Understanding the Student Experience Through the Loss/Momentum Framework: Clearing the Path to Completion

This report introduces an approach to examining students’ own experiences at community colleges, identifying factors that catalyze and impede student progress and using these insights to address opportunities to improve student outcomes. In the first half of the guide, the authors define the concept of the student experience and show how it can fundamentally turn around discussions among college leaders and practitioners about the institution’s programs and services. Next, they introduce the Loss/Momentum Framework as a means to better understand the student experience and identify the specific areas within a college that, when addressed, could be the lynchpins for reform and redesign. In the second half, the authors provide a step-by-step guide to exploring the student experience, using the Loss/Momentum Framework, and discovering areas for further inquiry as the first step toward transforming students’ educational journey. Finally, the report shares information to help colleges begin to strategize about how to remove obstacles in the educational pathway and expedite student success