The Challenge: Addressing Engagement Gaps and Compliance Needs

Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, located in Ontario, Canada, is known for its commitment to providing high-quality education, vibrant campus life, and front runner when it comes to new innovations.

However, Humber College recognized that students were losing interest during the long waiting period before enrollment, contributing to potential enrollment melt. This decline in engagement was particularly concerning given the increasing emphasis on student experience in Ontario’s higher education sector. The college also struggled with facilitating connections between international and domestic students, which hindered the development of a unified campus community. These issues not only impacted student satisfaction but also posed risks to yield and retention rates.

Humber needed a solution that could address these gaps by providing meaningful interactions during the pre-arrival phase, ensuring that students felt connected, supported, and genuinely excited about their decision to attend Humber, thereby improving their yield and mitigating the risk of enrollment melt.

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Why Humber College Chose Goin’ as Their Student Engagement Solution

Humber College was searching for a solution that could address the challenges of student engagement during the critical pre-arrival period. They needed a platform that would not only support their recruitment efforts but also enhance the overall academic experience by building early connections among students. The goal was to transform what is often a rather dull and anxious waiting period into a vibrant, engaging community where students could start forming relationships before they even set foot on campus.

Since Goin' is the only platform delivering these kinds of impactful results, it quickly stood out as the ultimate choice for Humber. Goin' excels at creating a lively social environment that resonates with students, driving high engagement and enabling meaningful connections well before their arrival. Humber was particularly impressed by Goin’s proven track record of boosting student yield and retention rates, making it an invaluable asset in supporting their students’ success from the very start of their academic journey.

Initially, Humber launched Goin’ exclusively for international students, but the platform’s success was immediate and overwhelming. Within 24 hours, over 4,500 connections were made on the platform. This early success prompted Humber to quickly expand and scale Goin’ to include domestic students, recognizing the platform’s potential to unify the entire student body. Since Goin’ requires minimal staff effort, the expansion of the community was seamlessly integrated into Humber’s recruitment processes, further proving its value as an indispensable tool for the college.

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The Solution: Building a Connected and Engaged Student-led Community

The Humber team fully embraced Goin’ as their community engagement platform, focusing on peer-to-peer interaction and integration as key components of their recruitment strategy. Goin’ provided Humber College with a powerful solution to their engagement challenges by enabling:

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• Enhanced Student Engagement: By creating a safe, inclusive space for their international students, Humber’s prospective students could easily connect with peers, share experiences, and support one another, building a community that was both welcoming and inclusive. The platform also intelligently matches students with peers and groups that align with their interests and needs, cultivating deeper connections and a more personalized, supportive community.

• Facilitated International and Domestic Integration with Minimal Effort: Goin’s seamless approach bridged the gap between international and domestic students, creating a more cohesive and integrated campus community—something students eagerly anticipated before arriving at Humber.

• Improved Compliance with Standards of Practice: By prioritizing student experience and well-being, Goin’ helped Humber adhere to, ensuring the college met the highest standards in student support and engagement. Through analytical measurements, The Team at Humber are also able to analyze sentiments and track where students need support the most.

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The Results: 83.8% of Humber Students Reassured About Their Enrollment Decision, Along with Impressive Gains in Retention and Student Engagement

With the student-led community off to a strong start, Humber College was set to achieve several significant outcomes:

• Increased International Student Engagement: More than 2,000 international students from nearly 100 different countries engaged with each other during the community’s conversion period, resulting in over 32,000 connections.

• Improved Student Experience: 97.1% of students reported that Goin' enhanced their pre-arrival experience, while 91.6% noted reduced anxiety thanks to the platform. These statistics underscore the positive impact of Goin' on student well-being and engagement during the pre-arrival period.

• Higher Reassured students: The seamless connections made through Goin' contributed to higher reassurance rates, with students feeling more confident in their decision to attend Humber. In fact, 83.8% of students indicated that Goin' reassured them that enrolling at Humber was the right choice.

• Reduced Enrollment Melt: By maintaining strong connections with students throughout the applicant cycle, Goin' helped mitigate the risk of melt, ensuring that those who committed to Humber followed through with their enrollment.

• Strong Community Building: The platform successfully bridged the gap between international and domestic students, creating a more integrated and cohesive community. This integration is crucial for encouraging long-term retention and student satisfaction, and students are making sure that their positive experiences and the sense of belonging are widely known.

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“It's amazing that there is a place for only Humber students and the opportunity to connect with students before starting the program. I used to join and find those facebook groups where so many people are there and it was very difficult to find genuine people and someone from the same interest and program. Now it's so easy to make new friends!” - Amisha

“I think Humber has taken an excellent step to use such an application, which helps to connect students and class fellows and is also beneficial to expand our networks!” - Manhil

“It's great that you can start getting to know people and have a chance to meet them in person! It can really make a great start to someone's study experience here in Canada.” - Tony

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The Future Community at Humber College

Looking ahead, these early successes by Humber are expected to translate into sustained student satisfaction and higher retention rates throughout the academic year. Humber’s proactive efforts in leveraging Goin’ to enhance student engagement have played a key role in these outcomes. The ongoing engagement nurtured by Goin’ has already shown promise in creating a connected and thriving student body, which is crucial for long-term academic success and student loyalty.

Does your university need support in boosting its yield and retention in innovative ways that captivate students? We believe that building a strong community is the perfect solution to ensuring students cross the finish line. Chat with our team to get started in creating a community that not only thrives but also meets both your and your students' expectations and outcomes.