First-Generation College Students and Satisfaction with Student-Success-Technology

Abstract

In today’s digital age, fueled by consumers’ expectations for robust and personalized digital experiences, the adoption and use of electronic services (e-services) by customers and constituents is critical. In higher education there is an immense need for institutions to build service and digital experiences that match what students experience in their broader lives. In parallel, public universities are under tremendous budgetary and performance pressure from the general public and state legislators to increase graduation rates while living up to their goals for improving access to higher education. Central to their efforts is a focus on assisting first-generation college students graduate, as they are less likely to persist after their first year and less likely to graduate, compared to their non-first-generation peers [1–3]. One tool in these efforts is technology that students can use to support their own continued enrollment, and technology for faculty and staff to use to support student success—commonly referred to as student success technology (or student-success-technology). In the context of recent critiques of higher education, including demands to lower costs, deliver a more educational value, and provide an educated workforce to meet economic demands, this work is critically important [4].