Colleges are using big data to identify when students are likely to flame out

Virginia Commonwealth University, like lots of U.S. colleges, has worked to keep its freshmen around for sophomore year. Research has shown that students are most at risk of dropping out early in their college careers, and freshman retention rates also factor into college rankings.

Although VCU has had success in getting students to return to its Richmond campus for a second year, the university has struggled to get them all the way to graduation. Now the school is turning to big data to help it identify students who are most at risk of falling through the cracks.

By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel

Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/colleges-are-using-big-data-to-identify-when-students-are-likely-to-flame-out/2015/06/14/b2cc68f8-03e4-11e5-bc72-f3e16bf50bb6_story.html