Tyton Partners’ Listening to Learners Data Assesses Correlation Between Student Safety and Re-enrollment Decisions at Institutions 

BOSTON, SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 (GlobeNewswire) — Today, Tyton Partners, a strategy consulting and investment banking firm focused on the education sector, unveiled Listening to Learners 2024: Stay Safe, Stay Informed: How Awareness of Support Services and Safety Relate to Re-enrollment, focusing on student learning outcomes. Following its widely cited debut last year, the second annual installment dives into the student perspective, linking it to institutional practices and technologies to spotlight impactful trends supporting student success in and outside the classroom. 

With data from 3,000 higher education administrators, frontline advising staff, and students, Listening to Learners 2024 offers an in-depth analysis across six pivotal areas: Safety, Learner Awareness, Basic Needs Costs, Generative AI, Stopped-out Learners, and the Equity-Excellence Imperative. These areas are critical in understanding and bridging gaps between what students need to succeed and institutional efforts. 

• Safety Concerns: Although rarely discussed during advising sessions, students are four times more likely to want to discuss safety issues as a topic than advisors, highlighting a disconnect that impacts re-enrollment. 

• Learner Awareness: Only 54% of institutions effectively communicate available student support services, underscoring an awareness gap that could significantly boost retention and re-enrollment rates. This gap is larger for students with disabilities and online students. 

• Basic Needs Costs: 60% of students cite the cost of course materials as a crucial factor in course selection, stressing the financial burdens impacting their academic choices. 

• Generative AI: 50% of students would continue using generative AI tools even if banned, indicating robust student interest in these technologies. 

• Stopped-out Learners: FAFSA delays have had disproportional effects on re-enrolled learners’ decisions to re-enroll and potentially transfer to a different college or university 

• Equity-Excellence Imperative: Despite having a perspective on which student populations are most at risk, 54% of academic advisors don’t know if student utilization of support services is tracked by at-risk sub-populations (e.g., students who are working while in school or from rural areas), suggesting a lack of targeted support. 

“At Tyton Partners, we believe deeply in the power of data to inform actionable insights,” said Catherine Shaw, Managing Director at Tyton Partners and lead author of Listening to Learners. “Through Listening to Learners, we aim to bridge the gap between student experiences and institutional strategies, fostering environments that support all aspects of student success, both in and outside the classroom.” 

“This research underscores the urgent need for higher education to equip learners with the skills for a lifelong learning journey,” said Dr. Cristi Ford, Vice President of Academic Affairs at D2L. “As people live and work longer, the traditional three-stage model of education, employment, and retirement must transform into a continuous cycle of learning and earning.” 

This year’s research, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, D2L, and Lumina Foundation, highlights the critical need for educational institutions to align more closely with student needs. By bridging this gap, we can not only enhance equity and effectiveness within the educational landscape but also pave the way for innovative practices that will shape the future of learning. 

Read Listening to Learners 2024 here. 

About Tyton Partners 

Tyton Partners is the leading provider of strategy consulting and investment banking services to the global knowledge and information services sector. With offices in Boston and New York City, the firm has an experienced team of bankers and consultants who deliver a unique spectrum of services from mergers and acquisitions and capital markets access to strategy development that helps companies, organizations, and investors navigate the complexities of the education, media, and information markets. Tyton Partners leverages a deep foundation of transactional and advisory experience and an unparalleled level of global relationships to make its clients’ aspirations a reality and to catalyze innovation in the sector. Learn more at tytonpartners.com.