One of the most pervasive and frustrating questions when working in student success is this: what do you do when a student who clearly needs help never shows up to use it?

Every regional accreditor expects institutions to systematically assess student needs at entry. Most institutions do something in this space. The gap is in how that data is actually used.

That's the real measure of a good diagnostic assessment: not how well it predicts failure, but how effectively it helps institutions prevent it.

Institutional Commitment is something different. It refers to students' attitudes toward the institution itself — the degree to which they feel invested in, connected to, and committed to the specific college or university where they are enrolled. Not the people. The place, the choice, the fit.

We are really bad at understanding why people behave the way they do. Our students are no exception — and it's crippling our efforts to improve student success. Have you ever been sitting in a construction zone as two lanes become one? As you approach the merge point, most drivers — the civilized ones — get into the surviving lane early. And then, inevitably, someone comes zipping up the closing lane, forcing their way in at the last second. Why do they do that? In psychology

Within the ISSAQ framework, stress is addressed through two related but distinct factors: Calmness and Coping Strategies. Together, they form what we broadly refer to as Stress Management - an acknowledgment that stress is a complex, two-part phenomenon. Understanding it requires looking at both how susceptible students are to stress in the first place, and what they do when stress arrives.

Within ISSAQ, Effort Focus refers to students’ beliefs about the role of effort in academic success. Specifically, it reflects whether students view effort as a meaningful and effective pathway to improvement, rather than attributing outcomes primarily to fixed ability or external circumstances.

Within ISSAQ, Persistence refers to students’ tendency to continue working toward academic goals despite obstacles, setbacks, or temporary failure. It captures sustained effort in the presence of challenge, particularly in academic contexts.

During a recent conversation with a faculty friend of mine, the topic of Engagement came up. For those unaffiliated with our ISSAQ platform, when we talk about Engagement , we are referring to a set of observable behaviors that reflect students’ active participation in college-level learning. These includethings like attending class consistently, participating in discussions, completing assignments on time, collaborating with peers, and utilizing office hours. These behavior

Within the ISSAQ framework, Goal Commitment refers to the extent to which students are psychologically invested in achieving their educational goals and willing to persist in pursuit of them. In other words, how much does a student value and prioritize their success in college/getting their degree? It's a reflection - not just of goal clarity, but the strength of students’ attachment to those goals and their intention to follow through over time.

Importantly, within ISSAQ, Engagement is framed as a behavioral factor, not a personality trait. Students are not inherently “engaged” or “disengaged.” Rather, Engagement reflects how students respond to academic expectations, structures, and opportunities. This distinction matters because behaviors can be shaped, supported, and taught.

Self-efficacy is one of the most frequently cited—and most frequently misunderstood—factors in conversations about student success. We often default to terms like confidence, motivation, or belief in oneself to explain why students persist or disengage. Yet anyone who has worked closely with students knows that these explanations are often incomplete.

Quality Focus is one of the more nuanced factors in the ISSAQ model. At first glance, it feels intuitive—of course we want students to produce high-quality work. Faculty regularly emphasize careful writing, complete solutions, well-supported arguments, and attention to detail. Yet, when we look more closely, Quality Focus, while behavioral in nature, can represent some of the most important aspects of motivation.

Sense of Belonging captures something both beautiful and tragic about higher education. It reflects the deeply human need to feel connected and valued - and the reality that many students leave college not because they lacked ability, but because they felt they did not belong.

In the end, regardless of our perception of it, Organization is important. College requires students to manage competing deadlines, balance coursework with work and family obligations, and independently structure their time in ways that may be entirely new to them.

ISSAQ was built to help colleges and universities better understand their students and improve student success. To achieve this goal,...

A few years ago, I wrote a post confessing some internal turmoil . At the time, it seemed like every conversation about student success...

One of my first experiences as an assessment professional was working with the University Housing Office. They were so excited to share...

The only thing I hate more than listicles – you know, those catchy “Top 5 things doctors say you shouldn’t eat” posts that are the pure...

When I talk with institutions about proactively, intrusively, and holistically supporting students, a common response is something like,...