Community colleges and other public institutions face the constant challenge of identifying and supporting at-risk students before traditional warning signs emerge. To shed light on proven strategies for supporting those in need of assistance, Liaison recently participated in a speaking session at the annual meeting of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) called Find the Right Tempo: From Reactive to Proactive Student Success.

The session, which described the successful collaboration between Daytona State College and Liaison, was co-hosted by Liaison AVP for Enrollment Management Solutions Jeremy Schaeffer and Daytona State Director of Admissions and Recruitment Dr. Karen Sanders. Daytona State is an open-access institution that offers bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, certificates, and adult education programs.

Data-Driven Targeting and Messaging

Daytona State leveraged Liaison’s TargetX CRM as well as predictive insights derived from Liaison Othot, an AI-powered analytics platform, to better understand student risk factors, target interventions, and achieve measurable improvements in retention and persistence through the strategic use of data-driven, personalized engagement strategies.

“We needed a seamless solution to replace several standalone systems that were completely disjointed,” Dr. Sanders explained. “We wanted the entire college to have a better understanding of our students so we could make informed decisions. And we wanted a solution with built-in technology that could help us work smarter, more effectively, and more efficiently."

With Othot, Daytona State’s academic advisors and success coaches are now able to identify groups of students who might need assistance or a nudge. They’re able to reach out to them early and at other key times to help keep them on the right path.

TargetX integrates and tracks Daytona State’s enrollment, retention, and student success data, breaking down silos between admissions, advising, and retention teams.​

“We have different campaigns for different reasons, and pulling the data is really easy,” Dr. Sanders said.

Early Wins for At-Risk Students

Thanks to its new technology and strategies, Daytona State quickly began to achieve important results, including:

  • Leadership buy-in | Directors are empowered to own decision making.​
  • ​Smoother student experience | Individual students receive the specific information and support they need.
  • ​Early alert system | Intervention strategies and communication flows are now identified and implemented much sooner than in the past.

“Othot allows you to identify actions that can be taken even before a student hits the classroom,” Schaeffer​ said. “Its predictions help drive the actions that can be impactful for a student at each stage of the student lifecycle to maximize the efforts of your team.”

Today, Daytona State can identify at-risk students earlier, understand the unique drivers of their challenges, and deploy tailored interventions. The college has isolated critical gaps in programs and policies, aligned advisor priorities, and pinpointed the specific variables that most influence retention and persistence, confirming the efficacy of a data-driven, proactive approach to student support.

To learn more about how colleges can ensure that students not only enroll but persist, read Liaison’s whitepaper, How to Onboard Community College Students for Long-Term Success.