Four ways to ensure professional development for student support staff drives lasting impact

Empower your student success teams with training designed for long-term resilience

Professional development for student support staff plays a critical role in improving learner success and increasing staff retention and satisfaction rates. This is especially important in a higher ed landscape marked by countless shifts and uncertainties. But because not all training succeeds at driving lasting, sustainable impact, higher ed institutions must ascertain which professional development programs will pay off. Many professionals, for example, have experienced training that generates immediate excitement, only to lapse into old habits a few weeks later. Along with wasting time, money and resources, this can further tax student support teams who are already overwhelmed and stretched thin.

The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), for example, tackled this challenge by embedding quality coaching into its student success efforts. As a result, higher ed staff retention rose by 30 percentage points — resulting in more consistent support for students as well. Trained coaches were able to connect more meaningfully with their learners, which strengthened both staff engagement and the overall student experience.

By scaling proven coaching methodologies across an entire campus, institutions can turn individual staff success into a sustainable culture of excellence for students. This blog distills best practices and lessons learned from developing our own coaching experts and training staff at more than 150 partner institutions through InsideTrack Coaching Development and Training programs. We’re sharing four ways to ensure that the professional development program you invest in will have a lasting impact.

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Four ways to drive quality professional development for student support staff

1. Use an evidence-based methodology in your training programs

There are many programs that promise high-quality professional development for student support staff, but a one-size-fits-all or purely theoretical approach often fails to translate into the complex, real-world interactions they face daily. Finding a proven, evidence-based coaching methodology is crucial, leading to stronger outcomes for both staff and learners.

To identify training that will truly stick, look for programs that:

• Have been certified, accredited, or acknowledged by reputable 3rd-party entities
• Are facilitated by skilled instructors who have gone through rigorous training themselves
• Allow for staff to integrate new techniques into existing workflows
• Include one-on-one, human development — technology can be useful, but human connection is key to long-term success
• Are not entirely self-paced or promise immediate results

A new peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education further supports the importance of training and development for support staff, confirming that high-quality coach training drives transformative student outcomes. Human connection and development are central to the success of these training programs and, ultimately, subsequent coaching interactions. When support staff are properly trained, they feel more empowered and prepared to provide personalized, meaningful interactions to all students.

For instance, the InsideTrack coaching methodology has been validated by the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), demonstrating the positive impact of coaching. Institutional commitment to quality is further reflected through external standards. InsideTrack is approved by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) to provide continuing education credits to all coaches. Additionally, our Foundational Coaching Training and InsideTrack Coaching Certification program have been approved for Continuing Coach Education credits by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). 

By building a foundation of learning based on a proven methodology, student supporters can rest assured that what they’re learning works, while leaders can trust that they’ve made a sound investment. Dinah Zeiss, strategic partnership director at InsideTrack, reminds us: "A new approach to working with students can sometimes be met with skepticism. Having the academic legitimacy of a proven methodology helps to remove barriers and mitigate resistance. Our partners often ask us for case studies and data that show impact so that they can weave that into their ‘why’ as they introduce our work together. Evidence of effectiveness is important for buy-in and credibility."

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2. Reinforce training outcomes by implementing change management 

Taking on a new initiative sends ripples across the whole institution. Even a welcome change can feel overwhelming. This is where a strong change management approach can make all the difference. In fact, organizations that apply effective change management practices to their new initiatives are seven times more likely to see results — and that applies to professional development, too.

One element of change management that will set your initiative up for success is prioritizing clear communication regarding training goals. Before launching a program, bring all stakeholders into the conversation early to understand how these new competencies will integrate into their specific roles and help their learners thrive. Aligning stakeholders before the training begins ensures everyone views it as a priority rather than a burden. It’s also important to implement these new practices immediately after training sessions. This deliberate integration helps sustain change and prevents the new skills from fading once the initial post-training honeymoon period ends.

Josh TenHaken-Riedel, associate partnership director at InsideTrack, agrees: “Proactive and ongoing change management is critical to create the conditions for the learning and skills to last. We find that our most successful partners are those who build an environment for coaching to make a lasting difference, and change management is an important tool needed to create this environment.”

As part of our Coaching Development and Training programs, InsideTrack uses the Prosci Change Management Methodology to guide institutions through change as they bring our coaching methodology in-house. This approach empowers leaders to feel confident and informed as they begin their new development program, and it helps student supporters know exactly what’s expected of them and when. Both leaders and teams have more agency and control, which helps them see the change through and ensure that the training sticks.

Simply put, implementing a solid change management approach means putting people before the plan.

To dive deeper, check out five change management best practices you can implement today.

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3. Fold regular practice, feedback, and 1:1 development opportunities into training programs

Research shows people often need to hear or see new information multiple times to remember it. The adult brain has less neuroplasticity — which supports learning and adaptation — than the brains of younger people, making building new skills and knowledge more challenging the older you get. Another force working against learners? Time. The sobering truth outlined in the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve is that  learners lose an average of 90% of new information within the first seven days of learning it. So how can you help your team’s training stand the test of time?

Strategies like repetition or learning by doing significantly improve content retention by strengthening neural pathways. And Ebbinghaus’s research reminds us that one-off trainings are less likely to stick in someone’s mind or impact their behavior for any significant period. Instead, it’s critical for training programs to allow time and space for staff to get familiar with the new content. It’s also important for them to apply the information to the context of their own roles. Training programs that allow participants to ask questions and receive feedback will help improve their practice. Though these professional development opportunities require a greater time commitment, the investment pays off when the learnings are successfully integrated and regularly used.

At InsideTrack, our in-house coaches receive more than 100 hours of professional development, including up to 20 individualized coaching observations, followed by 30+ hours of training in each subsequent year. This considerable investment in training hours and practice time reinforces learning and ultimately results in measurable improvements in student outcomes. 

Additionally, student supporters who earn our flagship InsideTrack Coaching Certification receive group training and reinforcement, skills development, practice hours, and customized feedback from coaching experts — meeting InsideTrack’s rigorous criteria for high-quality coaching. One-on-one development sessions with a trained InsideTrack professional development expert allow staff members in our program to be coached directly. This invaluable process helps them identify sticking points, advance in their craft and learn how to celebrate wins along the way. 

Megan Breiseth, associate vice president of learning and development at InsideTrack, says: “You can’t become an expert coach in a single afternoon. The sessions where staff members can actually be coached themselves are critically important. These are safe spaces to get feedback and work through challenges, helping coaches move away from just memorizing a methodology and toward actually living it in their daily work with students.”

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4. Keep the momentum going through communities of practice 

Once staff members have completed their training, it’s common to feel invigorated, motivated and excited — only for the learnings (and commitment) to slip away while other priorities come up. This pattern can be combated by having a community of practice that provides ongoing learning and development for all trained student supporters. Not only does this community keep the momentum going, but it also serves as a judgment-free zone where staff members can ask questions and be vulnerable. They can collaborate with fellow community members about what’s working (or not working) and share their own experiences in return. They can trade insights with peers while reinforcing and advancing the craft of coaching.

Ongoing support and continuous development opportunities are critical to ensuring that the lessons and practices learned through training stick. InsideTrack-certified coaches and trainers at partner institutions gain access to the InsideTrack Coaching and/or Trainer Networks, which provide ongoing development opportunities to grow and elevate participants’ coaching or training skills. Through our Learning Hub, all InsideTrack-certified coaches and trainers are given exclusive access to an expansive network of other certified professionals around the country. The Learning Hub creates a means for coaching-powered professionals to engage in meaningful discussions, navigate a wealth of constantly updated resources and join workshops and tutorials — all geared toward helping them enhance their coaching practice and ultimately increase their impact on learners.

Zeiss says, “The chance for cross-pollination and the sharing of resources can be invaluable to small teams trying to make a big impact within an institution. Having resources to refresh learning and a network to pull from when needed are keys to strong training in general." 

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Improving staff and student outcomes through sustainable professional development

 Given its profound impact on staff performance, satisfaction and retention — and, in turn, student outcomes — professional development for student support staff should be a top priority for higher ed institutions nationwide. Research and real-world results prove that when institutions invest in their people, those people are better equipped to help students thrive. However, it’s important to remember that not all of these programs are created equally. Higher ed leaders need to be more discerning than ever about which program they choose to ensure it actually delivers on its promises, aligns with their unique institutional goals and generates a strong return on investment.

By moving away from one-off workshops toward an evidence-based methodology rooted in constant practice and change management, institutions can build a resilient, high-capacity workforce. Once you’re ready to make this investment, keep these four strategies in mind to ensure your training program delivers lasting, transformative value for your student support staff — and the learners they serve.