Dive Brief:

• Academic tracking software has increased graduation rates at Purdue University.
• Students who took two or more classes that used the software graduated within six years at a rate about 20% higher than students without the tracking software.
• The program, called Signals, looks at Blackboard or other course-management systems and sees whether a student has completed reading or watched online lectures, then measures the data against test and assignment grades and compiles the information for the instructor.

Dive Insight:

Purdue is not alone in using data-mining software to improve its graduation rate. That's also one key to Georgia State's boosting its graduation rate by 22 points in 10 years. Signals is not used in all Purdue classes, but a researcher says that when students get a nudge from Signals in one class, the academic push often spills over into their other classes.