Caryn, do you maintain detailed records of what action was taken and its result? Have the efforts paid off in improved retention?
Sounds like you have a lot of procedures in place to help students, Mindy. Have you been rewarded with improved results? Do the students show their appreciation by making referrals?
What do you mean by a hands off attitude, Fernando? Is it possible for an instructor to be effective and be socially detached?
Retention meetings are held on a daily basis and students are contacted in regards to missing school. The intent is to determine if there is a problem before it becomes a problem.
At my institution, we spend a lot of time showing the students how much we apprecate them by having fun activities throughout the phase as well as many food days. We know that most of our students go to work right after or right before coming to class so by providing snacks and some full meals we hope to show them that we are right there with them supporting them and cheering them on.
We also hold a Nachos & News day once a term where we give campus updates and talk about any concerns they may have.
We also have two surveys that are conducted each term and we post the concerns from the surveys along with the resolutions on a bulletin board where all students can see it.
Another way we show committment is that the first day a student is absent from class they receive a personal phone call from their instructor checking up on them and offering assistance. If they are gone more than one day then they also receive calls from our Retention Specialist, myself, and our Campus Director. We don't all call them on the same day but we spread it out to let them know we care and if they are having an issue there is usually something we can do to help.
We offer serval tutoring sessions for students who might be struggling with work and we also provide constant academic advising for students who fall below a 70% in their class which offers a make-up plan and a plan for raising their grades.
We constantly work with students and help out as much as possible as long as they are communicating with us because we can't help if we don't know what is going on. We have to be flexible with our students and as long as they are willing to put in the effort and meet us half way we are more than willing to help them because we want them to be successful and we want to see them walk across that stage at graduation. As the Director of Education I work with students well into the next phase if there is something we can do to raise their grades and provide them with an opportunity to not have to re-take the course the next time it is offered, which follow our campus catalog policy.
We have been trying to change the way the instructors interact with the students. Some of the instructors take a very hands off attitude toward the students and we feel it is leading to loss of students. Change behavior of instructors and intern improve student attrition.
Yes, mostly group events seem to allow students to see staff and faculty in a different light, rather than an authority figure.
Jacqueline, are you referring to social events outside of the classroom setting? Group events or individual interactions?
How does the in-house internship work? Do you simulate a workplace? Do the students do productive work for outside customers? If so, are they compensated?
We developed an in-house internship to help students develop skills and build confidence in future opportunities after graduating.
The practices I find to be most important are those which create a connection between students and faculty and staff. Events and interventions which show students that faculty and staff are "people," not just authority figures make students more comfortable and demonstrate that we are all invested in the school community. Likewise, sometimes they may just need to know someone else is aware of how they are doing and offering assistance.
Jacqueline, sounds like you have the bases covered. If you were to recommend one of these practices as a "must have" for people developing their retention efforts, which would you pick?
In my experience, nearly all practices demonstrate school commitment to the students. For example, we call students who are absent, offer assistance to students who perform poorly on exams or assignments, hold events such as speakers, faculty meet and greets, academic success workshops, issue student satisfaction surveys for the college and individual departments, make improvements based on these assessments, constantly review curriculum and faculty, offer internships, provide service learning opportunities, hold career fairs, etc.
Christine, do you do this for each absence or is there a point where you stop calling?
I agree with you, Abdalla. I also call the student and ask if everything is okay with them and if there is anything I can do to help them. I feel like if they know that someone notices they are not present, they may feel more accountable for their actions.
You make is sound so straight forward, Brent. All we have to do is execute. Can you identify any weak links at your institution?
And hopefully being productive in between. Putting in the time is just a start.
Christopher, is that PowerPoint available at a web link for future review? How often is the content reviewed/updated?
What's your answer to your question, Mary? Is there a next step after you reach that threshold?
Susan, what format do you use to make the referral to Student Services? How quickly do they receive, and respond to, the information?
