David Yaskin
CEO and Founder
Starfish Retention Solutions
There's been a creative burst of new solutions aimed at improving retention in U.S. higher education. But, can retention be improved more easily and effectively as an academic byproduct? Let's see what David Yaskin says.
In what ventures have you been involved to make the internet ever more useful?
I was one of three architects of a global healthcare network that provided secure access to the medical records of a highly mobile population--9 million American soldiers, sailors and Marines. With Hughes, I was the lead developer for a community-managed earth science data warehouse for scientists around the world. With Blackboard, I led the company's e-learning design team. And now at Starfish, I furnish student success software to colleges and universities.
What is student success software?
It's a toolkit that helps colleges better promote, deliver and assess key student services like advising, tutoring and mentoring in a timely fashion. Starfish can operate standalone. But it's extremely effective when integrated with the school's student information system and course management systems.
What is essential for success?
Timing. Research shows that, when delivered well, the key student services I've mentioned can boost retention rates by five percent to 20 percent. To achieve those rates, students must be engaged and the services delivered at the right time.
How do we know when a student needs help?
It's almost always true that the necessary information is already resident in campus data files and the campus community. Low grades in an online gradebook. Recent absences recorded by clickers. An instructor seeing a student struggle or fail to submit assignments. Starfish can perform daily data sweeps and report findings. Starfish can encourage instructors to report their concerns. Student services staff receive well organized alerts immediately.
Is there a secret sauce to help make student success pervasive throughout the campus?
Yes. And it utilizes something that is pervasive throughout the campus: instructors. Those instructors willingly instruct. When we can make it easy for them to report as well, student success becomes an academic byproduct. And retention improves.
What role might social media play?
It may very well have a major role to play among students who want to share experiences as they are being helped. Social media can also turbo-power another secret sauce ingredient--peer tutoring. Students helping other students is the most retention-effective service a school can provide or enable.