An instructor can increase student retention by providing the students a vision for their success and by providing clear expectations and examples of requirements. Along the human demension, instructors need to ensure they are being fair to students.
Wendy,
I think you are doing a lot of things to let student know what the real world is like as they are preparing to enter it. It is sad that they don't have this understanding and wash out during the externship phase of their training. So close and yet so far.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It would be easy to say that I don't have to worry about that as my class comes at the end of the program, but we have had a number of students wash out of their externships for one reason or another.
I try to tell the students what they will most likely encounter on the job by listening closely to my advisory committee. I also ask questions of people in the field whenever I meet them. And, I try to have them read articles from professional journals to learn what issues are seen as important in the field.
Wendy,
Thank you for these comments because they reflect the needs that many students have that are in our courses and how we can support them and their success. The human factor is essential in all that we do as educators.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that being genuinely interested in student needs and problems help develop trust. This, coupled with phone calls or other follow-ups when they are absent, help keep up interest in the class. After all, many of the students have failed at school before, so it's not a new experience for them. Succeeding is - and it may be a little scary.
Allison,
Right you are. Instructors need to "read" their students and then provide support as needed to help them see the value of the content being shared as well as how the course fits into their career development. When this is done there should be a change in their attitudes and their willingness to continue in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Part of retention relies on non-verbal communication: noticing whether a student looks uncomfortable, upset, or angry can go a long way--when you find out what's bothering them, the situation will be diffused instead of build up if they take it home with them.
Daniel,
Thanks you for these good comments on how to move students from being passive to active learners. Your strategies are right on for getting them involved and your caution is one that we need to remember as we engage them in class interaction.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to make sure I engage students by name regularly throughout each class. I also find that getting students up out of their chairs and making them actively involved (write on the board, explain a certain idea to the class, etc) helps to keep their attention and interest focused...which keeps them coming back. I have to be careful about this because there's a balance between getting a student to contribute and making them feel put on the spot.
Sharon,
This is a good point from which to do your instructional planning. Make the class interesting enough for them to see the value of being in attendance. The result will be enhanced learning and greater student satisfaction.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You have to make the information exciting and important to the student. If they are just coming to school and working on worksheets or reading in their books thier not going to want to come in, they can to that at home. But if you grab their attention an actually show them something and let them do something themselves they will keep coming back.
Jerry,
Good variety in the learning options that your students have. You are helping the to acquire the content and information in a variety of different ways that appeal to their different learning preferences. This will as you already know increase their retention in the course and help them to move closer to their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My experience and focus on increasing student retention is based on providing each student with the ability to learn or assimilate new material by providing them with multiple well prepared learning methods.
For example:
- Formal presentation and demonstrations
- Read assignments
- Research projects
- End of session quizzes
- Practice exams
- Hands on labs
I increase student retention by teaching methods to retain written materials prior to performance.
I also teach them to be "off book" in class rehearsals, so as to read the next line in a scene while focusing on cues from the scene partner.
Willie,
I like the way you lay out your course expectations. This way the students can clearly see what the expectations are and what they are going to need to do in order to be successful in the course. This reduces confusion and gets them to focus on the specifics of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
There are many, many ways online instructors can increase student retention. Instructors can make a good first impression. The first day of class should be both welcoming and informative to students. We should create a welcome letter with a few details about herself and the course and have students introduce themselves as well. After students post their introductions in the discussion board, we should respond to each and every student. Another way is to never underestimate the importance of our presence. Providing students with immediate feedback and being highly visible in the classroom and online threaded discussion boards will improve the online experience for our students. When grading student assignments, it’s best to provide constructive recommendations for improvement that are highly motivating and encouraging (I like the sandwich model). Finally, I think that we can help students establish specific goals for attending the class course. At the very beginning of the course, in the announcement section, we can establish the course expectations. This ensures the students know early on what is required of them for a successful completion of the course. :-)
An Instructor need to know their materials and be prepared to excute succesfully the materials to the students.
Also, the instructors need to learn each students' goals and potential.
N. Dianne,
Good advice for instructors to follow, especially those that are just starting their teaching career. Earning the respect of students is based upon the connections you make with them and learning their names and something about them is a good starting point.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
in some ways, retention is out of the control of the instructor. many students drop out of school because of personal issues, financial issues, health issues, all things beyond my control. being a compassionate, competent instructor is the best thing i can do to retain students who can juggle their work and family and issues and school.
Instructors are key to student retention. Being knowledgeable, approachable and helpful are all key factors. I believe strongly in the concept of learning students' names quickly and making sure to have some sort of personal contact with each student, each class. This is a method I used in Management and it never fails to bring out the best in your employees and in your students.
