About
Concordia College is a small private Christian school with 2,010 students, an 80.2% retention rate and a 75% six-year graduation rate.
The Challenge
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Concordia was forced to cease in-person operations. Their emergency response team worried that many students wouldn’t have the necessary resources or support to access their online courses and finish the semester.
The Solution
Concordia College has been part of EAB’s Student Success Collaborative partner for six years, going live with Navigate in 2015. When ceasing in-person operations, Concordia emailed all students a departure form to assess immediate needs and used Navigate to reach unresponsive students.
Quick Facts
Institution: Concordia College
Institution Type: Small private Christian school
Location: Moorhead, the largest city in Northwest Minnesota
Enrollment: Approximately 2,010 students
EAB Partnership: Student Success Collaborative
Impact Highlights:
16% increase in student submission of departure forms
93% faculty response rate to Progress Reports, identifying students struggling in online courses
15 employees in one division redeployed to better meet student needs during the pandemic
Additionally, faculty submitted Navigate Progress Reports to flag students struggling with remote learning. Leveraging the Coordinated Care Network they built with Navigate in the months prior, Concordia redeployed student support staff to quickly act on students’ challenges and concerns.
The Impact
Using Navigate to reach students, Concordia saw a 16% increase in departure form submissions, and 93% of faculty participated in a campaign to identify students struggling in online courses. Additionally, Concordia redeployed more than a dozen staff to follow up on student concerns and better meet time-sensitive student needs.
How EAB’s Navigate Helped Concordia Staff Assess the Needs of All Students as Campus Closes
Immediately following the transition to remote instruction due to COVID-19 in March 2020, Concordia’s emergency response team, comprised of stakeholders from Student Development and Campus Life, emailed all students a departure form to assess their plans and identify students in need of support. In the following weeks, they relied on Navigate to uncover even more students struggling to cope.
Departure Forms
Sent departure forms to all students to determined students’:
- Housing plans (return to home of origin, remain in dorm, etc.)
- Financial situation (including ability to travel)
- Computer and internet access for online learning
Text Message Campaign
Used a Navigate text message campaign to follow up with students who didn’t submit their forms
Progress Reports
Launched Progress Reports in Navigate, allowing faculty to flag struggling students. Faculty submitted alerts based on:
- Academic participation
- Academic performance
- Emotional well-being
- Financial concerns
- Technology barriers
- Doubt about staying at Concordia
99%
Of students completed form after Navigate text campaign
93%
Of faculty submitted Progress Reports
425
Students flagged by faculty (23% of all students)
Providing Timely Student Support Based on Insights from Navigate
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A holistic picture of immediate and longer-term student needs
After campus operations pivoted to remote instruction, Concordia’s Student Development and Campus Life division redeployed available staff to act on this time-sensitive information about student needs, ensuring students received quick help.
Various Staff Deliver Timely Support
Phase 0: Prior to the Pandemic
Building a Coordinated Care Network with a phased rollout of Navigate laid the groundwork for Concordia’s quick response to the pandemic
Phase 1: Leading Up To and During Campus Closure
Ensuring all basic student needs are met
| Support Efforts | Staff Participating |
| Connected students experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 to clinics | Career assistant director |
| Distributed financial aid for student transportation and basic needs | Residence hall directors |
| Centrally tracked support requests and prepared emails for leadership to send to students | Orientation assistant director |
| Provide outreach and programs for 80 international students staying on campus | Residence hall directors |
| Obtained supplies for emergency quarantine of students on campus | Student engagement staff |
| Purchased gas gift cards to help students travel home | Career coach |
Phase 2: Across the Semester with Virtual Operations
Providing continued care to foster success
| Support Efforts | Staff Participating |
| Created a guide on how to access online courses | Career coach |
| Troubleshooted student challenges accessing online classes | Administrative assistant |
| Compiled resources on local food pantries and organized a food drive | Campus sustainability coordinator |
| Connected students with wellbeing resources, such as housing, mental health support, and LGBTQ+ resources | Director of student conduct |
$60,000
Emergency aid provided to 313 students for needs identified by departure forms and Navigate
15
Total staff members redeployed in one 40-person division to meet urgent student needs
"Our work with Navigate across the last year helped us develop a philosophy of how we want to coordinate care for students. When the pandemic hit, staff had already become accustomed to helping support a range of student needs outside their office, which was critical to our success during this incredible time."
