Report: Should Student Success Include Wellness?

A March survey from TimelyCare found a majority of students (59 percent) identified their grade point average as the most important measure of success in college from a list of options, followed by greater knowledge (54 percent), completing a course of study or graduating (53 percent), or getting a desired job (46 percent).

Higher education professionals who work in student success, however, are more likely to see persistence, degree completion and student thriving as important measures.

A new journal article, published in PNAS Nexus, argues institutions of higher education should focus less on student outcomes such as retention and graduation rates and grades and instead include measures of wellness and development. The article’s authors offer six metrics that contribute to lifelong well-being and how higher education can implement practices to foster them.

The background: Student success for many stakeholders in higher education is based on the experiences that happen in the classroom or related to learning. But a 2015 Gallup study found six key college experiences that are linked to wellness and degree completion:

• Having at least one professor who makes you excited about learning.
• Having professors who care about you as a person.
• Having a mentor who encourages you to pursue your goals.
• Working on a project that takes a semester or more to complete.
• Having an applied internship or job.
• Being active in extracurricular activities and organizations while in college.

However, fewer than 3 percent of alumni have engaged in all these activities, showing opportunity for higher education to better engage with students to promote lifelong outcomes.

“Colleges and universities must take an active role in ensuring students have the opportunities to engage in pedagogical activities that have the potential to foster their long-term well-being and happiness,” the article authors write.

What matters: The report authors, pulling from a variety of definitions of well-being, identified six key factors higher education can promote for lifelong well-being and success.

1. Sense of belonging is the most common concern of college students today and has been demonstrated as an important factor in retention and student outcomes.
2. Agency, or the idea that one can change and lead their life circumstances, is “particularly important for young adults as they begin to navigate their place in the world,” according to the article.
3. Purpose, or meaning in life, is associated with well-being, grit and resilience when faced with life’s stressors.
4. Identity is a key focus for college students as they navigate their characteristics, affiliations, experiences and worldviews.
5. Civic engagement is one area in which higher education helps prepare students for their lives as active citizens and can include community-oriented activities.
6. Financial wellness is a growing concern among students in higher education, and a lack of financial well-being is correlated with student debt, lower well-being and a higher risk of leaving college.

DIY: For colleges and universities looking to implement more well-being initiatives, the article’s authors provide six guiding principles:

1. Embed well-being into the curriculum. To reach a wide range of students and remove barriers to participation, wellness offerings should be part of undergraduate programs.
2. Identify targets. Not every initiative needs to foster all components of well-being, but successful programs have one or two focus areas, which makes it more manageable.
3. Tailor offerings to the institution. Practices should account for the college or university’s specific student body and university culture.
4. Measure outcomes. An iterative assessment strategy before launching can inform program changes and how to scale successful work.
5. Win faculty buy-in. Faculty influence and leadership are important factors in delivering wellness in the learning environment.
6. Mitigate student financial need. Not all students are able to participate in activities, such as an unpaid internship, due to financial constraints, so providing opportunities without an additional financial burden is key.

The report identifies mentorship and authentic and experiential learning as two of the most impactful strategies to address lifelong well-being in undergraduate students.

Mentorship is positively tied to many of the measures researchers identified as important metrics of success and can be particularly beneficial for marginalized students. Problem- and design-based learning and community-based projects can facilitate students’ identity development and boost student agency and autonomy, as well.

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