What changes have been made as a result of the SSI?
At the end of each week, instructors are required to check with the students (ie: Likes/Dislikes). Instructors are also required to advise students in writing on poor performance; time missed in class; etc... A commity led by an instructor follows-up on those written forms. Often, they take action (better location for housing; find them another job fitting the class schedule; etc...)
At the end of each session, the students fill out a survey. That survey is often used to implement changes.
It seem as if the students are told what they want to hear when they want to hear it in order to keep them satisfied. unfortunately their expectations aren't always met. This puts the instructors "in the middle", if you will. Now we have to deal with unhappy student. It becomes dificult to teach disapointed people when they feel they were lied to just to get them to sign an enrollment agreement. So it is up to us to satify them regardless of what the have been told or promised by the admissions department.
So now to answer your question, Retention had become such an issue that an instructor was taken out of teaching and appointed "Student Success Instructor". He is now in charge of dealing and working with students before we lose them completely.
What is the purpose of the student union? Do they have a budget? Who serves as their adviser?
Does the student success instructor actually teach a success course? Is their only focus or do they have other responsibilities?
Our school has a student success instructor. We can send students with attendance problems to him. He also works with students that are showing signs of stress and discuss other problems and concerns that the students may have. He can direct students to the right people to help them with there particular problem.
We have a student union that meets every 3 weeks, our campus president meets with students one on one, and the evaluations at the end of each 3 week cycle. Also at least once a year, our CEO visits and meets with students as well.
At the end of each course the students evaluate the course, equipment, and instructor.
They have a series of questions that they bubble the answers. And they also have written comments.
This evaluation carries a lot of weight.
For the student to know their expectations of what the class or lab task is about,so when they accomplish the task ,not only is the satisfaction for the student that was able to accomplish what he had too,but it is also great satisfaction to the instructor that he was able to help the student with the understanding of the task or class project.
our comittee consists of 7 members (5 needed for a quarum ) we meet weekly our agenda is based on needs of the campus where we send out surveys for the faculty to answer then we gather the information and make one decision which goes through our DOE then to the staff
Please tell us about the composition and functions of the curriculum committee, James. How many members, who, how often do you meet, who sets the agenda, how do make decisions, etc.?
It just so happens that at my campus I am the chair of the curriculim committee, we discuss how the faculty address the student population to insure that we are all on the same page in terms of teching methods so students do not recieve mixed messages and their expectations are being met.
We utilize the student survey system, along with follow up by Education managers. Our survey occurs at the end of the course cycle, but I do one of my own at the start of the cycle, since my class is towards the end of the students term here I am always amazed at how the students understanding and expectations have evolved as they near graduation. It makes for an interesting discussion for the first day and it allows me to get a glimpse of where the student is along his expectation and satisfaction curve. I have an added bonus in that the student is near success (graduation) they now have a whole new set of expectations to contend with. That being what will happen once they enter the work force with an education and face employers with expectations of thier own.
They have 1 on 1 conversations with them in their many different admin departments, survey them, and ask instructors questions about student satisfaction.
Just in my department we have created a new position for one our instructors titled "retention". Since he has started doing this, the feedback form the students has been great.
At the end of every 3 week course, the students are given what we call a course evaluation. It is here the students have the chance to rate the instructor, the curriculum, the labs and the training aids. At the end of the questionaire, ther students are provided space for them to put a written response. These evaluations are passed out, picked up, put in an envelope and hung outside the door by a student for our education managers to gather up. Also, twice a year, we put out the SSI survey. It is at this time the student gets to evaluate every department, such as Housing, Student Services, Financial Aid, Employment, etc.
Surveys every three weeks on different areas of the course, from how the instructors are doing to how they rate the material being thought, equipment provided to them in each class, even the maintenance facilities are rated by the students. Then education managers speak with the students if necessary and written comments from the students are given to the instructors for course evaluation.
My institution has several things in place to insure expectations are met. Some of the methods are: on the last day of a class the students do a coures evaluation about the curriculum, the labs, the instructor, and an area to write any comments about the school and /or class that they want. All evals are read by the education director and the education Mgrs. as well as given back to the instructors to review. Our campus also does support services serveys. My school has a Student Union to get students involed in the campus and hear there feedback and give suggestions on improvements.We have meetings with the recruitors to keep them informed on what we do in courses and what the students can expect once they start going to classes so that they are not being missinformed or expecting something that they are not going to get when they are here, basicaly tell the truth or it will cause problems.
Our school has a strong open door policy to ensure all personnel are easily approchable by the students.Each course the student attends is evaluated by the students at the end of the course using a survey form,any issues reported by a student is followed up by a education manager.Our campus has also recently added a full time Student Success Manager to help students with a variety of issues.
The instructor lays out the expectations of the particular subject or lab task to the clss so when the students acheive what was expected or accomplish the task,the satsfaction of accomplishment will fall on both the instructor and student.
