Access to services and community
How Holland College and Tailwind built a pre-arrival program that connects students with support before they ever set foot on campus.
Marking a time of new beginnings, “back to school” can bring unique opportunities and challenges. In recognition that better preparation can improve outcomes for students starting their post-secondary journey, Canadian colleges and institutes are looking to bolster educational pathways.
An innovative pre-arrival program that proactively connects students with supports at the college level, for example, was developed by Holland College, the provincial community college for Prince Edward Island, in partnership with Tailwind, a student wellness company.
“Over the past few years, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of students who meet Holland College’s admission requirements but are not fully equipped to handle the expectations of a post-secondary program,” says Lornie Hughes, executive director of student experience and registrar at Holland College. “We’re committed to ensuring our students have the tools they need to succeed. Making sure they know what to expect is key to that process.”
Campus staff invest time, money and energy into a wide array of supportive resources, including academic support, career counselling and mental health services, and work to promote them year-round, yet new students may not be aware these services exist.
“Students are taking on a major life chapter,” he explains. “With that experience comes a host of stressors and distractions that can sometimes make it difficult for them to leverage available support to their benefit.”
As a result, students may struggle alone, despite adequate support being available, says Mr. Hughes. “Once classes begin, it becomes more difficult to problem-solve and access support to address challenges that arise mid-semester.
“While it made sense to add resources to the onboarding process, getting the attention of students during the busy back-to-school time was challenging. So we decided to launch the program in August to give students and their family supporters time to review it.”
Since solid family support is considered an ingredient of student success, the program provides a way for the students and their families to learn more about the pressures and expectations of a post-secondary program prior to arriving, he notes.
Another priority was getting feedback, says Mr. Hughes. “Throughout the program, we ask learners questions related to their interests, goals, concerns and sentiments about the effectiveness of this program. The corresponding data allows us to tweak the program accordingly.”
Devin Golets, founder and CEO of Tailwind, agrees that continuing to tailor the program in ways that specifically address unique student journeys at Holland College is important. “We’re taking into account any questions, requests or concerns that students may share within the program,” he says. “I commend Holland College staff for their decision to invest in their students before they even arrive for the first time, and once students enter the program, I think they will quickly discover what a special community they are joining.”
While students can access the program before they arrive on campus, Mr. Hughes emphasizes that it is designed to build community. For example, it contains introductions to staff and friendly faces in different departments who outline how support works, giving incoming students a chance “to become acquainted with their community before they arrive.”
Feedback to date indicates a high program satisfaction, with 91 per cent of participants agreeing that it helped them feel like “they have a community of support at Holland College [as well as] awareness about the ways in which they can get involved in the campus community.”
The goal, to boost outcomes for learners by providing support throughout educational journeys, from enrollment, and in this case, even prior to arriving on campus, to graduation and beyond, resonates widely across the system of Canada’s publicly funded colleges and institutes, where “better futures for people and communities” is the stated vision, according to Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), the national voice of these post-secondary institutions.
“We hope to set students up for a successful and enjoyable educational experience,” Mr. Hughes adds.