We need to eliminate the a la carte choices. Students have so many choices, and they are making choices that are not productive and don’t count toward the degree. 
Colleges and universities are increasingly under pressure to graduate students faster. The goal of on-time completion is multifaceted, and student success is a critical factor.
Degree Velocity® can inform an institution whether or not they’re on track to attain a graduation rate goal and the strategic actions/interventions necessary to positively impact it. Benchmarking Degree Velocity® allows institutions to review programs for intervention and help students increase degree momentum.
Used as an in-progress metric, Degree Velocity® calculates the number of productive credit hours earned by a student. Degree Velocity achievement requires an in-depth look at the pathways of full- and part-time students and asking insightful questions to make information at the institutional level actionable at the program level.
On-time graduation decreases the time to career launch and overall spend on college.
On-time completion can boost institutional reputation through positive word of mouth, which can enhance new student recruitment and the potential of alumni giving.
Leading and lagging indicators can help leaders develop, implement, and monitor progress toward equitable institutional outcomes and support student success. As a leading indicator, Degree Velocity® can help an institution stay informed by looking at the current student cohort under review by offering a ratio comparing actual to expected degree progress.
Sample Biology Program Data – 4 year Institution
69% Degree Velocity®
96% Enrollment Ratio in pathway courses for this program
63% of required courses ‘Overloaded’
6 of 10 pathway requirements identified in ‘First Year’ are taken later in students’ career than prescribed
Top Unproductive Courses
Scheduling in conjunction with the registrar’s office can inform degree audit pathways and secondary course demand, highlight scheduling conflicts, and assist with room allocation.
Data sharing, predictive analytics, dialog across all college stakeholders, and professional development can further inform the process along with looking at the prospective student pipeline in regard to the number of admits, re-admits, and expected yield rates.
Evaluate Degree Velocity® by pathway
Full-time
Determine causality
# of credits completed
Plan intervention strategies
Longitudinal tracking to measure outcome
Scheduling is an incredibly complex issue that impacts students and institutions. Determining and applying leading indicators of student success allow an institution to be more proactive in moving the needle toward on-time completion and Degree Velocity®.
