stratergy for general retention
The key to keeping Retention down is talk to student and see what you can do as an instructor to help the problem, and help to focus on the goals.
I think that there is a greater retention problem in online schools because the teacher/student interaction is not as consistent and tangible. I rarely lose in-seat students. I like to meet with them one on one. I do try to respond to online students up to five times per day to show them that they are valued.
I agree with talking to students about issues to help retention. I also feel it goes much deeper in order to retain a student. Communication between instructors and supervisors should always be flowing, especially when an instructor knows there may be an issue. Students tend to discuss more with an instructor and most times will wait until a small issue becomes devastating before discussing it and these issues might be more than an instructor alone would be qualified to handle. So I feel the key is open communication between instructors and administration, but also really listening to the student's needs.
