Feeling accepted because of rather than in spite of differences may be the key to a successful retention. If a teacher can bring out the benefits of background differences it may put students at ease and allow creativity to flow.

Being able to motivate students is very important. Instructors who are able to do this will go a long way.

Students being able to apply what they know personally to learning helps them in the classroom.

Coming back to school after being out for a while can be difficult. It is important that instructors are passionate about what they are doing so that students can see this and feel it at the same time.

My students love this idea, I got it from a play on Monopoly board game. Simply put when the students have a missing assignment, they can use a "Get out of jail Card" to replace said assignment. They only get one for the entire class.

Throughout the years I have been teaching I have had to deal with many students that were faced with challenges. There has been times when I have worked with students that have lost their jobs, loved ones, homes, and students that have been diagnosed with severe medical conditions. During these challenging times I have learned to apply these best practices. 1) Imagine that I was in their position (this helps me put things in to perspective) 2) Reach out to the student to provide extra support 3) Work with administrative staff on the behalf of the student 4) Increased my availability for the student 5) Offer suppoort by listening 6) Search for ways to motivate the student to push them to the finish line

I will try to apply some of these concepts in the clinical setting that i teach in.

In many of adult learning, we need to distinguish between two types of customers - the student and the person paying the bill. In some cases, these will be the same person. But in many cases, a parent, grandparent, spouse or some other person will be paying the bill and also should be treated as a customer. In fact, if a parent does not believe the student is getting his money's worth out of the educational experience (for whatever reason), he may pull the cash-flow. So the payor is definitely part of the retention equation.

One size fits all does not work in a private educational institution with a customer service orientation. And, yes there is the reality that profits must be made. The better approach is use a lot of in-class activities that allow individual students to use their own means to solving problems, etc. It also literally mandates that they be allowed to advance in the course at their own pace.

The reality is that there have always been public and private educational institutions. How do contemporary well performing private educational institutions manage the contemporary perspective of "getting what I pay for" from students?

Retention is a big issue in the career institute. all this schools are for profit organization. For them to survive they need students and keep them till completion of the course. For the instructors if they also needs to be involved in the retention process then it is a problem. Instructors will try everything to keep them in school. Make them pass the class even they fail. Will give them attendance even they did not come to the class to maintain their percentage. So, it is better retention process to be done by the advisors or career service dept.

Thinking about getting students motivated and involved in class, I thought having mini lectures and having students write down their questions. After the mini lecture, having the questions be more of a class discussion for everyone to learn further which will assist in critical thinking. Is there a way to somehow get everyone to participate especially the ones that are not as motivated in this type of activity?

I really enjoyed this section, and with nursing students I can really have an impact on this type of case study and surprises through in. This will make for a more fun and upbeat experience.

I will agree making classes fun is important to engage and retain students. My classes years ago that were fun even getting up and doing math problems on the board helped move us students around. When I was in my bachelor's degree program sitting for four hours at one time with just lecture did not retain many of us, and lecture was hard to keep most engaged.

During my practicum experience many faculty members complained about students that were able to get in to the program that were not able to hardly speak English (The instructors felt the entrance exam was too easy). They felt they were taking time away from other students that needed some time also. What is the best way to accommodate all involved if you have a student that needs more attention related to ESL?

I tell my students they have to be self-motivated, intrinsic learners. Motivation must come from within. I also tell my faculty that in the classroom they must motivate extrinsically and be role models to our students. Students need a hero, someone they can look up to. By sharing personal stories and issues they encountered related to the field they will motivated students to see the end goal.

how do we motivate the one person in class who is so hard to get thru too

I found that rapport is easy to get with students, but I have some problems with homework and the load they think it brings. this causes stress for me personally because we do most of it in class. where is the cut off line to what you should do

having students know that we are a "safe haven" for them is important sometimes the only person they can talk to is us. by being fair and impartial we can help them.

how do we as instructors diffuse the drama before it overtakes the class. The problem I see is while attempting to redirect it ends up involving everyone.