Designing Memorable Experiences to Motivate Students to Persist and Graduate

Can designing memorable experiences improve students’ motivation to persist and graduate? This project addresses one of the KPIs of post-secondary institutions—graduation rate—by testing the concept of experiences.

In line with recent academic literature, the project focuses on the student’s persistence rate rather than retention rate, which refers to students returning to their program year-over-year. By utilizing design-thinking principles and placing students at the heart of the process, the project team seeks to develop a better understanding of the characteristics of effective student engagement.

To achieve this, the project will pilot an intervention in two programs within the Faculty of Social & Community Services (FSCS) & other programs experiencing low graduation rates. Collaborating with students, faculty, and staff, the team will co-create experiential learning opportunities designed to improve engagement and increase motivation. The intervention’s outcomes will be compared against other programs, serving as control groups. This will help identify characteristics of effective engagement that influence persistence.

The project aligns with the Humber Academic Plan by promoting innovative teaching and learning delivery practices. Ultimately, the project seeks to amplify experiential learning and help students maximize the value of their educational journeys. The outcome of the study has the potential to be applied in various programs across the institution and lead to transformative change at Humber and beyond.