Is Today's Definition of Student Success Too Narrow?

Student success. These two somewhat vague, emotionally charged words are on the tongues of faculty, administrators, and industry moguls; they're guiding a sea change in institutional strategy across higher education; and they have ushered in a new era in record-setting corporate and nonprofit philanthropy. (Not to mention, their alliterative nature has easily lent them to a variety of educational acronyms, such as iPASS.)

The way we currently measure student success is deeply rooted in traditional metrics such as individual letter grades, cumulative GPAs, and graduation rates. Yet college dropouts who accept job offers in their desired fields or create thriving start-up ventures (the Bill Gates, Oprah Winfreys, and Mark Zuckerbergs of the world) oddly wouldn't factor into an existing student success equation, despite their seemingly unparalleled achievements.

When it comes to college dropouts, those aforementioned individuals are certainly the exception rather than the rule. Countless others who leave degree programs and secure gainful employment aren't billionaires, but they aren't failures, either. Although EdSurge posited that the definition of student success could be amended to include dropouts who find professional success, this remains a tricky assumption, as no direct link exists between institutional choice or major and graduates' resulting professional outcomes.

Thinking otherwise would be problematic for several reasons. First and foremost: student success in the job market is highly individualized. Being able to draw a direct link between securing a specific degree and landing a given job might seem desirable for higher education stakeholders, but such scenarios depend upon so many variables that it would likely be impossible to fairly and objectively evaluate.

But if we turn the lens back on employability, albeit within a different context, the concept of higher education institutions offering a more holistic look at students' achievements does indeed make sense. A revamped transcript and alternative credentials may not fit neatly within the traditional definition of student success (see above), but it shouldn't be surprising that a number of organizations are making these a priority.

A brief look at why:

1. Many skills and capabilities are acquired outside the traditional classroom setting.

   In thinking about a new summation of student accomplishments, educational leaders, researchers, and faculty members have been reconsidering the academic transcript. In fact, the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative's 7 Things to Know about the Evolution of the Transcript examined the myriad ways that students can now demonstrate mastery in a given skill (badges, nanodegrees) and document the types of enriching experiences that aren't typically graded with a rubric (internships, service learning, study abroad programs). The team of experts behind the document present a powerful, realistic scenario in which skills and experiences that would not be represented on a traditional transcript can be incorporated into a more accurate digital portrait of a student, thereby opening a host of unforeseen and potentially life-changing opportunities in the process.

2. Students become architects of their own learning experiences.

   When a student leaves an institution, the document of record is a traditional letter-grade transcript. Aside from a few high-level quantifiable outcomes, the transcript leaves little to be discovered and no options for customization. If students had control of their transcripts — empowering them with the ability to emphasize certain skills or experiences over others, for example — it could become a powerful tool for recruiters and job seekers alike. (Naturally, shifting ownership of academic credentials from institutions to students would necessitate strong quality-assurance and accuracy measures.)

3. The standardization of alternative credentials is gaining momentum.

   For now, the standardization of microcredential programs represents a significant ongoing concern because requirements tend to vary from institution to institution. A digital badge conferred by one college in project management may not match that of another. However, the establishment of universal data standards is currently under way. The Mozilla Foundation has charged IMS Global with this responsibility as part of the Open Badges initiative; it's worth noting, however, that this is one of three initiatives now working toward the same goal. Regardless of which approach — if any — wins the day, removing the ambiguity behind the structure and intended learning outcomes of alternative credentials will signify a powerful step forward. Once made comparable and easily recognized, digital badges will open students' ability to build on their knowledge at a variety of institutions.

4. Technologists and educators have the opportunity to develop a new reporting tool.

   While this could be equal parts obstacle and opportunity, I'm inclined to think positively about it. Creating a platform from scratch involves a significant amount of work — especially when so many stakeholders are involved. The fact that educators and technologists can collaborate on the development of such a platform from the beginning means that diverse contexts of learning journeys can be baked into its design. The Mastery Transcript Consortium — a consortium of secondary schools — was formed in March 2017  to do just that: tackling the development of a tool that would make students' wide variety of accomplishments easily understood. (At the postsecondary level, a number of analogous experiments are currently under way.)

5. Stronger ties can exist across K–20 education, broadening the definition of student success.

   The trend of demonstrating mastery is growing, and it's (slowly but surely) heading downstream. Some universities have begun to partner with K–12 schools on microcredentials for the precollege set. Adapting programs to become more modularized while enabling younger students to explore their competencies more broadly will further support a personalized postsecondary experience that emphasizes students' learning capacities and autonomy.

   Student success can be reflected in a multitude of ways; embracing a new spin on traditional areas such as the academic transcript and credentials will ensure that colleges and universities of all classifications remain relevant for job seekers and those pursuing advanced degrees.

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Kristi DePaul of Founders Marketing provides editorial support and regular contributions to the Transforming Higher Ed column of EDUCAUSE Review on issues of teaching, learning, and edtech.