada had an average of 85%.
• The percentage of students who find a job in their field of study after they graduate.
• GPA or other academic markers of success
• Student mental health and the presence of a solid support system

Student success is a mixture of all these things. Academic success is important, but it’s equally essential for students to graduate with the skills they’ll need to build a career and thrive in today’s workplaces.

Higher education is the place where many students get exposed to new people and ideas and start to solidify their identities as adults. It gives students a broader worldview and teaches them essential soft skills they need to succeed on the job.

How can post-secondary institutions help students be successful?

The job doesn’t begin and end with graduation rates. Universities and colleges have the wonderful privilege of helping students succeed, but there’s still more they can do to make sure graduates are well-equipped to meet the demands of an ever-changing workforce.

1. Offer Programs and Courses that Provide Direct Pathways into Workforce Post-graduate diplomas, internships, and co-op placements are becoming more popular. Today, more than half of undergraduate students get some form of hands-on experience as part of their program. Whether it’s history or mechanical engineering, students across disciplines are looking for practical skills and planning for the future. Post-secondary institutions in Canada are well-positioned to leverage growing industries to give students hands-on experience. Even when it comes to on-campus jobs, networking opportunities, and entrepreneurship support, universities and colleges are stepping up. In the United States, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed to investing in programs that provide low-income students with honest information about earning potentials and opportunities related to specific credentials. 80% of employers say co-op and internship students are a source of new talent and potential future employees.
2. Provide More than just Academic Support: Students can’t succeed academically if they don’t have strong support systems around them. In post-secondary institutions, this can include accessibility services, academic counselling, mental health services, clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Learning doesn’t happen in isolation. When students have strong support networks, they’re more likely to experience feelings of self-efficacy, which, according to a 2015 CAPRES report, is crucial for academic achievement.
3. Help Students Build Social and Professional Networks: Instructors are valuable sources of information for students when it comes to academic and career advice, but networking doesn’t stop there. When students have opportunities to connect with alumni or prominent members of the community or field, they’re in, they see real ways they can succeed after university or college and build connections they’ll lean on for the rest of their careers. An intentional focus on networking can also help level the playing field since students from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds might not have the same connections as other students do. 
4. Create a Community: Post-secondary education is where students from all walks of life come together in the pursuit of knowledge. In Canada, around 16 per cent of enrolments in the 2018/19 school year were from international students, representing all of the growth in post-secondary enrolments. Acknowledging and celebrating this diversity of experience, knowledge, and opinion helps students build a global mindset and prepares them to tackle the challenges of an increasingly diverse workforce. In addition to international students, business and thought leaders from the community can play a valuable role in fostering a sense of community among students. 
5. Connect Classrooms with what’s Happening in the World: Technological developments, political movements, and new ideas are all things students will need to be ready for when they enter the workforce. When instructors ensure their teaching is up to date with current trends and best practices in their field, students can feel confident that they’re prepared for the reality of the workforce. According to a 2018 RBC report, social-emotional skills like active listening, speaking, and critical thinking will be most in-demand by future employers. Giving students space to practice these soft skills alongside harder, field-specific skills means you’re giving students more ways to succeed. 
6. Embrace New Teaching Strategies: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated many oncoming developments in post-secondary teaching when instructors and institutions were confronted with the challenges — and opportunities — of online learning. Many saw how well students responded to multimedia resources and increased connectivity that came with online teaching. So how can you bring these innovations into a post-pandemic classroom? Focus on active, student-centered experiences that connect to the real world. Project-based learning, service learning, flipped classrooms and collaborative learning are just some of the ways that you can give students hands-on, engaging, and meaningful opportunities to learn. 
7. Find and Correct Inequities in Classroom: Universities and colleges are great champions of equality — making sure that every student has equal opportunities. But they’re less good at promoting equity — providing support to every student or group based on their unique, individual circumstances. 

In practice, this could look like many different things:

• Flexible course times or office hours for parents or caregivers who are studying
• Online office hours and discussion boards for students who can’t attend in person
• Strong student support and funding for addressing mental health issues
• Training for instructors on how to coach struggling students and direct them towards the appropriate resources
• A clear look at diversity among staff and students, and where demographics vary between the two groups
• Initiatives that reduce barriers to graduation and encourage students to prioritize a full course load when possible
• Equitable scholarship application and raising awareness for available resources

There’s a lot to learn, and post-secondary institutions in Canada are well-positioned to help their students achieve more and succeed. Embracing innovations and finding ways to change the student experience for the better isn’t just an investment into four years of a students’ life — it’s a lifetime return.