BALTIMORE, Md., Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UPCEA (University
Professional and Continuing Education Association) and
StraighterLine conducted a critical empirical research
study profiling the disengaged learner to better understand
their situations and motivations in relation to higher education.
The study focused on individuals who have college credits but are
no longer attending college to identify why they stopped attending
and what motivates them to re-engage.
"Given the pandemic and the evolution of a new economy, one that
relies on automation and information, students will be more likely
to disengage with higher education for a variety of reasons," said
Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer and
Director of the Center for Research and Strategy at UPCEA.
"Families are more financially fragile and students have greater
challenges. If we don't act or anticipate this, they'll not only
disengage, but they will become disenfranchised with higher
education."
StraighterLine's Chief Learning Officer Dr. Amy Smith and Fong served as co-lead principal
investigators on the 2021 study that targeted adult learners 20-34
years of age and evaluated their responses across generations. In
total, 3,236 respondents participated in the study of which 1,021
met all qualifications. Students who were currently
enrolled in a college or university were removed from the
study.
"So many people start college and never finish. Through this
study, we wanted to answer four main questions: Who leaves college?
Why do they leave? Who comes back? How do we get them back?" said
Smith. "What we see from our research is Gen Z and Millennials
leave school for different reasons, but the reason they return is
the same — to reach a personal goal."
Key Takeaways
Who Are the Disengaged Learners?
Using multivariate analysis, the researchers looked at students'
decision factors and motivations, perceptions and attitudes, and
likelihood of re-enrollment in higher education based on many
factors including their gender, level of education, income and
employment status. Women made up the majority of students who have
stopped out.
"Men and women do not see higher education the same way. They
think differently about career goals, tuition, personal
obligations, and existing work responsibilities," said Smith. "In
healthcare you can't study male cancer and apply it to females.
Likewise, you can't get men and women to re-engage in higher
education using the same messaging and tactics."
According to research by the National Student Clearinghouse,
half a million fewer students in college are males and they are
continuing to decline at a rate of 71%, and women are projected to
lead men in college 2 to 1.
"Our study confirms the trend we have been seeing in higher
education for some time: the gender gap is widening," said
Smith.
More than half of the respondents were employed full-time and
only 9% were unemployed and overwhelmingly they worked in the
retail and consumer durables industry and food and beverage
industry.
"Another key takeaway is the majority of disengaged learners are
working adults that make $50,000 or
less, so they are working on pretty tight budgets," said Smith.
"This is a significant factor that colleges and universities need
to think about when re-engaging students."
Demographics of the Disengaged Learners in the Study:
- Generation: 36% were mid-millennials, 19% were young
millennials, and 29% were from Generation Z.
- Gender: 63% of respondents identify as female, 33% as
male, and 4% as other options/prefer not to say.
- Fields of Study: 18% business, 14% healthcare, 9% arts,
7% computer science/education, 6% social sciences, 4%
law/engineering, 3% communications, and 22% other.
- Current Industry: 15% of respondents said they were
employed in retail and consumer durables industry; 14% in food and
beverages; 8% are in construction and manufacturing; 7% are in
education; 4% are in business, healthcare, government, or
telecommunications; 3% are in advertising; and 15% other.
- Employment Status: 51% of respondents are full-time
employees, 19% are part-time, 9% are unemployed and not seeking
employment, and 22% are unemployed and seeking employment.
- Household Income: 65% fell into the household income of
<$35,000 or $35,000 - $50,000,
33% of all respondents fell into the category of $50,000 - $100,000,
and less than 2% of all respondents had a household income over
$100,000.
What Causes Them to Disengage with
Higher-Ed?
"Why are students leaving? The overall finding across the board
was that students left school for financial reasons," said Smith.
"One interesting point is this study was conducted during Covid-19
but loss of job was not a variable. So students are leaving for
financial reasons, but not because they aren't working."
Across all populations, 42% of respondents cited financial
reasons for stopping out of higher education. However, examining
reasons by generation and gender, those priorities began to shift.
Thirty-two percent of students say they left college for family or
personal commitments and this was more prevalent among
mid-millennials.
"Not surprisingly, family commitments were very important to
mid-millennials. Many are working parents who had to make the
choice between going to school or providing for their family," said
Smith. "Gen Z, on the other hand, cares more about a school being
the right fit for them, and they are willing to pay for it."
Of this youngest generation of students included in the dataset,
43% of Gen Z said their primary reason for leaving school was
because the school was "not the right fit," signaling their
priorities aren't tied to financial independence like the older
demographics.
Which Students Are Most Likely to Re-Engage and Why?
Students were asked to rate the level of engagement they had
with their institution during their time as a student. Data showed
a strong correlation between level of engagement as a student and
satisfaction. Individuals who were more satisfied with their
institution were more likely to say they experienced a high level
of engagement during their time as a student.
"Keeping your students happy matters," said Smith. "How you left
the school, satisfied or upset, that impacted whether or not you
went back to that original school."
Time also matters. Forty-eight percent of students who had
recently left school said they were extremely or very satisfied
with their higher education institution versus only 38% of students
who had been out of school for several years.
"Student perceptions change over time," said Smith. "The longer
they were gone from that school, the more negative opinion they had
of the school and the less likely they are to re-engage."
While career advancement remains an important motivating factor,
this research revealed that personal goals are often a greater
motivator for enrollment. Surprisingly 62% of all disengaged
learners were motivated to originally enroll in school to reach a
personal goal. Career advancement was only 44%, along with love of
learning (42%), and improving salary (40%). These data hint the
reasons students go back to school after an absence may parallel
that original motivation--to reach a personal goal.
"People come back to meet a personal goal, and 62% of them want
to finish it. So they never left that original vision of who they
were going to be. That's huge," said Smith.
What Can Institutions Do to Re-Engage These Students?
As enrollments are declining around the nation, institutions are
trying to solve the challenge of how to retain their current
students. In this survey, students were asked if there was anything
their institution could have done to keep them engaged, and their
answers varied by demographic.
Effective Retention Strategies and Tactics Students Across
All Generations Said Their Institution Could Have Done
- 70% of students said institutions could provide certificates
for credits earned
- 62% of students said institutions could provide courses at
lower prices
- 58% of students said institutions could provide workshops to
address struggles
- 55% of students said institutions could provide counseling
- 46% of students said institutions could provide concierge
services to help
"It is important to look at what are the actionable tactics that
can make an impact on a student's retention," said Smith. "But keep
in mind what works for one student, might not work for
another."
"This research highlights the critical need for institutions to
know their students and engage with them on their terms. Modern
learners are unique, and so too are their needs and preferences,"
said UPCEA's Chief Research Officer Jim
Fong. "It is imperative that institutions cultivate
meaningful connections to their students from the moment they enter
the enrollment funnel. Life happens, students disengage. In this
increasingly competitive marketplace, it is essential that
institutions have an established relationship and tactics of
engagement with their disengaged learners to bring them back into
the fold."
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About StraighterLine
StraighterLine is a student success company and the category
creator for providing scalable solutions to deliver affordable,
effective and accelerated learning pathways to formal degree
programs and widely recognized industry credentials. The
StraighterLine platform supports over 40,000 new students a year,
including directly through the straighterline.com website as well
as through the company's growing network of university and employer
relationships. Visit https://www.straighterline.com or
https://partners.straighterline.com for more information.
About UPCEA
UPCEA is the association for professional, continuing, and
online education. Founded in 1915, the association serves its
members with innovative conferences and specialty seminars,
research and benchmarking information, professional networking
opportunities and timely publications. Based in Washington, D.C., UPCEA builds greater
awareness of the vital link between adult learners and
non-traditional learners and public policy issues. Visit
www.upcea.edu.
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SOURCE StraighterLine