Uncovering the Link Between Student Success and Academic Operations

Behind every successful student stands a well-oiled academic operations machine. While often unseen by the students themselves, the strategic decisions and efficient execution of academic operations—from course scheduling to curriculum development and resource allocation—impacts a student’s ability to navigate their educational journey, complete their program, and ultimately achieve their aspirations. Academic operations done right are a prerequisite to student success.

At the 2024 Academic Operations Conference, attendees were asked to share how they see academic operations driving student success at their institutions. Their perspectives were incorporated into the mural (pictured in full below) and in the ideas shared throughout this article.

Attendees shared that while academic functions should ideally always put students first, this can be challenging. Administrators who are already stretched thin have to navigate challenges such as data accessibility, manual and repetitive tasks, and outdated technology. Identifying where your institution may have opportunities for improvement and how your students perceive academic operations are essential first steps to creating a stronger connection between student outcomes and the operational pieces underpinning it.

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Measure and Meet Student Course Demand

Getting into the right classes is one of the most significant challenges that students face related to academic operations. Frequently, faculty preferences and faculty availability take precedent over student needs when building the course schedule. Student survey data tells us that this takes a real toll on students’ ability to get into the classes they need. According to a survey by College Pulse and Coursedog, 55% of students frequently or somewhat frequently struggle to enroll in required courses. The most common frustrations reported include classes being full, inconvenient times, or conflicts with other necessary courses.

One community college student lamented, “The most common problem is that classes get full too quickly or don’t have enough sections. This tends to happen with the more popular classes that fulfill multiple prerequisites or are foundational to your later classes, like intro to biology.” Similarly, a student at a four-year flagship university recalled, “During my freshman semester I got into none of the classes that I attempted to register for. And the only reason I even got into my calculus class was because my advisor had to manually put me into one that was already full.”

The lack of availability can be a breaking point for students. In the same College Pulse survey, one in five students reported they would consider leaving their current institution if they can’t access the classes they need. However, this challenge is not a secret. Administrators are often well aware of the challenges that students face. One administrator in an AACRAO scheduling survey noted, “Our annual survey to students who don’t return tells us class availability is a big reason why they didn’t come back.” The same AACRAO survey found that only 1 in 4 institutions agree that they practice student-centric scheduling.

How can institutions better meet students where they are? Looking at both historical data and predictive course demand using data like degree audits can help to better meet student needs. Administrators should consider where more seats are needed in high-demand courses and how the structure of the schedule meets student needs. For example, are multiple pre-reqs offered at the same time forcing students to choose between them? Can students with jobs or caretaking responsibilities fit classes into their schedule?

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Eliminate Manual Work to Allow Staff to Focus on Strategic Tasks and Student Interactions

Talk to any university staff member and they will run you through a laundry list of responsibilities, many of which include manual tasks, such as data entry, navigating disparate systems, and acting as intermediaries between departments. This inefficiency not only takes up valuable time, but can also overwhelm staff, especially during peak periods like creating the course schedule or publishing the annual catalog.

Yet, academic staff are deeply committed to their mission of helping students succeed. They possess invaluable insights into improving the student experience, but these ideas often remain unimplemented due to other daily demands. Eliminating tedious tasks frees up staff to engage in more strategic work and, crucially, to dedicate more time to interacting directly with and supporting students.

As one AACRAO survey respondent noted when asked about the role of the modern registrar, “The hardest transition I’ve seen in the registrar’s office is the ability to adapt leadership and staff, who may have limited technology background, to evolve and be more strategic in how to leverage new systems and allow for enhanced ways to manage curriculum, scheduling and degree auditing etc. Registrars need to evolve their teams and staff skill set to keep with moving from manual-based processing to more strategic oversight and management of these tools.” Ask any member of your staff and they almost certainly have ideas about manual work they would like to eliminate and other projects waiting on the backburner.

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Enable Students to Find Curriculum Information to Plan Their Academic Path

Understanding degree requirements is fundamental to a student’s academic journey, impacting both their time to completion and financial investment. Taking an incorrect course can lead to both wasted time and money. To ensure this doesn’t happen, students should be able to access clear and comprehensive program and course information. However, this is often a challenge, with information difficult to find, outdated, or even contradictory.

Students in the College Pulse study frequently expressed frustration with the accessibility and clarity of curriculum information. One student recounted, “The only information I ever really received regarding my degree requirements that was comprehensive and comprehensible was a single PDF emailed to me at the beginning of my freshman year. It has not been updated.” Another student found that the “sheer volume of courses and requirements proved overwhelming as I sifted through pages of course listings and degree regulations.” Many students attributed these difficulties to catalogs that were hundreds of pages long, difficult to search, and didn’t always line up with other sources.

It is critical that institutions ensure their catalogs, other web pages, and student tools display accurate, consistent, and easily navigable information. Some best practices for student-friendly catalogs include SEO optimization, intuitive navigation, and accessibility for students with disabilities. Institutions should also consider how fast the catalog loads, if it is mobile-friendly, and how logical and consistent the navigation is.

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Evaluate and Revise Curriculum to Meet Student and Employer Needs in Real Time

The rapidly evolving labor market demands that academic programs adapt quickly to meet the needs of both employers and students. Students increasingly indicate that a good job or career is the number one reason they choose to enroll. However, the process of updating curriculum is often painstakingly slow, taking months to years due to cumbersome submission,
review, approval, and implementation procedures.

Dr. Jill Wright of Illinois Central College highlights this challenge: “By the time you create a two-year program, you’re already lagging. Because, if you go through all the systems, it’s going to take you a minimum of one year, if not two. So you started a program that you needed two years ago, and now you’re waiting two years to get it approved and then you’re going to offer it... The workforce has passed you by.”

Increasing the speed of curriculum review through streamlined, transparent, and accountable processes is essential. This allows for faster implementation of changes, ensuring students receive relevant and up-to-date programming. Similarly, feedback and recommendations from assessment cycles should be acted upon swiftly to continually improve curriculum and the student experience.

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Put Dollars Where They Matter Most to Address Student Needs

In an era of increasingly tight budgets, academic staff and administrators must scrutinize their financial allocations to maximize resources and effectively meet student needs. For example, offering a high number of underfilled course sections represents lost revenue. Where appropriate, these sections can be consolidated or eliminated so resources can be reallocated to high-demand areas. Similarly, faculty salaries often constitute a significant portion of the budget. Evaluating faculty workloads to prevent overloading and unnecessary overtime leads to smarter financial decisions and saved dollars.

Other critical academic operations financial considerations include analyzing your space utilization to inform factors such as energy efficiency and where unused space could be rented out for additional revenue. By making smart financial choices, institutions can ensure that every dollar spent contributes meaningfully to student success.

With academic operations spanning multiple functions across an institution, it can be overwhelming to consider where to start. Leaders in change management often recommend picking one area to start with and then using that momentum to build on further change. Consider which academic operations functions at your institution have the greatest opportunities and how those line up with student and institutional goals.