Improving Student Engagement and Retention with Navigate360
A Seamless Platform Transition Drives Impressive Results at William Paterson University
William Paterson University of New Jersey (WP) is a midsize public Hispanic-Serving Institution with 9,429 students, 40% of whom are first-generation. WP offers over 150 degree and certificate programs, including 57 online programs, and has a 71% retention rate and 56% six-year graduation rate.
- location
- Wayne, New Jersey
- undergraduates
- 9,429
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Opportunity
After several years using a basic student success platform, WP wanted to reach and engage students more effectively. Excited about the student-facing tools in EAB’s Navigate360 CRM, they implemented the platform in 2022. Their priorities included a smooth implementation and transition between platforms, better coordination for outreach to students, and stronger student engagement—including for online learners.
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Solution
WP seamlessly transitioned from their prior platform to Navigate360, thanks in large part to the support provided by their EAB team, including their Launch Consultant and Strategic Leader, who met with WP’s implementation team weekly to conceptualize what various workflows and processes could look like with the new platform. Today, stakeholders across campus—from student success leadership, to support offices, to faculty, to both in-person and online students—use Navigate360 on a regular basis. Key features, including multi-modal outreach campaigns, student self-service tools, and the LMS integration have been integral to driving outcomes.
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Impact
Students are highly engaged in the Navigate360 app—81% of logins are from repeat users. WP’s automated alert for LMS utilization has helped hundreds of online learners stay on top of their academic work. And Navigate360 has supercharged overall student support practices, improving retention efforts and contributing to over $1.4M in additional revenue.
Key Results
$1.4M+
Tuition and fee revenue from additional students retained thanks in part to Navigate36081%
Of Navigate360 student app logins are return users724
Automated LMS login reminder alerts sent to online leaners in just three monthsA Seamless Transition to Navigate360
Comprehensive Change Management Guidance Throughout Implementation and Beyond
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Implementation
Navigate360 team (Launch Consultant, Strategic Leader, and Business Analyst) provided clear guidance on all steps and milestones— conceptualizing what WP needed to accomplish
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Training
WP rolled out Navigate360 office-by-office, building out care units on a rolling basis. They worked with teams to understand and build out workflows for their unique needs and processes
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Value Stream
Senior leadership championed Navigate360, emphasizing the value it provides to students, staff, and faculty. Insights gleaned from the platform informed institutional strategic planning
Engaging Students With Self-Service Tools
Students Have One-Stop Access to Resources that Provide Value Across Their Time on Campus
During their initial search for a new student success platform, WP prioritized finding one with a self-service app that students could use across their time on campus. Navigate360’s student-facing app consolidates access to a wide variety of WP’s important resources in one place, providing continued utility and value.
Early Success with the Navigate360 LMS Integration
724
automated login alerts issued in just three months222
positive student responses to the alert91%
of closed cases resulted in positive student outcomesConnecting Students to Campus Events and Support Services
Coordinated Outreach Breaks Through the Communications Barrier to Prompt Action
Staff across campus use Navigate360 campaigns because students consistently respond when prompted via the platform. Navigate360 makes it easy for WP to coordinate outreach while avoiding over-communication.
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First-Year Experience
- Invite freshmen to Welcome Day, the most effective means of getting them to attend advising and registration appointments before the start of classes
- Use appointment campaigns and reminders to prompt and track RSVPs for Career events
- 140%+ higher Welcome Day attendance when inviting students via a Navigate360 campaign
- Several events, including the Major Minor Fair, Internship and Job Fair, and Certification and Minors events, saw noticeably higher engagement
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Student Success
- Encourage freshmen, particularly those considered most in need of support because their high school GPA is below 2.5, to attend advising and academic support appointments
- +0.67 higher GPA for freshmen with high support needs who attended an academic support appointment compared to those who did not
- 11 percentage-point higher persistence rate for freshmen with high support needs who attended an advising appointment compared to those who did not
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Faculty
- Submit progress reports to flag struggling students
- Invite students to attend office hours, which all faculty share in the student-facing app
"A professor using an appointment campaign to guide students to office hours described Navigate360 as a ‘game changer’ in terms of his students’ academic performance and persistence. He’s gotten students to respond consistently to the outreach – something he hasn’t been able to do in his years of teaching.
"Linda Refsland, Executive Director of Academic Success
Navigate360 Campaigns Support Retention Efforts
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4.3 percentage-point
Higher retention for students flagged with an alert in Navigate360 who attended an advising appointment, compared to flagged students who did not attend an appointment
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9.8 percentage-point
Higher retention for students who scheduled and attended an advising appointment in Navigate360 compared to WP’s average retention rate
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$151,500
Additional tuition and fee revenue
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$1.28M
Additional tuition and fee revenue
