Retention efforts
When talking about our retention efforts I like to think that we on my campus take a village approach, everyone from the faculty to admission's and registrar. we all take time to divide up the list of students that are "at-risk" and cater our response to their individual circumstances.
Ronna, the only thing worse than an instructor who "has no idea who there student is" is the one who doesn't care who the student is.
I agree with you completely!! I have found in my little experience that every student is different and have diffrent issues but IF you get to know your student you are better able to advise them. There is nothing worse than an Instructor that has no idea who there student is!
There are practical limitations to how much one-on-one attention can be provided. How do you make that determination? What happens when that point is reached?
The faculty at my school does much the same - we also try not to judge a book by its cover. We've all seen students that seem not to care, suddenly stop showing up, etc. Writing this type of student off is very easy, but actually taking the time to speak to the student and find out what the real issue is allows the student to realize that they DO matter to us, we DO want them to stay in school, and we DO care how well they perform.
We do the same thing at my school. All "high risk" students are taken under someone's wing and given that one-on-one attention they need.
I absolutely agree. This builds on the rapport we try to establish with the student when they are first enrolled. If they understand the depth of assistance we can offer and feel comfortable, students will await our calls rather than avoid them.
Having access to a student's profile re: personality, temperament and communication style would be very useful in managing your contacts. Knowing their preferences allows you to connect on their terms.
That is what I miss most about being at a ground campus with more personable approaches. Now that I am at an online college, our retention efforts are definitely more difficult. The "goal" of success is still our priority, but reaching out through email, phone, or regular mail only produces so much response. How do we create an urgency with limited contact, or at times none at all?
