METHOD FOR IMPROVING STUDENT RETENTION RATES

• US 20100009331A1
• Filed: 07/08/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EAB Global, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Starfish Retention Solutions Incorporated (Daily Mail & General Trust Plc)
• Inventors: Safavian, Zahra Z., Yaskin, David A., Horak, Naomi
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/362
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

An integrated student retention system that automatically raises flags identifying at-risk students; permits students to raise flags identifying themselves as at-risk; permits providers to raise flags identifying students as at-risk; provides systems facilitating the process of enabling students to obtain assistance; provides systems for tracking students and providers; and provides systems for measuring effectiveness.

Claims

1. A method for improving student retention rates in an academic institution through utilization of a networked computer system, comprising the steps of:

analyzing data input by one or more computerized academic management systems to the networked computer system and raising a first flag within the networked computer system whenever one or more students from a plurality of students are identified as falling within a first set of at-risk rules;

allowing one or more providers among a plurality of providers to raise a second flag within the networked computer system whenever the one or more students are identified by the one or more providers as falling within a second set of at-risk rules; and

compelling a meeting through the networked computer system between the one or more students and the one or more providers to address one or more issues associated with the first flag and/or the second flag, wherein the one or more providers post a set of office hour blocks within the networked computer system and the one or more students schedule an appointment for a meeting with the one or more providers by selecting a meeting time from the set of office hour blocks, wherein the one or more students and the one or more providers are forced to address the one or more issues so as to improve a likelihood of the one or more students remaining at the academic institution.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing data includes the step of sending through the networked computer system an alert message to the one or more providers whenever the first flag is raised.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing data includes the step of sending through the networked computer system an alert message to the one or more students.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the alert message includes a service catalog.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the alert message includes a first service from the service catalog or a request for the one or more students to schedule an appointment with one or more providers.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first flag is stored in a memory of the networked computer system in association with a student among the one or more students.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of retrieving a list of first flags associated with the one or more students stored in a memory of the networked computer system, analyzing data input by the one or more computerized academic management systems and removing the first flag associated with a flagged student among the one or more students from the list of first flags if the flagged student no longer falls within any of the rules in the first set of at-risk rules.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein a message is sent through the networked computer system to the flagged student when the first flag is removed.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein a message is sent through the networked computer system to one or more providers when the first flag is removed.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

associating within the networked computer system one or more notes that annotate the first flag and/or the second flag;

sharing through the networked computer system the one or more notes and the first flag and the second flag with the one or more providers; and

removing the one or more notes and the first flag and/or the second flag from the networked computer system in response to a command by the one or more providers.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the one or more notes have a privacy setting.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein a message is sent through the networked computer system to the first student when the first flag is removed.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein a message is sent through the networked computer system to the one or more providers when the first flag is removed.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the second flag is removed by the one or more providers if the second student no longer falls within any of the rules in the second set of at-risk rules.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein a message is sent through the networked computer system to the second student when the second flag is removed.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein a message is sent through the networked computer system to the one or more providers when the second flag is removed.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing data includes the steps of:

receiving data from the one or more computerized academic management systems;

applying the first set of at-risk rules to all data associated with a student among the one or more students;

creating a list of successfully matched rules for the student from the first set of at-risk rules;

storing the list within a memory of the networked computer system;

creating the first flag for one or more of the successfully matched rules on the list;

if necessary sending one or more alert messages to the one or more providers through the networked computer system; and

if necessary sending one or more alert messages to the student through the networked computer system.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a student folder is stored in a memory of the network computer system for each student among the one or more students that includes the first flag, if raised, the second flag, if raised, and the meeting, if set, wherein a status change is made to the student folder when a change to the student folder occurs, and wherein one or more student related notes created by one or more providers from the one or more providers are added to the student folder when the one or more student related notes are created.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of creating a success network through the networked computer system for each student among the one or more students, the success network including at least each provider among the one or more providers associated with the first flag, the second flag, and/or the meeting.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the status change causes the networked computer system to send an update message to one or more of providers of the success network.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the update message is sent to a type of provider among the one or more providers based on a set of provider roles and relations.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein content of the update message depends on the type of provider.

23. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the meeting includes tutoring, counseling, academic advisement, skill testing and/or mental health services.

24. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein a status change includes raising or removing a first flag, raising or removing a second flag, setting or cancelling the meeting, and creating or changing the one or more student related notes.

25. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of allowing includes the step of sending an alert message to the one or more providers and/or the one or more students.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the alert message includes a service catalog.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the alert message includes a request for the one or more students to schedule an appointment with a referral provider or a referral service from the service catalog.

28. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of allowing the one or more providers to send a message request through the networked computer system to the one or more students to schedule the appointment.

29. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of allowing the one or more students to send a message request through the networked computer system to the one or more providers to post the set of office hour blocks if the set of office hour blocks is not posted.

30. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of allowing the one or more students to post an endorsement on the networked computer system about the one or more providers after the meeting.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the endorsement is available to the one or more students and the one or more providers through the networked computer system.

32. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the endorsement is written by a first student among the one or more students and is provided to a second student among the one or more students through the networked computer system with an appointment reminder for the appointment set by the second student.

33. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a set of student data input from the one or more computerized academic management systems related to a student among the one or more students is sent through the networked computer system to a provider among the one or more providers with which the appointment was scheduled prior to the meeting.

34. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein the set of student data includes a link to a profile of the student, a profile data taken from the profile of the student, a summary of grades of the student and/or a course rank of the student.

35. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein the set of student data further includes one or more attachments added by the student for the provider to review.

36. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of office hour blocks includes a group session office hour block for which a group of students among the one or more students can schedule the appointment.

37. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a third flag is raised within the computer system if a student among the one or more students does not attend the meeting.

38. The method as recited in claim 37, wherein an intervention message is sent through the networked computer system to one or more intervention providers in response to the third flag.

39. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing data includes the step of using a set of conditional statements and/or a statistical analysis.

40. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing data is repeated on a periodic basis.

41. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of an administrator of the academic institution editing the first set of at-risk rules and/or the second set of at-risk rules on a periodic basis.

42. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of allowing a student among the one or more students to raise a self flag within the networked computer system.

43. The method as recited in claim 42, wherein an alert message is sent through the networked computer system to the student in response to the self flag, the alert message including a service catalog.

44. The method as recited in claim 43, wherein the alert message includes a request for the student to schedule the appointment with a referral provider or a referral service from the service catalog.

45. The method as recited in claim 42, wherein a student folder is stored in a memory of the network computer system for each student among the one or more students that includes the first flag, if raised, the second flag, if raised, the self flag, and the meeting, if set, wherein a status change is made to the student folder when a change to the student folder occurs, and wherein one or more student related notes created by one or more providers from the one or more providers are added to the student folder when the one or more student related notes are created.

46. The method as recited in claim 42, further comprising the steps of:

associating within the networked computer system one or more notes that annotate the first flag, the second flag and/or the self flag;

sharing through the networked computer system the one or more notes and the first flag, the second flag and/or the self flag with the one or more providers; and

removing the one or more notes and the first flag, the second flag and/or the self flag from the networked computer system in response to a command by the one or more providers.

47. The method as recited in claim 46, wherein the one or more notes have a privacy setting.

48. The method as recited in claim 46, wherein a message is sent through the computer system to the student when the self flag is removed.

49. The method as recited in claim 46, wherein a message is sent through the computer system to the one or more providers when the self flag is removed.

50. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computerized academic management systems includes a user interface, further comprising the step of allowing the one or more providers to access the networked computer system through the user interface for the one or more computerized academic management systems.