Dive Brief:

• Successful outcomes for college students can be strengthened by helping those students feel like they are welcomed and belong at the institution, according to a new analysis of studies conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and commissioned by the National Science Foundation.
• The analysis, co-authored by Rice University professor Fred Oswald, found that about 85% of studies measured a trend between positive GPA scores and students’ feeling of belonging on campus. 75% of studies found that students who believe their intelligence can grow through college education saw positive growth on GPA scores.
• If college students have “personal goals and values” that they feel are linked to achieving an end, studies indicate that it can have a positive impact on students’ final grades in classes, with 83% of studies indicating a positive trend.

Dive Insight:

As college presidents report that more and more of their assumed job roles take them from campus grounds and an understanding of student life, this report underlines how essential it is for college faculty and staff to maintain open and substantive lines of communication with students. When considering how campus administrators can seek to establish communication and a sense of a belonging, an approach akin to shared governance can be one that schools could consider, provided it actually provides students a seat at the table.

A focus on social-emotional learning is typically confined to K-12 education, with colleges and universities placing an emphasis on developing marketable skills and strengthening students’ approach to critical thinking. However, just because SEL is not a prominent aspect of curricula and methodology in higher ed does not mean that addressing students’ emotional concerns and aiding their emotional growth would not create dividends in their post-educational career, in the same way SEL hopes to do in a student’s K-12 life. Minerva Schools, for example, offers incoming students community clubs and workshops to help students develop strengths central to SEL in the college sphere. Other institutions could consider incorporating this approach.