Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a conversation with Caleb Simmons on the Illumination Podcast. To hear the full discussion, listen to the episode here.
In today’s online education landscape, institutions are awash in data—an overwhelming abundance of information from CRMs, learning management systems, student information systems, and more. But the challenge isn’t data scarcity; it’s data disconnection.
To transform engagement and retention outcomes for modern learners, higher ed institutions must evolve beyond siloed thinking and build intentional, strategic data partnerships that span departments and disciplines.
From Data Hoarding to Data Harmony
Online education programs are uniquely positioned to lead the charge. Unlike traditional campuses built around static, semester-based rhythms, online environments operate on flexible, often rolling schedules. This creates both a challenge and an opportunity: the student journey is less predictable, but the volume and variety of touchpoints offer a richer, more dynamic view into the learner experience.
However, making sense of this data requires alignment. When marketing, enrollment, academic advising, and institutional research teams each pursue their own KPIs in isolation, opportunities for meaningful insight and proactive intervention are lost. Instead, institutions must treat data as a shared language—and data strategy as a collaborative exercise.
Rethinking Retention for the Modern Learner
Retention metrics rooted in first-time, full-time benchmarks don’t reflect the reality of today’s learners, many of whom are part-time, transfer students, adult learners, or re-skilling professionals. For online education, the traditional academic calendar is largely irrelevant.
That’s why leading institutions are shifting toward customer-service-inspired models of persistence, where the focus isn’t just on retaining students from year to year, but on supporting them through every term, at every stage. This reframing of retention requires more than data dashboards—it demands institutional mindset shifts and shared understanding of the learners we serve.
Data-Driven Innovation Starts Small
The key to making data actionable isn’t building a monolithic, all-knowing dashboard. It’s about piloting thoughtfully scoped interventions. By disaggregating large datasets into meaningful segments—military-connected learners, working adults, traditionally aged students—institutions can tailor outreach and services in ways that matter.
These targeted pilot programs are designed to test hypotheses, measure impact, and scale what works. In resource-constrained environments, this scientific approach to innovation ensures that institutional energy is spent on strategies that actually move the needle.
Breaking the Barriers to Integration
Of course, collecting and using data effectively isn’t just about institutional will. System fragmentation is a real hurdle. Different CRMs for marketing and enrollment, third-party tools for student tracking, and disconnected databases can make it nearly impossible to map the entire student journey.
But this doesn’t mean we give up. It means we work together to bridge the gaps. Aligning definitions, timelines, and data models across units is painstaking work—but it’s foundational for building a responsive, learner-centered institution.
Collaboration as a Competitive Advantage
The path forward lies in collaboration—within institutions and across them. Cross-campus partnerships can illuminate blind spots, surface best practices, and create shared momentum toward learner success.
In a world where students can leave with a click and alternatives are just a Google search away, higher ed institutions can’t afford to operate in silos. The stakes are too high. It’s not just about retention; it’s about relevance.
Institutions that rise to meet this challenge—by breaking down data barriers and designing systems around real student behavior—will be the ones that thrive in the future of education.
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