NWTC Receives National Recognition for Achievements in Student Success

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describe this image — NWTC is nationally recognized for its commitment to sharing and managing best practices as EAB’s 2021 Student Success Collaborative Award Winner

NWTC has been named by Education Advisory Board (EAB) as this year’s winner of the Student Success Collaborative Award for its esteemed commitment to sharing and managing best practices.

EAB’s Collaborative Citizenship Award recognizes an institution that selflessly shares their practices and approaches to student success and strives to help their peers succeed.

“We are very humbled to be chosen as an EAB 2021 Collaborative Citizen Award winner,” said John Grant, NWTC dean of student development. “At NWTC, our focus has always been to support student success through care and innovation. As we share best practices, successes, and even failures, our higher education community can learn and grow together for the benefit of our students.”

Among NWTC’s best practices are student communication platforms, like Starfish, that have allowed the College to support and serve students like never before. This early alert system identifies students who are academically at-risk, allowing instructors to take action sooner to ensure students are on track to achieve their optimal success.

According to NWTC’s Starfish predictive analytics, the likelihood of completing a degree within 4 years decreases by 10% when a class is dropped, and 10% more with subsequent withdrawals. Insights such as this allow staff and faculty the ability to connect with students at the risk of getting off their degree completion path.

“Over the years, we have seen significant increases in our retention rate, and these gains can be largely attributed to tools, like Starfish, that help us connect with and support our students,” said Grant.

NWTC is among 10 community colleges and universities nationwide recognized at this year’s CONNECTED21, one of largest conferences for educators to learn about student success and industry-leading techniques.

Awardees are chosen from among the colleges, universities, and individuals that use Starfish or Navigate, EAB’s student success management system.

EAB is one of the largest providers of research, technology and consulting services to colleges and universities nationwide. This is the eighth year in a row that EAB has recognized outstanding achievements in student success.

“Students, faculty, and campus staff are still learning how to access and deliver the right combination of online and in-person support services that are critical to student success,” said, EAB President of Technology, Scott Schirmeier. “The winners of EAB’s 2021 Student Success Collaborative Awards have gone above and beyond in their mission to keep students on track to graduate at a time when the pandemic has completely upended the traditional student support model.”

To learn more about NWTC’s Starfish platform, visit NWTC.edu/Starfish.