Improving Retention from the START!
I have long believed that a students perception of the quality of the school will contribute heavily to a student's dedication to completing a program of study. Schools like Harvard, MIT, Yale, and other such Ivy league schools do not have serious problems with retention and attrition. In my opinion, a prime reason for this is the stringent guidelines and requirements necessary for acceptance into the school. A person can't just walk in off the street, and start classes the following Monday... Any perspective student of one of these schools must first meet the entry guidelines, and then complete any and all of the entry requirements. Like an ENTRANCE EXAM!!!!!!!
Any schoolo that does not put a requirement on students entering the school is GOING to have difficulty with students leaving the school.
I have found that a good majority of the students who start college are NOT actually prepared for what is expected of them!
Regardless of how well a school attempts to meet the expectations of the students, the students' must be made to meet the expectations of the school!!!
Until this changes, retention will Always be a problem in private, post-secondary education.
Brooke, are there entrance exams that have been shown to be good predictors of success? If so, what are the barriers to using them?
I strongly agree with your opinion. I deal with this in the program I teach. However, admission reps work very strongly with choosing the right students that choose to enroll in my program of study I teach. But they do not require an entrance exam based on the field of study. And to me that has been a great concern of mine as an instructor. And for this being the case student retention is a concern.
To me, the answer to your question is both. The financial well being of any institute depends on successful recruiting and retention. The emphasis should be on enrolling students who have the ability and interest to graduate. It is short-sighted to recruit those who will do harm to the institution's reputation.
Loren Kroh
With admissions worried about their enrolment numbers and not retention rates we are dealt an unfair hand. Retention efforts have to be the goal of every department or we are just setting people up for failure and debt. We have an amazing faculty here who genuinely care about their students success but if we have a student with horrible attendance because they don't have the means to drive to school then what are we supposed to do? Which number is more important, enrolment or retention?
I understand what you are saying and agree somewhat. In the field of criminal justice, though, my students will eventually have to speak in open court, infront of a courtroom full of people which include the judge, attorneys,and prosecutors. I have found that reading in class helps them get over their fear of speaking in public. If not, then they do not belong in the criminal justice field.
Entrance testing for reading levels is a much better way to establish a student's ability than having them read aloud in class. Many people have a strong fear of public speaking - and reading in front of a group is a variation of that. The result may lead to an improper evaluation of their skills.
Loren Kroh
I like the idea of our school visiting high schools to let them know what is necessary to succeed at our school. Some students have no clue about college requirements let alone competencies. Most education teachers should know what is necessary and tell their students and get them ready for higher education levels.
I like the idea of entrance exams. I have found many students unable to comprehend let alone able to read. I have students read in class aloud to see where they are at academically. Then I know who will need tutoring or extra help. I also hold the teachers in the lower grades at fault for not teaching better reading skills.
Frequent review is a good way to assure that retention practices are working properly. Who should be responsible for coordinating this review? How do you assure that the needed changes are made?
Student retention must start from the first day. Your retention process must be gone over at least every 9 weeks to reinforce policys and reveiw any issues students may be having at school or away from school.
I also played a dual role for about 10 months which has proved to be very interesting. I taught the General Studies Prep class using two books: Thought Patterns for Success,and Peak Performance which changed to Power Learning. Due to our Module schedule, it was only two weeks but we have been able to put out much better adjusted student. I also am the Learning Coordinator (the Library) so have been able to encourage the Study groups in the Library, assist in computer usage and just listen to direct them for help when needed.
Communication as to the direction of questions or to send people to the right person can sometimes be a problem as guidelines are not always as definite as they need to be. How can we keep up with constant changes of our supervisors as they sometimes add or sutract without thinking?
Unfortunately, not all of our current students have had an opportunity to take the GS 101 course. This course has been implemented as a requirement for all NEW students, however, older students will leave without gaining the soft skills taught in my class. GS 101 last two weeks and is 40 class hours. It is worth 2.5 credits. We have not yet been able to document the success of students that have completed this class vs graduated.
I'm glad to hear about your success skills course. I believe that most students have a real need to develop some - if not all - the skills you mention. Do all students take the course? How long; how many credits? Have you been able to document improved persistence?
On our campus I play a dual role. I am the Student Services Coordinator as well as the Instructor for the intro to college course. In my class I introduce Note Taking Tips, Test Taking Tips, Time Management Tips, Stress Management 101, Thought Patterns to Build a Successful Career and more. By having the students at the very beginning of their program it allows me to build a rapport by providing useful tools for personal/academic growth and genuinely sharing with them my care/concern for helping them reach their goals.
I notice that most of the students that are most quick to come to me seeking help, are people that once sat in my classroom and now feel comfortable enough to share their obstacle with me.
Succinctly stated, Kevin. I believe the model you outlined is universal; the participants within the process bring different needs and expectations that result in different practices.
The institution that best aligns their practices to the needs of their customers/prospective students will be the most successful.
Did your research lead to any specific recommendations to improve performance within admissions, financial aid or education? Did you investigate differences in how various types of institutions address practices in each of these areas?
In my PhD program, I just completed a rather lengthy section on retention. The factors associated with typical career based or two year institutions are far different than from the ivy league or "A" level schools you mentioned.
The action of retention begins with admissions, continue to financial aid, and is sustained by the education department. The admissions department must become investigators, capable of extracting the truthful and accurate responses from potential students regarding environmental factors which may effect their education.
Financial Aid is responsible for ensuring the proper funding is in place and that the funds are used in an appropriate and legal manner. Further investigation should be performed in how they plan to maintain their ability to live adequately while in school.
The environmental theory provides a method for the institution to respond to environmental factors, or those factors which may prevent a student from completing. Through a combination of open communication between instructors and program directors, student issues, may be addressed quickly and more accurately.
I presume that there is a mechanism to connect students to useful resources that address the root reason for their absences. While it's nice to call and tell them that we're thinking of them that doesn't necessarily help them.
After the Freshman period, are students re-assigned to Program Managers? If so, what happens to the information and relationship that has been established?
We have a system of no-shows documentation that is sent to all the program managers of our college. From the no show list, the students are called or contacted just letting them know we were concerned about their absence. The freshmen are assigned a specific Program manager just to further emphasize the importance of keeping them on track and trying to indentify the possible negatives while we can still salvage them and keep them in school. This document is a good way to share concerns with the faculty and keep our retention rates high.
Does your school have an early alert system, Christine? Those students who have a lot of outside stuff going on, are usually identified early by faculty or even admissions. The trick is using that information to be proactive early enough to have impact on the outcome.
I really agree that it seems that the students who end of dropping do have alot of outside "stuff" going on. they are the ones that are the most challenging as the seem to literally drop of the planet and are not reachable to help or even inform them of their options. However the arguement could be made that we need to identify these students before they dissapear from class to get them help earlier on and for me this is were the real challenge lies. It can be hard to get them to talk or to pinpoint who is in realy need and how is full of excuses for poor proformence.
