A correction was made to Suraiya Padiyath Abdulla’s name and a clarification was indicated that the university’s affiliation with Persistance Plus did not start but was expanded during the pandemic.
Ohio University expanded its text message services to all Athens undergraduate students during the pandemic, giving unsolicited advice, asking well-being-based questions and encouraging healthy mindsets.
Those text messages are from OU’s MyOHIO Advice free text-messaging system for all Athens campus students that began during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote a growth mindset in students.
MyOHIO Advice is a partnership with Persistence Plus, the Office of the Dean of Students, and the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning, or ACE. Specifically, Chad Barnhardt, assistant dean of students, and Suraiya Padiyath Abdulla, director of graduation plans and advising technology, work closely with MyOHIO Advice.
Persistence Plus is an over-the-phone support system that gives interactive “nudges” that are sometimes personalized to the student based on students’ interactions.
Eric Eickenhorst, a junior studying finance and analytics, said the texts typically inspire self-reflection and are usually encouraging.
A personalized message sent to Eickenhorst in 2022 said, “Happy end of semester from my OHIO ADVICE! Have a great summer, Eric, and good luck with work, school, and everything else you do.” Eickenhorst responded to the message, “I’m gonna cry; I will never forget you.”
However, other messages are more generalized based on the students who opt in to receive the messages.
An example of a generalized text message sent to OU students March 19 reads, “It’s easier to learn material that is presented in different ways. If you are learning from a book, try online videos too or listen to calming music.”
The nudges are based on the Nudging Theory, proposed by authors Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their book “Nudge.” The customized nudges are backed by proven behavioral science that Persistence Plus prides itself on, increasing at-risk student graduation rates by 6%.
“We take the concept of the nudge – the idea that the right message at the right time can motivate people to make decisions that lead to success – and apply it to higher education,” according to the Persistence Plus website.
Persistence Plus molded nudges to help students follow through with their academic goals by planning details for when and where they will take action, such as studying and visiting office hours.
“To help students follow through on academic goals, we prompt them to form plans that include specific details of when and where they will take an action such as studying or visiting office hours,” according to the Persistence Plus website.
Some text messages base their questions on the general well-being of the students. March 26, students received a message reading “College students often have a range of concerns towards the middle of the term as they face increased academic pressures and personal challenges. Are you experiencing any of the following? Text: Finances, Social life, Grades, Stress, Career.
If students were to respond with concerning messages, Persistence Plus would contact the Ohio University Police Department in a life-threatening situation.
In other emergency-related situations, Persistence Plus will inform the Office of the Dean of Students and the ACE. A CARE Team Referral concern form would then be filled out, Abdulla said.
“We help students perceive their setbacks as common stumbles on the way to a degree,” according to the Persistence Plus website.
However, Eickenhorst sometimes enjoys replying with silly messages back to the MyOhio Advice messages.
In a text message from March 1, 2023, Eickenhorst received a message from MyOHIO Advice that read, “Do you need help with academic writing? We can help with any step of your writing process and it is free.” Eichenkorst responded with “No, I have a journal but thanks boo.”
However, not every student enjoys the messages and some have even unsubscribed. Abdulla said 92% of students are subscribed, leaving 8% of the Athens undergraduate program unsubscribing from these messages.
“Students are informed about this text service via an email from Ohio University before they receive the first message,” Alexander Semancik, an OU spokesperson, wrote in an email. “The email contains details about the service, the benefits of being subscribed and information on how to opt-out if students are not interested.”
