Nudging in a Pandemic: Lessons Learned from Text Messaging College Students amid COVID-19

ABSTRACT

This study analyzed six months of student feedback from a text messaging program serving 40 Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the United States immediately after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. Findings suggest institutions of higher education could have communicated curricular models and campus information in a more timely, clear manner to assuage student anxiety and support student persistence and graduation. Implications for enrollment management and financial aid practitioners are addressed.