Western Carolina University has partnered with EAB to utilize, Navigate, an resource that helps students see all the important things in one easy-to-view path and reminds them of what’s next. It is a platform that combines predictive analytics and communication tools for academic advising and tutoring. The goal for this partnership is to ultimately improve retention and on-time graduation rates by identifying areas of additional support needed for students to complete their degrees and suggest roadmaps to a degree based on their academic strengths and past successes.
At the core of the initiative is an innovative software platform representing a data-driven paradigm shift in how advisors:
Navigate is not intended to add complexity to your advising. Instead, it is intended to guide the prioritization of outreach to and interaction with your students. Our goal is to provide you with the necessary resources to successfully navigate the platform.
If you are not currently utilizing the Navigate platform, but are interested in doing so, please let us know. In addition, if you have any questions regarding implementation, best practices, or are not sure if the platform would benefit you in your current role at Western Carolina University, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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Please email advisingcenter@wcu.edu.
Login Navigate, with your WCU login and password, so be sure to use your WCU e-mail address and password. Click “Advising/Tutoring” under quick links once you are in your mywcu portal.
Data in Navigate is pulled from WCU’s Data Warehouse (Banner) nightly. Any changes made to a student’s record in Banner will be reflected in Navigate the following day.
No, the student view is limited. Students only have access to schedule appointments and other limited permissions.
Yes, student notes in Navigate are part of a student’s educational record and subject to FERPA. See more information regarding FERPA or e-mail advisingcenter@wcu.edu.
Student success markers are determined by the Office of Student Retention with multiple partners from across campus.
A student’s level of support is a qualitative measure determined by EAB’s predictive model, which incorporates over 20 data points on a student’s record, including but not limited to: attempted/completed credits, cumulative/term GPA, high school factors (school size, GPA, ACT/SAT scores), and demographic information. Based on the EAB algorithm, a student will then be classified as needing low, moderate, or high support. This information is only available to professional staff; a student does not have access to their own support level.
Navigate identifies different “roles” within the tool, which depend on your job responsibilities. If you are interested in how these roles are determined, please contact the advisingcenter@wcu.edu or 828.227.7753.
Yes, there are various trainings upon request by our Navigate facilitators. Additionally, there are a variety of resources and guides on the site for users to review as well as the Navigate Faculty User Guide. The Navigate Help Center is also a great resource for tips and tutorials – just click on the “?” in the top right corner when you’re logged into the platform.
Contact the Navigate facilitators at advisingcenter@wcu.edu.