Education Advisory Board, a Washington, D.C. research and consulting company, has developed advisement software that encourages students to define their academic goals and alerts them when they are straying from their plan. The Atlantic reports that this software is designed to help students who are enrolled in four-year colleges or universities. However, it may be especially helpful for community college students who traditionally struggle to complete their two-year programs on time.
Federal statistics show that only 20% of first-time, full-time community college students obtain an associate’s degree within three years when enrolled in a traditional two-year program. Several factors may contribute to this low number. For instance, the ratio of students to advisors at the average community college is 1,000 to 1. Also, community colleges serve a very diverse student body, from working adults seeking higher credentials to newly-graduated high school students, who have vastly different advisement needs. As these institutions work under budget constraints, many students are left to navigate the academic system on their own.
Education Advisory Board’s web-based software for four-year institutions alerts advisors when a student fails to sign up for a required course, risks losing financial aid, or earns a low grade in a required course for his or her major. For two-year schools, the company is developing a tool that asks students questions about their academic strengths, interests, family income, time constraints, and desired degree. The tool would then suggest majors and degree programs for students and provide information on salaries earned by comparable graduates. The goal is to compile this information to allow the current community college administrative systems and advisors to better help their students.
