Fostering Real Connections– Why Campus Engagement Solutions Matter

Your alumni will likely tell you that some of the best memories of their time on campus are the connections they made with others. Making meaningful connections on campus can be the difference between graduating or dropping out of college, finding a new job or muddling through the job application process, or success and failure.

As technology advances, your institution can implement campus engagement solutions to help foster meaningful connections between your faculty, students, and alumni, both in real life and digitally.

These solutions help keep students engaged with their degree programs, helping them reach their full potential inside and outside the classroom.

Rethinking Student Engagement

Student engagement doesn’t just mean attending class, especially among college students. It involves participation in campus activities, academics, and social events. Think game nights with dorm communities, participating in a hiking club, or joining a peer mentorship program. 

These enrichment activities help students create connections with others, and your marketing department can advertise them to attract potential students. Effective student engagement can increase your institution’s retention, enrollment, and graduation rates. The key to student engagement, though, is communication. In the digital era, keeping students engaged has never been easier. Here’s why.

Meeting Students’ Needs with Digital Solutions

Conversational intelligence platforms, like Mongoose, can help you keep your students informed about campus happenings. They go beyond sending targeted and well-timed messages, though. 

They help address students’ needs, such as:

• Increasing accessibility and inclusivity: Remote students and commuters might not be as aware of campus resources or events. Sending SMS or WhatsApp messages can help you quickly connect to students who might otherwise miss the memo. 
• Promoting mental health and wellness: Consistently advertising your mental health services can bring more awareness to the students who need them. 
• Seamless Communication: As a campus, you need a way to reach your students quickly, especially in an emergency. The right technology can help you reach your students on the channels most relevant to them.

Effective Campus Engagement Solutions

Mongoose connects to your existing tech stack to keep your students at the center of every interaction on your campus. The most effective campus engagement solutions incorporate artificial intelligence to help your staff make more informed decisions regarding personalized communication and outreach. 

Let’s face it: students hate receiving irrelevant messages. With a multi-channel platform, you can easily segment your students into interest groups and ensure your team sends messages your students care about and want to read. 

AI campus engagement solutions can also provide your team with relevant sentiment analysis. Analyzing this data can help you better understand your students’ needs, behaviors, and interactions with your campus messaging. This can help your team plan better outreach campaigns, making your campus communication more efficient and effective.

Practical Campus Engagement Solutions by Use Case 

Here are a few ways to use a campus engagement solution to support and connect with your students.

Academic Success Coaching

Your campus likely provides academic success coaching to your students. But have you noticed a decrease in the number of students who use these resources? It could be that they’re unaware these resources exist and are available to them.

In addition to announcing your programs in an email or newsletter, you can send text message reminders to students about tutoring hours, deadlines, or workshops. Plus, you can easily connect students who reply to your texts with academic advisors suited to their degree program.

Adding an AI assistant to the student pages of your campus website is also a great way to engage with students looking for support online. An AI assistant can direct them to campus resources, including connections with advisors.

Student Support Networks

Student support networks are a great way to ensure students are connected and engaged with their studies. Initiatives like peer mentorship programs allow students to make meaningful connections while developing their networking skills in a low-stakes environment. 

Ensuring your students are aware of these kinds of programs is essential. Since most college-aged students have a cell phone, you can send messages about student-led meetings to remind and encourage them to attend and participate.

Career Development & Alumni Networks

Creating opportunities for your students to connect with alumni is vital for students to make connections in their desired careers. Your campus can host alumni meet-and-greet events or create alumni mentorship programs to provide students with the opportunity to receive hands-on experience in their chosen fields.

You can use a solution like Mongoose to remind alumni of upcoming alumni-focused events and encourage them to participate and give back to their community.

Mental Health Services

One of the best ways to use campus engagement solutions to support students is to remind them of the mental health services available to them. Constant reminders can help reduce stigma and encourage students to get the help they need.

You can also send daily reminders to encourage students to do something good for their mental health, whether taking a small break, going on a walk, or spending fifteen minutes reading for pleasure. Sometimes, students need permission to care for themselves, and your messages can serve as reminders.

The Future of Campus Engagement Solutions

When students are connected to your campus, they don’t just go through the motions to finish their degree. Instead, they thrive by creating meaningful connections with their peers, faculty, and alumni. 

Campus engagement solutions can make every interaction with your campus community count, from students to alumni and everyone in between. The key to effective communication is to ensure it’s personalized, relevant, and data-driven. Mongoose, an AI-enabled conversational intelligence platform, can help your institution do just that.

Book a demo to learn more about about bringing Mongoose to your institution.

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