Student Success

Use the Student Leadership Competencies to Promote Retention

What leadership competencies do students need to develop to be successful in college? The Student Leadership Competencies® have been mapped to a variety of frameworks for program planning and curriculum design including a college retention framework. Knowing the specific competencies associated with retention would allow your office to plan programs, events, and experiences with these competencies in mind.

Encourage Student Involvement

We know that student involvement has a positive impact on retention. So, getting students involved from the start can be beneficial for their college persistence. As part of a summer bridge program or student success program, have students take the Student Leadership Competencies Inventory so they are prepared to seek out specific leadership development opportunities that align with the competencies they want to develop. Help them develop an involvement plan and get them connected to student organizations and programs that will help them expand their leadership capacity.

Weave Leadership Development Curriculum Into Student Success Classes

Use the Student Leadership Competencies® as a course design framework to help students develop the skills they need to be successful in college. Using the SLC retention framework, integrate those competencies related to student success and achievement to design curriculum and assignments that help develop students’ leadership capacity. Use the SLC Self-Guided Workbook, iOS app, Student Leadership Competencies Inventory, and SLC activities throughout the course to build upon students’ self-discovery and learning.

Help Students Identify Leadership Roles that Fit

We know that some students excel at an employee role at the front desk whereas others find their fit with roles such as Peer Mentors or Tutors. How can we help students determine roles that are a good fit for them? By defining leadership competencies associated with each leadership role, students can be made aware of the competencies they need to be proficient in those roles. This can help them determine which roles align with the competencies they have or would like to acquire, and ultimately select roles that best fit for them.

Intentionally Design, Deliver, and Assess Student Leader Training

How can we make sure that our training for student leaders is designed to help students be successful in their specific roles? Using pre-established curriculum, you can design and deliver intentional training grounded in the competencies students need for their roles and use standardized assessment measurements to assess learning and development.

Make Interaction and Involvement an Intentional Learning Opportunity

We know that students learn and develop by interacting with key staff and participating in programs in Retention and Student Success offices. But, how can we help make this learning intentional and then accurately measure it? Have students take the Student Leadership Competencies Inventory to self-assess their competency proficiency and create a competency-based professional development plan. In addition, using the Student Leadership Competencies® assessment tools can provide insight to help advise and coach students on their leadership development.

Market the Value of Student Success Programs

Students want to know what they are getting with their time and energy when deciding whether to participate in a program or experience. Identify competencies associated with each program and experience offered through your Retention or Student Success office and include these competencies in descriptions for marketing and outreach so students can determine if participating would be a fit for their needs and interests. Create a searchable database or master list of all competencies and associated programs so students can easily find competency-based opportunities. In addition, share these intended competencies in the marketing content for programs and activities by posting SLC icons on any print or digital media.

Assess Leadership Development Through Participation in Retention and Student Success Programs

Retention and student success programs can range from note-taking workshops to peer mentor meetings. Yet, we often have a hard time assessing the impact of these programs other than through head counts and satisfaction surveys or specific evaluations for programs that cannot be easily compared across programs. By aligning your programs and experiences with leadership competencies, you can know what students should be developing as a result of participation and easily assess their leadership learning. Use SLC Self-Evaluation Measurements to provide consistency in measurement and compare data across programs.